WASHINGTON SQUARE FILMS - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• New York Times Chief

Biography New York Times chief film critics A.O. Scott and Manohla Dargis named Alison one of their 20 Directors to Watch on a list of rising international filmmaking talents under 40. Her debut feature documentary, AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY, was shortlisted for an Academy Award, nominated for two Emmys, and earned Alison a Director's Guild of America nomination. It premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival where it won a Special Jury Prize, and was picked up by IFC Films. Alison has made many media appearances to speak about her documentary work, including on The Colbert Report. NEVER SORRY has now been translated into over 26 languages and released theatrically around the world. It was also one of the highest grossing films of 2012 directed by a woman. Alison's other films include THE 100 YEARS SHOW about 102-year-old Cuban- American painter Carmen Herrera, who worked in obscurity for decades until finally receiving recognition late in life. The film was a festival favorite and five-time winner of "Best Documentary Short." It had a theatrical run at New York's Film Forum, and screened at the Whitney and other museums before being released worldwide on Netflix. She directed the Netflix Original feature documentary, TAKE YOUR PILLS, about the role of prescription stimulants in a hyper-competitive, overly medicated America. The film is executive produced by Maria Shriver and had its world premiere at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival. Her newest documentary THE BRINK was theatrically released in 2019 by Magnolia Pictures. In it she takes on former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, following him for over a year as he tries to promote his brand of extreme nationalism and unite the far-right anti-immigrant parties of Europe. After its Sundance premiere, Variety called the film "impeccably crafted…an engaging and enraging, disturbing and highly revealing movie." In his Critic's Pick review, A.O Scott wrote, "It's a fast-moving, tightly packed, at times unnervingly entertaining documentary." Alison's branded work includes projects for HBO, Lululemon, Brawny, Merck, Morningstar Farms and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. She loves telling relevant, diverse and unexpected stories that build a genuine emotional connection with audiences. She is also a frequent contributor to the New York Times' Emmy-nominated Op-Doc Series, was a Sundance Creative Producing Fellow and one of Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces of Independent Film." She is a regular guest speaker at major art museums and universities around the world. She graduated from Brown University in 2006 with an honors B.A. in History, and speaks Mandarin Chinese and Hebrew. She is currently based in Brooklyn.

Job Titles:

• Director

Biography Anson Fogel is an Emmy-nominated director with a carefully imagined style defined by rich sound and picture. He has crafted cinematic work for such top brands as Apple, Volkswagen, Burger King, GE, Microsoft, The North Face, Red Bull, National Geographic, Jeep and Marriott. With a diverse skillset as a director, writer, producer and DP, he brings a holistic approach to his enigmatic work spanning commercials, experimental shorts, feature films and photography. He is nominated for a 2019 Emmy Award for "Outstanding Commercial" for his work on the iPhone "Don't Mess With Mother" spot. He began his career in film working on set as an AC, then spent seven years as a DP before diving into directing for brands, documentary and television work. He has won over 20 major film festival awards, including the Grand Prize and three other awards at Banff 2011, Grand Prize at New Zealand, The Fowler Award at Telluride, The Camera prizes at Trento and Gratz, and had two narrative short film premieres at major film festivals. Fogel is currently based in Boulder, Utah. In 2016 he directed the short film "When We Were Knights" (Mountainfilm 2016), telling the story of friendship that develops through high consequence adventuring. Most recently he co-directed a short film about the community running provides for athletes from a variety of backgrounds, "The Movement" (Mountainfilm 2019).

Biography Florida native Curtis got the filmmaking itch early on. As a notably enterprising teenager, he cold-called every production company in a 50-mile radius until he got the opportunity to get on set. 10 years later, that same location was where he filmed his first-ever commercial as a director. Fascinated with the entire production process, he transitioned behind the camera spending stints as a camera assistant and camera operator before finding his groove as a DP. He has worked as a DP across commercial and film projects, including second unit DP roll work on the Harmony Korine-helmed feature Spring Breakers and the dramatic feature Sunlight Jr. starring Naomi Watts and Matt Dillon, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. With a diverse skill set spanning a multitude of on-set roles, Curtis brings a distinct ability to elicit authentic performances in his work, from both actors and real people alike. His talent for creating comfortable environments that allow actors to interact with the camera as an additional character has also traversed into the digital realm, navigating COVID-spurred production challenges by filming with skeleton crews and virtual personnel on imperative projects.

Job Titles:

• Director of Sales & Marketing
• Managing Director

Job Titles:

• Emmy Award - Winning Director

Biography Lana Wilson is an Emmy Award-winning director known for telling powerful cinematic stories about extraordinary human beings. Her most recent film, the Taylor Swift documentary Miss Americana, was the Opening Night Film of Sundance 2020 and is a Netflix Original. Miss Americana was a New York Times Critic's Pick, an IndieWire Critic's Pick, and was named one of the five best documentaries of the year by the National Board of Review. The film was hailed by critics as "Thrilling," "Captivating," and "Inspiring," and has had an audience of tens of millions of people worldwide. Wilson's previous film, The Departure, about a punk-turned-priest in Japan, was critically acclaimed for being a poetic, profound, and moving exploration of what makes life worth living. The Departure premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2017, played at festivals around the world, and was nominated for the 2018 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary. The Departure was called "A work of art" by the San Francisco Chronicle, "A genuinely spiritual experience" by the Washington Post, and "Tender and moving…like a haiku" by the New York Times. The film was acquired by FilmRise and theatrically released in 30 US cities, beginning with a held-over run at New York's Metrograph. The Departure has a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating "universal acclaim." Wilson's first film, After Tiller (2013), goes inside the lives of the four most-targeted abortion providers in the country, taking a powerful and complex look at one of the most incendiary issues of our time. After Tiller premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, and went on to win an Emmy Award for Best Documentary. It was also nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary, four Cinema Eye Honors, a Satellite Award, and the Ridenhour Prize.