Kevin Iwashina has resigned from Fifth Season as head of documentary, Screen has confirmed.
The former agent’s departure comes as he issued an internal statement on Wednesday obtained by Screen in which he acknowledged that he had on occasion spoken to colleagues using language which ”can range from creating discomfort to being received as aggressive”.
The statement continued, ”I have worked diligently on this issue during my years at this company, with professional help, but have not yet been able to attain a satisfactory result for anyone involved, including, most importantly, myself.”
Iwashina joined what was known as Endeavor Content in 2017 (prior to last year’s company renaming) and oversaw the documentary department with Liesl Copland, assuming sole oversight in February 2021 when Copland departed for Participant.
Before that he served as an agent at CAA before going on to co-found production, finance and sales company Preferred Content with Ross Dinerstein in 2010.
The industry veteran has worked on hundreds of documentaries in his career as a producer and sales agent and attended the Berlinale in February with festival acquisition titles Superpower and Kiss The Future.
The statement appears below.
I have always been committed to my work and this company and with it comes a deep passion and a commitment to excellence. Unfortunately, I am sometimes blinded by my drive and I verbalize things I soon regret. With more thoughtful perspective, I understand how on occasion my words can range from creating discomfort to being received as aggressive. I have worked diligently on this issue during my years at this company, with professional help, but have not yet been able to attain a satisfactory result for anyone involved, including, most importantly, myself.
In acknowledgement of this, Graham [Taylor, Fifth Season co-CEO], Chris [Rice, Fifth Season co-CEO] and I have collectively decided that it is best that I depart FIFTH SEASON to dedicate the time I need to work on myself in a more focused way. I am determined to find an emotional balance that allows me and those with whom I interact to thrive. This is a painful moment for me. I truly love my work, this organization and the people inside of it, but I know we are all making the right decision.
I am appreciative of the time we spent together and am thankful for all that you have taught me.
With much sincerity,
IWAS
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