Amanda Evans and Phil Contomichalos join forces to form Lithium Pictures

Directing talent Amanda Evans has joined forces with Executive Producer Phil Contomichalos to form a new breed of production house, Lithium Pictures.

The name was inspired by the fact that Lithium is a natural salt found in rocks, plants and water that has been attributed with mood-enhancing properties and even miracle cures. When watching a sunset, the brain naturally releases Lithium, evoking a sensation of euphoria.

Amanda was recently featured on Shots, the prestigious international creative showcase, as a New Director with her first commercial for the wine spritzer, Esprit. Her second test film, a controversial anti-drunk driving piece, was short listed for the Saatchi and Saatchi International Show case for 2003. Amanda Evans has a unique visual style due to her design and animation background, as well as having worked extensively in Europe.

Phil Contomichalos or “Phil the Greek”, for the less linguistic, runs one of the most productive and successful service companies in South Africa, namely Made in Africa (M.I.A). He had been on the look out for some time for an untapped directing prodigy for a relatively unclaimed niche in the global market.

It is a first for a local production house to spread its wings and base itself independently on international shores. South African Director’s are hungry to define themselves as equal, and creatively competitive contenders in the international market. Basically, with competitive budgets and a favourable exchange rate, South African directors are able to deliver more for less. The fresh appeal of this new, dynamic company has already attracted the interest of some of the world’s top commercial directors.

Lithium Pictures will be formally launched at the 2003 Cannes Advertising festival in June.

More info: Tina, Cell 082 801 8336, Tel (021) 426 2464.