EXCLUSIVE: German production and sales outfit Augenschein, best known so far for thrillers Stowaway and 7500, is at the Cannes market talking to buyers about new thriller Islands (working title), which is due to star Control and Maleficent actor Sam Riley.
Cologne-based Augenschein is making the movie in co-production with German studio Leonine which has also taken German distribution rights. Funding comes from Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, the FFA, the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and the DFFF.
Islands tells the story of Tom, a one-time tennis pro who, years ago, washed up on a holiday island. Now he’s the coach at a hotel resort, hitting countless balls over the net to tourists who come to escape their everyday lives. Living an endless summer, Tom fills the emptiness inside with booze and brief affairs. He’s still kidding himself that he’s in paradise, but it is beginning to dawn on him that he’s wound up in hell. When he crosses paths with a particular tourist family, it seems he’s found an escape of his own.
Director will be Jan-Ole Gerster (A Coffee in Berlin) from a script he wrote with Lawrie Doran (Speaking in Tongues) and Blaž Kutin (Lara).
“We see Jan-Ole as the next German director whose singular, signature style will earn a devoted worldwide audience, so we’re honored to champion his latest project,” said Augenschein’s Maximilian Leo.
Leo’s business partner Jonas Katzenstein added: “This stylish, charged and character-driven thriller is an excitingly fresh take on the classic genre, that only a visionary like Jan-Ole could bring to life.”
This is the latest project for the growing and ambitious Augenschein, which will start shoot in coming weeks on Michaela Coel and Anne Hathaway pop melodrama Mother Mary, which it is producing with A24.
The company, which has found a profitable niche in elevated genre, is scaling up and filling out. In production is Jordan Scott’s Berlin Nobody starring Eric Bana and Sadie Sink, which they’re producing with Scott Free; due to shoot in the next 12 months are Brian Kirk’s The Fisherwoman starring Emma Thompson, and Justin Kurzel’s Morning starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Laura Dern and Noah Jupe, which they’re producing alongside Sunny March.
The firm, which now squarely prioritizes English-language projects, has six movies currently in production or post-production for a total budget in the 80M euro range. It also has another 20 projects in development or on the in-house international sales slate.
In the past 12 months, hires have included Carlotta Löffelholz, Executive Producer; Simon B. Stein, Head of Physical Production; and Katrin Kreppel, Junior Producer.
In an interview with Deadline, Leo told us: “It feels like we’re really moving onto a new level at the company. We’re pushing on with director-driven, elevated genre and quality movies. We’re growing our volume and team and it’s getting easier to access talent and creative partners. We’re also looking into TV.”
“The market has changed,” he continues. “The old pre-sale model isn’t working so well anymore. Our strategy is to finance between a mix of soft money, a limited mix of pre-sales — we keep a lot of the project unsold and we fill in with equity. This way, we can sell the movie later, or we make collaborations with sellers [Protagonist has been a regular partner], or do a global deal [Netflix acquired Stowaway for the world).”
The company’s growth has attracted investment interest in the company: “We’re exploring our options,” confirms Katzenstein. “We’ve been contacted in the last year about that. We are thinking about our next steps and about opening up to third parties.”
