Bicoastal O Positive has signed director Pep Bosch–formerly of Hello! & Company and its predecessor shop Rock Fight–for stateside representation.
Bosch’s latest spot, Volkswagen Polo’s “Cool,” is a satire of American teenage-themed films from the 1950s. “Cool,” which just began airing in Europe, was filmed on a backlot in Sofia, Bulgaria, and was produced by Agosto, the house which reps Bosch in Spain. He also continues to maintain representation in France via the shop Irene, and Germany through Triggerhappy.
Although Bosch is known in Europe for his strong visual sense, both O Positive partners, director Jim Jenkins and exec producer Ralph Laucella, took immediate note of Bosch’s casting as well as his comedic sense.
“I have a strange sense of humor and like to use it,” Bosch said. “I enjoy the visual storytelling, cinematic situations and characters. But it’s always the humor that attracts me to a script. Even if it’s a dramatic or visual one, you cannot confront it and try to make it better without some sense of humor. That allows you to play with expectations and come up with an approach that wasn’t anticipated.”
A prime example is the Bosch-directed “Babysitter” for Audi out of DDB Barcelona. A grown man recalls his childhood babysitter with fond memories; she’s a beautiful woman who trains like she’s a professional athlete. She carries him through the city in her arms–jumping hurdles on the track, running through the park, competing in a relay race. When she leaves him, life becomes boring and static, and he often reminisces. It’s not until years later that he recaptures the special feelings of his childhood by driving an Audi.
Born in Spain, Bosch got his start as a graphic designer working at a toy factory. He studied photography at IEFC in Barcelona, then directed backgrounds for Karaoke videos before landing at Rodar Films in Barcelona where he began directing commercials. Today he lives in Barcelona with his wife and two children.
Over the years Bosch has directed for such clients as VW, Ikea, Audi and Volvo. His commercials have garnered numerous awards at such competitions as the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, Eurobest and the Clios. The Bosch-helmed “Amnesia” spot for VW out of Barcelona agency Tandem Campmany Guasch DDB (now DDB Barcelona) won a Cannes Gold Lion in 2001.
Jane Schoenbrun Jolts Cannes With Queer Slasher Movie “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma”
"A good electric chair" is how Jane Schoenbrun describes their first Cannes Film Festival premiere.
"I really felt like my body was in a state of convulsion," says Schoenbrun.
The day after the premiere of "Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma," a bold, bloody queer slasher film starring Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson, Schoenbrun and their co-stars were still buzzing from the ecstatic response. The movie, one of the most prominent American films in Cannes this year, gave the festival a gonzo jolt.
For Schoenbrun, the leading trans filmmaker of their generation, the film extends their intensely personal exploration of gender and the movies that defined their youth. But their first two films — 2024's "I Saw the TV Glow" and 2021's "We're All Going to the World's Fair" — were the raw, burning products of Schoenbrun's transition. "Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma," drawn from Schoenbrun's happy, exploratory post-transition life, isn't that.
It's about desire and sex. It's a biting satire of reboot-mad Hollywood. It's a schlocky and subversive slasher movie homage. It's a lot of fun, and quite tender, even when bodies are blood-spurting geysers.
"This is the first movie that feels like it represents the fullness of who I am," Schoenbrun says.
But Wednesday's moment of triumph in Cannes was hard-won. Ten years ago, Schoenbrun, now 39, was working in the film industry in a job they hated.
"The first time I came here, I just felt like, 'Oh my, god. I can't believe I'm in Cannes.' I went to, like, 'The Lobster,' at the Palais in my boy tux. I was like: 'This is it. I've done it,'" says Schoenbrun. "Then the next year I came back and I was so depressed. I decided to quit my job. If I'm depressed at Cannes,... Read More