Congratulations to our incredibly talented EMP clients whose films will be featured at Sundance 2020!
Abel Korzeniowski | Ironbark
Abel Korzeniowski scored Ironbark, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Rachel Brosnahan, and directed by Dominic Cooke. This film is based on the true story of British businessman Greville Wynne and his Russian source, Oleg Penkovsky, who was dubbed as “the spy who saved the world” by providing crucial intelligence that ended the Cuban Missile Crisis. The thriller was produced by British production company 42 and Film Nation.
Brian Reitzell | Relic
Relic, scored by Brian Reitzell, will premiere at Sundance this year as director Natalie Erika James’ feature film debut. The drama produced by Jake Gyllenhaal stars Emily Mortimer and Robyn Nevin, and tells the terrifying story of a mother and daughter’s search for their missing grandmother and the sinister manifestation of dementia they are forced to confront. Natalie Erika James states that “Relic was inspired by the experience of Alzheimer’s within my own family and the shift in family dynamics as we slowly have to parent our parents. At its core, it explores the fear and heartbreak of dementia and aging through a horror lens.”
Bruce Gilbert & Lauren Mikus | Shirley
Bruce Gilbert and Lauren Mikus provided the music supervision for Cornerstone Film’s latest thriller Shirley, starring Elisabeth Moss, Michael Stuhlbarg and Odessa Young. The film is directed by Josephine Decker, and tells the story of a young couple who move in with famed author Shirley Jackson and her professor husband Stanley Hyman in hopes of starting a new life, but instead find themselves fodder for a psycho drama that inspires Shirley’s next novel.
Bruce Gilbert & Lauren Mikus | Summertime
Bruce Gilbert and Lauren Mikus provided the music supervision for Summertime, directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada. The film is described as a love letter to Los Angeles, written and performed by a collective of young spoken word poets from the Get Lit program. “With its slacker-inspired structure, fanciful form, and exuberant magical realism, Summertime is a free-verse poem – of the kids, by the kids, for the kids.”
Charlotte Caffey | The Go-Go’s
The Go-Go’s made history as the first all-female band to play their instruments, write their songs and have a No.1 album. This documentary chronicles their incredible trajectory as a band born in the LA punk scene who quickly skyrocketed to mainstream pop success. The documentary is directed by Alison Ellwood, and tells the band’s captivating story through candid testimonies from the band, including founding member, hitmaker and EMP client Charlotte Caffey.
Fil Eisler | Us Kids
Fil Eisler scored Kim A. Snyder’s latest documentary, Us Kids, which follows the teenage survivors of the horrific Parkland school shooting which killed fourteen students and three staff members on Valentines Day 2018. These brave and intelligent students turned tragedy into action, uniting to create a powerful and unprecedented movement which continues to fuel a generation of mobilized youth fighting for their rights and safety in schools.
Mark Orton | The Last Shift
Mark Orton composed the score for The Last Shift, directed by Andrew Cohn. The comedy follows Stanley, an aging fast food worker, who’s final graveyard shift after 38 years of employment is approaching. When he is asked to train his replacement, Jevon, Stanley’s weekend takes an unforeseen turn. Cohn stated that he wanted to “update an old and familiar genre in a fresh and surprising way”, and he is grateful that “Park Pictures and Bona Fide saw the opportunity to explore complex issues of race, class and authority in an honest and authentic manner”.Raf Kuenen | Laetitia
Raf Kuenen scored Laetitia, a French series from Oscar winning director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade. Laetitia follows the story of eighteen year old Jessica, who finds her missing twin sister Laetitia’s overturned scooter outside of their foster parents home, which leads to the arrest of lifelong criminal Tony Meilhon. The crime soon becomes national news, drawing the attention of politicians at the highest level and leading to intense scrutiny of the country’s legal system. Laetitia will have its US debut in the ‘Indie Episodic” category at Sundance 2020.