RadicalMedia has signed international filmmaker Vanessa Beletic to its directorial roster for representation in the U.S. spanning commercials, branded content and music videos.
Haitian born and raised, Beletic is a pioneer of branded content. Her work in the commercial space has influenced storytelling that continues to permeate digital culture today, including campaigns for brands like Vaseline, Samsung, Levi’s, Estée Lauder, and Walmart. Beletic’s debut narrative short, Catching Spirits, recently won the Jury Award for Best Live Action Short at the 2022 New Hampshire Film Festival, which made her film eligible for Academy Award consideration. Its broad appeal has seen the film programmed as a genre-bender, a dance thriller, and a drama, alongside the most talked about shorts of 2022. Beletic was recently selected as one of eight filmmakers to join the American Film Institute’s DWW+ Class of 2024, which is a year-long directing workshop that supports women and traditionally underrepresented narrative filmmakers.
Beletic’s music video for Run The Jewels’ “Ooh-La-La” was nominated for the 2020 MVPA, UKMVA, and the 2021 Libera awards. Her work has been featured by Condé Nast Entertainment, Popsugar, Rolling Stone, and Complex.
Moving to the U.S. with her family at 13 years old, Beletic studied dance and education at New York City’s Hunter College and launched herself into an esteemed career as a professional dancer. It was in Los Angeles working with acclaimed commercial and music video directors on projects for Michael Jackson, Prince, and Justin Timberlake, that she decided to pursue her life-long passion for filmmaking.
Beletic brings her diverse background, eye for bold aesthetics, and relentless filter for authenticity to tell stories grounded in reality with characters who defy the odds by way of magic, perseverance, or straight-up hustle. Beletic is also a mentor to several young female filmmakers as part of her advocacy for the advancement of Black women’s voices in film and media.
“When we first saw Vanessa’s work, we were blown away by the maturity and depth of her storytelling. You can sense how personal her work is as it shines through on the screen,” said RadicalMedia president and EP, Frank Scherma. “We look forward to many more years of her stories with brands, on television and in theaters.”
“Radical brings backbone to my creative future–valuing the playful spirit and sense of style that’s at my core,” said Beletic. “I’m psyched to join forces and collaborate with the amazing creatives they attract.
Prior to joining RadicalMedia, Beletic was repped in the U.S. market by Rattling Stick, which continues to handle her in the U.K.
Francis Ford Coppola Sues Variety Over Story Alleging “Megalopolis” Misconduct
Francis Ford Coppola has sued Variety, saying that a July story that said he ran an unprofessional set with impunity and touching and tried to kiss female extras during the production of his film "Megalopolis" was false and libelous. The suit, which seeks at least $15 million from the entertainment trade publication, was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, two weeks before the director's long-dreamed-of and self-financed epic is to be released in U.S. theaters. The suit calls the 85-year-old director of "The Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now" a "creative genius" and says others are "jealous" and therefore tell "knowing and reckless falsehoods." It says Variety's "writers and editors, hiding behind supposedly anonymous sources, accused Coppola of manifest incompetence as a motion picture director, of unprofessional behavior on the set of his most recent production, Megalopolis, of setting up some type of scheme so that anyone on the set who had a complaint of harassment or otherwise had nowhere to lodge a complaint, and of hugging topless actresses on the set. Each of these accusations was false." The lawsuit also names the story's reporters, Brent Lang and Tatiana Siegel, as defendants. It repeatedly says Variety was either knowingly publicizing falsehoods or showing reckless disregard for the truth, echoing a standard for libel established by the U.S. Supreme Court. A Variety spokesperson, Jeffrey Schneider, told The Associated Press, "While we will not comment on active litigation, we stand by our reporters." Coppola said in a statement Thursday that nothing in his career compares to the difficult yet triumphant efforts to make "Megalopolis." "It was a collaboration of hundreds of artists, from extras to box office stars, to whom... Read More