Los Angeles, CA —It was in 2011 at the Goethe Institute across from the offices of the Screen Actor’s Guild where I learned about the generous film funding offered by the German government. A panel of leaders in German film and government funding spoke to American filmmakers explaining the process.  This was as filmmakers were given little choice but to flee the extortionate taxation of California’s politicians that have squeezed this important industry virtually to death.  Hollywood’s loss is certainly Germany’s gain.  Germany has learned that funding films creates production, jobs, and wealth as it promotes art in a big way.  In the end the German government realized tax revenue by simply priming the pump.  Whether it’s a Liam Neeson thriller, or one of the many edgy Quentin Tarantino films and so many in between, they’ve been funded in part by Germany.  The catch is they agreed to simply producing a percentage or the entire film in Ger...

Leni Riefenstahl Carice van Houten Berlin, Germany —I first talked about this last February when there was a tease article in Variety Magazine . The Jessie Owens story is coming to the big screen.   The film titled, Race  is starring  Stephan James   as Owens and he is joined Jeremy Irons  and William Hurt in this film.     Stephen Hopkins is directing the film.  Shooting  began this week in Berlin. The multi-talented Dutch actress, Carice van Houten  who happens to be my personal favorite has signed on to play the legendary German film director Leni Riefenstahl . Van Houten was cast in the once in a lifetime role of the accidental Dutch resistance hero, Rachel Stein / Ellis de Vries in Paul Verhoeven’s film, Black Book (2006).   That’s still is my favorite film of all time! Today, van Houten graces the Game of Game of Thrones  cast as the Red Priestess, Melisandre . Riefenstahl was a gorgeous dancer and...

Film Director Paul Verhoeven directs a scene from Black Book Berlin, Germany --I’m blessed in recent years to have made some wonderful German friends that work in the German film industry as filmmakers or are involved with film funding.   If you’ve not noticed, Germany has become very serious about making great films.  Many of them are being made in English!  The best is yet to come!  My all time favorite film is Black Book .  That terrific film was funded in part through generous German government film funding .  This exciting, Paul Verhoeven , World War Two thriller is actually filmed in mostly Dutch but also in German, English and some Yiddish depending on when and where the scene take place.  Most of the European stars speak English and none better than Carice van Houten who won the, once in a lifetime staring role of the accidental hero, Rachel Stein . Europe is a linguistic melting pot.  Italians, French, Germans, Dutch, ...

Los Angeles, CA —Most of my visitors know that I’m an actor, writer, and video producer in addition to being a private investigator.  Along the way I have found some wonderful friends involved in German filmmaking and funding.  I’ve got two film projects of my own in development.  With a lot of luck maybe something will yet see production.  Let me begin by letting you know a little about Germany’s partnering with American film producers .   Germany is no small player in making top quality English speaking films.   For well over a year I’ve been hearing buzz about this film produced by the prolific American producer Scott Rudin and Berlin’s Studio Babelsberg .   Germany is dead serious about making terrific and in recent years given generous film grants to producers to make the magic happen. Some recent past productions funded by the German government are some of my favorites such as Black Book, Valkyrie, Inglorious Bastards and The Book Thi...