EXCLUSIVE: Gersh has signed filmmaker Ali Cook for representation.
Cook’s latest short, The Pearl Comb, has been one of the most decorated on the international circuit of late, earning over 70 awards. Shortlisted for an Academy Award this year, the film centers on a fisherman’s wife in 1893 England who becomes the first person to cure tuberculosis. When a doctor, determined to prove that a woman’s place is in the home and not practicing medicine, investigates her methods, he uncovers the source of her unearthly power. Written and directed by Cook, the short draws inspiration from the true story of the Edinburgh Seven, the first women to study medicine in the UK.
The Pearl Comb stars Beatie Edney (Highlander), Clara Paget (Too Much), Simon Armstrong (Game of Thrones), and Cook himself (Ragdoll), and is executive produced by Miranda Richardson and David Lancaster. Over the course of its festival run, the film has won awards including the Méliès d’Argent for Best European Fantastic Short Film, the Jury Award for Best ‘After Dark’ Short at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, Best Cinematography at Flickers’ Rhode Island Film Festival, the Horror Audience Choice Award at Indy Shorts, and Best ‘After Hours’ Short at the Cleveland Film Festival, with multiple wins at the British Short Film Awards.
The Pearl Comb follows Cook’s BAFTA-longlisted short The Cunning Man, which screened at 88 international festivals including Cinequest, FrightFest, the Cleveland Film Festival, and the BAFTA- and BIFA-qualifying Norwich Film Festival, winning 33 awards and earning a Méliès d’Argent nomination.
Cook’s next directorial project is the feature The Grimoire, co-written with Eric Garcia (Kaleidoscope) and produced by Chris Curling of Zephyr Films, whose credits include the Oscar-nominated The Last Station and The Miracle Club.
Cook began his career writing and starring in seven of his own comedy series, including Dirty Tricks for Channel 4, which was nominated for a British Comedy Award. As an actor, he is known for Kajaki (dir. Paul Katis), How to Fake a War (dir. Rudolph Herzog), and will next appear in Falling for Channel 4, written by Jack Thorne.
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