Director and choreographer Erin Murray has joined the talent roster at Los Angeles-based production studio FLORENCE. This is Murray’s first commercial representation in the U.S.
Murray hails from Lagrange, Georgia, growing up with a strong passion for ballet and with the initial goal of becoming a professional ballerina. As her artistic expression evolved, the extreme discipline that dance taught Murray at a young age shaped her approach to future career pursuits of choreography and direction. She incorporates her experience to great effect in her work, having developed her own unique visual language in her intuitive movement-driven projects.
Murray combines dance and filmmaking to create captivating pieces for artists including Ed Sheeran, John Legend, Charli XCX, and Muse. Her narrative short Hydra was named Booooooom TV’s Best Short Film of 2018. The experimental film is a dance narrative that offers commentary on identity, herd mentality, and indoctrination. The short has been selected for festivals and screenings around the world, including the Aesthetica Short Film Festival, Dance Camera West, RAW Film Festival, San Francisco Dance Film Festival, Mexico City Video Dance Festival, Riff Festival Norway, and CAPITOL Dance and Cinema Festival.
Her “Phenom” music video for Thao & The Get Down Stay Down offers a striking commentary on our current reality blended with inventive visuals and choreography, earning Vimeo Staff Pick distinction. She directed her first commercial for Electrify America, a fast-charging electric car station brands in the U.S. Her work has been featured in multiple print and online outlets.
Alli Maxwell, executive producer at FLORENCE, said, “Erin’s work continues to span music, commercial, and narrative projects, always displaying a thoughtfulness and rhythm unique to someone with her dance background. Her work is human and always feels effortless.”
Murray regards her joining FLORENCE as a major step in her directorial career, citing the company’s “knowledge, logistically and creatively,” adding, “They understand my voice and they know how to leverage my specific skills within the industry, and to collaborate with the right people and brands.”
Director Malin Ingrid Johansson Brings “Deck 5B” To The Toronto International Film Festival
In her young career, director Malin Ingrid Johansson continues to gain recognition on the festival circuit while looking to extend her reach into the American advertising market. On the latter score, she’s joining the roster of Little Minx, the production company under the aegis of Rhea Scott who’s known for nurturing the careers of filmmakers and helping to successfully establish them in the U.S. across commercials, music videos and other varied projects.
As for Johansson’s film festival pedigree, she first saw her short film Madden, a coming-of-age story inspired by her teenage years on a farm, debut internationally at the Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival) 2023. Madden was also awarded best Swedish Short at last year’s Gothenburg International Film Festival. Furthermore, Johansson is currently in development on a feature-length film based on Madden.
Now another Johansson short film is making a major splash. Her Deck 5B premiered this week at the Toronto International Film Festival during its Short Cuts program. Among the production houses behind Deck 5B--and earlier Madden--was Pine, a Stockholm-based shop which reps Johansson for commercials internationally.
In the interest of avoiding a spoiler alert, SHOOT in this piece provides a deliberately sparse description of the storyline for Deck 5B. Suffice it to say that the short stars Alma Pöysti as Mia, a mother torn between the needs of her young son and her own desires for romance and fulfillment. Johansson said that she was deeply moved by Pöysti’s portrayal of the recently divorced Mia and considers getting the chance to work with the actress as a major career highlight. Earlier this year,... Read More