New York, N.Y. -- Screenvision, a national leader in cinema advertising, has named the first quartet of talent for their Emerging Filmmakers Series, featuring Antonio Campos, Matthew Huston, Christian Camargo and Andrew Renzi. Announced in April at Screenvision's first-ever Upfront, the Emerging Filmmakers Series connects brands with talented filmmakers to create customized branded entertainment that will be showcased before moviegoers in theaters nationwide.
Developed with veteran film producer Rose Ganguzza of Rose Pictures, Screenvision's Emerging Filmmakers Series offers an opportunity for the film industry's freshest talent to channel their creativity by developing short films on behalf of, and inspired by, brands. The filmmakers will receive guidance from program mentor Ganguzza, a producer of more than one dozen noted independent films and documentaries, including Kill Your Darlings (2013), Trashed (2012), Margin Call (2011) and New York, I Love You (2009).
Antonio Campos is the writer/director of the feature Afterschool (2008), which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival that same year and was nominated for a 2009 Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature. Antonio was nominated for Breakthrough Director at the 2008 Gotham Awards and was named by Variety as one of the Top 10 Directors to Watch in 2009. Recently, he wrote and directed Simon Killer (2012), which was released in theaters and available in VOD formats.
Also lending his talents to Screenvision's novel campaign is filmmaker and visual artist Matthew Huston. A graduate in Fine Art from London's Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design, Huston's short films, documentaries and music videos have been exhibited worldwide at festivals including Clermont Ferrand, Chicago Film Festival, Rushes Shorts and Encounters Film Festival, as well as on various media platforms. Christian Camargo is an actor/producer/writer who is best known for his role as Brian Moser in the Showtime drama Dexter and his portrayal of Eleazar in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Parts 1 and 2. Rounding out their selections, Screenvision is including independent filmmaker Andrew Renzi. Renzi wrote and directed the short film The Fort, which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and went on to play at festivals around the world. He recently finished his second short film, Karaoke!, which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.
"One of the greatest challenges for emerging filmmakers is finding an audience and having their work seen on screens outside the festival circuit," says Ganguzza. "Screenvision's commitment to nurture and support these filmmakers will hopefully inspire others to do the same. Our goal is for Emerging Filmmakers to be the start of a daisy chain of helping hands from sponsors who will give innovative canvases to new cinematic talent."
"This program is representative of our commitment to the future of film and the new voices that will make it grow richer with each passing year," adds John McCauley, Screenvision's Senior Vice President, Strategic Alliances. "We know brands are looking for exciting ways to connect and engage with audiences, and we feel that our Emerging Filmmakers program is a decidedly innovative way to do so. Brands now have an opportunity to take part in creating exceptional content, organic to the silver screen, having a life well beyond its cinema premiere. It's true art that will tap into audiences they didn't even know they had."
Screenvision's Emerging Filmmakers Series is slated to launch in theaters across the nation in Q4 2013.
Iron Man 3 was the only film to break the $1 million mark over the weekend, winning the top spot at the box office for the third consecutive week on its path to an $18.9 million cume. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters dropped 37% and held on to the number two spot, reaching a $2.4 million total in Italy. Evil Dead opened in third place with the highest per-screen average of the weekend, scoring $2,425 per-theater in 268 locations.
Star Trek Into Darkness edged out Iron Man 3 in Germany to claim the top spot at the box office. The sci-fi sequel scored a $6.3 million opening weekend, stalling the progress of Iron Man 3 during the superhero film's second week in release. The Robert Downey Jr. action film grossed $4.9 million over the weekend to take its German total to $17.4 million. Further down the chart, Scary Movie 5 kept strong numbers in its third week in release, adding $1.1 million to its $6.2 million German cume.
