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Tag: Amblin Partners

  • Reliance Entertainment, Amblin Partners’ World War 1 Drama ‘1917’ bags seven awards at BAFTA

    Reliance Entertainment, Amblin Partners’ World War 1 Drama ‘1917’ bags seven awards at BAFTA

    MUMBAI: Reliance Entertainment and Amblin Partners’ 1917 has won seven awards at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), held last evening at the Royal Albert Hall in London including Outstanding British Film and Best Film and Best Director (Sam Mendes).

    The World War 1 thriller, which was nominated in 9 categories at BAFTA, also won awards for Best Cinematography (Roger Deakins), Best Production Design (Dennis Gassner and Lee Sandales), Best Sound (Scott Millan, Oliver Tarney, Rachael Tate, Mark Taylor and Stuart Wilson) and Special Visual Effects (Greg Butler, Guillaume Rocheron and Dominic Tuohy).

    Sam Mendes, who is the first British winner of the Best Director BAFTA since Danny Boyle’s 2009 win for ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ said,"There's the personal delight in seeing a story very close to me and my family be developed and enlarged but the massive thing has been audiences going in large numbers.” He added, “None of us knew if an audience would turn up, it wasn't certain at all. It's coincided with awards season and the fact this is still number one in the UK after four weeks, [the awards have] really alerted people to the fact the movie is on, it rarely happens like that."

    Inspired by the stories that Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes’ grandfather told him, 1917 has had a dream run this awards season with 10 Oscar nominations, including ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Director,’ for the forthcoming 92nd Academy Awards, which is scheduled to be held at 9th February 2020 in Los Angeles. 1917 has previously won three awards at the Critics’ Choice Awards 2020 for ‘Best Director’, ‘Best Cinematographer’ and ‘Best Editing’. The film also won accolades at the 77th Golden Globes, with an award for Best Picture in the Drama category, and the Best Director’s award for Sam Mendes.

    The film also bagged an award for ‘Best Feature Film’ at Directors Guild of America Awards and honored with the ‘Best Picture’ award at the Producers Guild of America Awards. Another feather in the cap was Roger Deakins winning the ‘Top Feature Award’ from the American Society of Cinematographers for his outstanding work in the movie.

    DreamWorks Pictures and Reliance Entertainment present, in association with New Republic Pictures, a Neal Street production, produced in association with Mogambo, Sam Mendes film: 1917, starring George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, with Colin Firth and Benedict Cumberbatch. ‘1917’ is directed by Sam Mendes. A Reliance Entertainment release in India, the film is still running in theatres.

  • Amblin Partners promotes Jeff Small to president & co-CEO

    Amblin Partners promotes Jeff Small to president & co-CEO

    MUMBAI: Amblin Partners has promoted Jeff Small as president and co-CEO. Previously, he served as president and COO.

    Amblin Partners chairman Steven Spielberg said, “I am so pleased to congratulate Jeff on this promotion to president and co-chief executive officer. It reflects what he has done for us in both challenging and gratifying times over the last ten years, never losing sight of our vision for Amblin Partners. With our team headed by Michael and Jeff, joined by Kristie, Holly, Darryl and Justin, we hope the best is yet to come.”

    Small, who played a key role in the creation of Amblin Partners in December 2015, will continue to work closely with the company’s CEO, Michael Wright, to guide Amblin Partners’ business strategy. He will continue to oversee company operations such as finance, business and legal affairs, physical production, human resources, communications and administration as well as managing the company’s relationships with its financial and distribution partners.

    Wright said, “Over the last year, I have had a first-hand view of Jeff’s innovative spirit and problem-solving acumen and felt an immediate partnership with him. This promotion is so well deserved, and I look forward to working together with Jeff, Steven and the team as we grow Amblin Partners.”

    Small added, “I’ve been incredibly lucky to work for Steven for almost a decade, and I couldn’t be more excited to help him and Michael build our company in the years to come. I am also very appreciative of the support we’ve received from our incredible partners at Participant, Reliance, and Entertainment One.”

    Prior to his new role, Small served as president and COO of DreamWorks Studios, a position he held since 2006. In December 2015, Small led the efforts to launch Amblin Partners, together with Participant Media, Reliance, and Entertainment One, and a consortium of banks led by JPMorgan Chase and Comerica Bank. He also oversaw the negotiation of the company’s distribution agreement with Universal Pictures, aligning Amblin Partners with the industry’s premier marketing and distribution organization.

    In 2009, following DreamWorks Studios’ separation from Paramount Pictures, Small shepherded the re-launching of a newly independent studio alongside Reliance BIG Entertainment, securing $825 million in equity and debt capital. Prior to DreamWorks, Small spent six years at Revolution Studios, first serving as the company’s head of strategic planning and business development, then as CFO, and eventually, COO. 

    Among other key projects, he led a $750 million leveraged recapitalization of Revolution Studios and its 47-picture library. Before joining Revolution, Small spent several years with Universal Studios beginning in the corporate development group. He began his career in the Walt Disney Company Motion Picture Group.

  • Amblin Partners promotes Jeff Small to president & co-CEO

    Amblin Partners promotes Jeff Small to president & co-CEO

    MUMBAI: Amblin Partners has promoted Jeff Small as president and co-CEO. Previously, he served as president and COO.

    Amblin Partners chairman Steven Spielberg said, “I am so pleased to congratulate Jeff on this promotion to president and co-chief executive officer. It reflects what he has done for us in both challenging and gratifying times over the last ten years, never losing sight of our vision for Amblin Partners. With our team headed by Michael and Jeff, joined by Kristie, Holly, Darryl and Justin, we hope the best is yet to come.”

    Small, who played a key role in the creation of Amblin Partners in December 2015, will continue to work closely with the company’s CEO, Michael Wright, to guide Amblin Partners’ business strategy. He will continue to oversee company operations such as finance, business and legal affairs, physical production, human resources, communications and administration as well as managing the company’s relationships with its financial and distribution partners.

    Wright said, “Over the last year, I have had a first-hand view of Jeff’s innovative spirit and problem-solving acumen and felt an immediate partnership with him. This promotion is so well deserved, and I look forward to working together with Jeff, Steven and the team as we grow Amblin Partners.”

    Small added, “I’ve been incredibly lucky to work for Steven for almost a decade, and I couldn’t be more excited to help him and Michael build our company in the years to come. I am also very appreciative of the support we’ve received from our incredible partners at Participant, Reliance, and Entertainment One.”

    Prior to his new role, Small served as president and COO of DreamWorks Studios, a position he held since 2006. In December 2015, Small led the efforts to launch Amblin Partners, together with Participant Media, Reliance, and Entertainment One, and a consortium of banks led by JPMorgan Chase and Comerica Bank. He also oversaw the negotiation of the company’s distribution agreement with Universal Pictures, aligning Amblin Partners with the industry’s premier marketing and distribution organization.

    In 2009, following DreamWorks Studios’ separation from Paramount Pictures, Small shepherded the re-launching of a newly independent studio alongside Reliance BIG Entertainment, securing $825 million in equity and debt capital. Prior to DreamWorks, Small spent six years at Revolution Studios, first serving as the company’s head of strategic planning and business development, then as CFO, and eventually, COO. 

    Among other key projects, he led a $750 million leveraged recapitalization of Revolution Studios and its 47-picture library. Before joining Revolution, Small spent several years with Universal Studios beginning in the corporate development group. He began his career in the Walt Disney Company Motion Picture Group.