Native Pictures has hired Susan Rued Anderson as partner/executive producer in Los Angeles. She will work directly with the company’s founding partner, Tomer DeVito
Anderson most recently served as executive producer/managing director at B-Reel, where she secured the director (Drake Doremus) for Toshiba/Intel’s Emmy and triple Cannes Grand Prix winner The Beauty Inside. Prior to B-Reel, she was exec producer at The Sweet Shop and was integral in launching both companies’ U.S. commercial operations.
DeVito said that Anderson has “a rare combination of high-level production expertise rooted in storytelling and filmmaking craft, the ability to develop talent in an evolving media landscape and the innovative thinking that is crucial to successful digital campaigns. Susan joining us is the first in a series of exciting news about additional key hires and new directing talent we’ll be announcing soon.”
Last fall, Native announced the launch of a film division, COTA, led by veteran feature producer Michael Costigan (Brokeback Mountain, Prometheus, Out of the Furnace).
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More