Imperial Woodpecker has added director Emily Maye to its roster for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She had previously been repped by Farm League and continues to be handled in the U.K. by Rogue.
Born and raised in Southern California, Maye spent her early life immersed in a ballet school owned by her mother. Surrounded continuously by music and movement, Maye had her passion for narrative evolve into an obsession with film. After attending the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television and continuing her screenwriting studies at Columbia University, Maye pursued her enthusiasm for storytelling in the visual arts through both photography and filmmaking.
As a photographer, Maye’s inquisitive eye looks to highlight an athlete’s humanity and the beauty in their discipline and strife that we so often overlook when focused on the finish line shot. Her clients include Nike, Adidas, Lululemon, and Rapha. Her editorial work can be seen in ESPN Magazine and Victory Journal. Often going behind-the-scenes with athletes in their training and daily life, Maye is able to capture nuance and intimacy that isn’t often experienced in athletic photography. She traveled extensively with pro cycling team Trek Factory Racing through its entire world tour calendar including the Tour de France, and with Usain Bolt as he trained for his final Olympics in Jamaica. Maye’s longest collaboration is with boutique running brand Tracksmith, having developed its visual style from the inception of the brand.
The turn to directing commercials was a natural transition that further sharpened Maye’s commitment to telling sports stories with a cinematic sensibility. She’s worked with top athletes from across disciplines including Serena Williams, Jayson Tatum, Trae Young, and Tua Tagovailoa.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More