Yahoo Lifestyle ‘The Apprentice’ Director Ali Abbasi Signs With UTA
Ali Abbasi has signed with UTA for representation.
Abbasi’s fourth feature, “The Apprentice,” starring Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong and Maria Bakalova, premiered in Competition at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, marking his third Cannes selection. The film, which follows Donald Trump’s rise through the real estate industry in the ’80s with the guidance of lawyer Roy Cohn, earned a fair amount of attention this awards season despite its trouble finding mainstream distributors. It was subsequently nominated for two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, three BAFTAs, and three Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Director.
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Abbasi’s previous feature, “Holy Spider,” also premiered in Competition at Cannes, and Zar Amir-Ebrahimi won Best Actress for her performance. The film was also nominated for four European Film Awards.
His second feature, “Border,” won the Un Certain Regard Award at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. It received an Oscar nomination for Best Makeup and Hairstyling and was nominated for six European Film Awards, winning Best Visual Effects.
In television, Abbasi directed the final two episodes of the acclaimed HBO series “The Last of Us” Season 1.
Born in Iran and based in Denmark, Abbasi studied architecture in Stockholm before attending the prestigious National Film School of Denmark.
Abbasi parted ways with CAA last month following a claim of inappropriate conduct at this year’s Golden Globes. “I fully understand that my action made someone uncomfortable, regardless of my intent, and for that, I am truly sorry,” he wrote in a social media statement. “I had spent time with the person concerned on multiple occasions and had reason to think we had a friendly relationship. When I saw him at the Golden Globes party, I was excited to reconnect. I made an over-familiar gesture – a slap on the rear – which I intended as playful and not in any sexual way whatsoever. I quickly realized I had misjudged the situation. I apologized to him on the spot, and the following day I made sure my apology was reiterated through my representatives.”
Abbasi will continue to be represented by LARK in the UK.
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