The Directors Film Company is now representing the directors of France’s Premiere Heure in Canada. The acclaimed directors combined for a second place for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Advertising Festival this year. The directors include Cannes ’99 silver prize winners Frederic Planchon, Philippe Pollet-Villard and Arnaud Roussel; bronze prize winners Sebastien Chantrel and Sadry Adhami; Cannes ’99 short-lister Xavier Giannoll; and directors Paul Vos and Julien Seri. The Premiere Heure package also includes the New York-based photography team known as The Guzman. Premiere Heure has done numerous spots for Volkswagen and fnac, and has also shot for Jeep, Sony PlayStation and Amtrak.

*Big Night Out a la Vegas

Get ready to place your bids and your bets at The Big Night Out, where members of the advertising community pull together in support of the Bereaved Families of Ontario.

After a few successful years at downtown Toronto nightclub The Joker, the venue has changed to the Phoenix Concert Theatre at 410 Sherbourne Street. And for the first time, The Big Night Out is going Vegas-style with a casino sponsored by The Einstein Bros.

In addition to the usual art and celebrity memorabilia up for auction, some industry folks will be on the block, but to find out who, you have to be there on Thursday, Nov. 4.

Last year’s event raised more than $100,000 for the bfo and this year the goal is $175,000.

Tickets are $40 and can be had by calling the bfo at (416) 440-0290

*On the move

Director David Wellington has left Blink Pictures to join the roster at m.e.a.t. Wellington’s recent commercial work includes five days for Bell through Cossette.

On the longer-format front, Wellington directed the Accent Entertainment/Temple Street Productions mow Dead Aviators, starring Marsha Mason.

Wellington’s feature film work includes Long Day’s Journey Into Night for Rhombus Media, which won best Canadian film at the 1996 Toronto International Film Festival, and I Love A Man In Uniform, winner of the Directors Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival in 1993.

Meanwhile, Blink has signed an exclusive representation deal for Canada with Raymond Bark. Although Bark is based in Toronto, he has worked in the u.s. and international markets for the past two years. Some of Bark’s more recent projects include spots for Beltone, Safeguard and Replay.

*Casting for voices

There’s a new face, or shall we say voice, on the Toronto casting scene. Stewart Horsley Casting opened its doors Oct. 12 at 93 Berkley Street, between Powerhouse Casting and Gloria Mann Casting.

The one-man agency will deal strictly in voice and cast for radio and television commercials. The in-house studio runs ProTools, and aside from recording voices, is capable of outputting finished audition material over the Internet, on cd, md or cassette.

Horsley spent six years in the production department at Leo Burnett and did his own voice-over work for various spots, including Reece Peanut Butter Cups’ ‘Cafeteria Lady.’

*NewNew roster

A roster is starting to take shape at recently formed NEWNEW films. The shop, headed by executive producer Teri Walderman, has exclusive representation of l.a.-based Morton Jankel Zander’s roster in the Canadian market. The list includes director/dop Robert Richardson, known for his work on Oliver Stone films and the youngest cameraman to win an Academy Award, for jfk. Comedy, dialogue, storytelling director Rocky Morton is on the roster along with Annabel Jankel, who recently shot spots for Chrysler Intrepid through BBDO Canada. Rounding out the list is tabletop director/dop Irv Blitz, director/dop Sean Thonson, director Kieran Walsh and rock video shooter Jamie Calieri.