15th May 2020
South American Connection
South America has had an impressive amount of directing talent that has transcended cultural barriers and successfully been picked up by global production companies.   While production is easing its way back into action again, we asked 24/7’s managing partner and EP Ivo Van Vollenhoven to share a playlist of directors who are captivating foreign audiences, although he was quick to add, “Please forgive me for all the great directors I haven’t been able to showcase, its truly been very hard to narrow it down to only twelve.”

South America has had an impressive amount of directing talent that has transcended cultural barriers and successfully been picked up by global production companies.   While production is easing its way back into action again, we asked 24/7’s managing partner and EP Ivo Van Vollenhoven to share a playlist of directors who are captivating foreign audiences, although he was quick to add, “Please forgive me for all the great directors I haven’t been able to showcase, its truly been very hard to narrow it down to only twelve.”

“One of the greatest examples of all times is the Oscar-winning Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu who started his career in Mexico as a commercials director long before he made it to the big screen,” says Ivo. “I worked with him first hand on Nike Write The Future campaign, still one of the best football commercials ever made. This is a film which started so many careers, and which showed me personally the driving force of South American talent, founded in the melting pot of cultures, a creative force which thrives in chaos and the knowledge that the survival of the fittest is the decisive factor that makes one stand out and keep going.

“At the start of my career, I spent a lot of time working in Argentina, which has historically been the hub for leading creative agencies in South America and consequently outstanding commercial directors have come out of this country.

“I later went on to work for Landia, one of the most established production companies in South America, exporting their directors to Europe and establishing an office in Madrid with them. Working closely with Argentinean directors for over eight years gave me an amazing insight into how creative vision is pursued. It also became apparent to me that the elusive process of creating a winning formula comes from tight teamwork and a firm belief that a project can always be improved and fine-tuned right up to the last minute.

“We’ve also seen great ambassadors for Brazil who have won every award known to man like Jones+Tino with their Leica 100 commercial, a standout directing duo who helped set the path for the world to take notice of other Brazilian directors like Vellas and Rodrigo Saavedra.”