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Ariel
Films was founded by Benjamina Mirnik and Sonja Ewers in April 2004, and is
based in Cologne, Germany. The company develops and produces high-quality
international theatrical feature films, documentaries and TV formats. In 2004,
the company won the UIP Prize for Best European Short Film at the Venice Film
Festival with Steve Hudson’s contribution Goodbye
and, in 2005, the FFA Short Tiger Award with Jonathan Greenfield’s short film Chaim. With these two productions, Ariel
Films went on to win two of 2005’s four German Short Film Prizes – all within
in the first year and a half of the company’s existence.
Sonja Ewers
Sonja
took a post-graduate film production course at UCLA’s film school while working
at New Line Cinema. After completion of the course, she worked at American
Zoetrope in LA as Assistant Story Editor. Subsequently, she returned to her
native Germany and became head of development at Gemini Film, where she was
involved in the development and realisation of 11 international film and
TV-productions during a 5-year term. Since July 2005 she has been running Ariel Films full-time together
with Benjamina Mirnik.
Benjamina Mirnik
Benjamina is a former lawyer and has a film finance
background. After her MBA at INSEAD in France, she worked for Gemini Film as
head of business development, where she was involved in the setting up and
structuring of film funds. Subsequently, she was head of film finance and
international co-productions at Pictorion Pictures GmbH, setting up Ariel Films
with Sonja Ewers at the same time. The most recent project she co-produced is The Best Man by Stefan Schwartz, a
British / Hungarian / German co-production with Stuart Townsend, Amy Smart and
Seth Green in the lead roles. Since May 2005 she has dedicated herself to
running Ariel Films full-time together with Sonja Ewers.
Eddie Dick – Makar Productions
Eddie
Dick ran the national agency for film development and production in Scotland,
the Scottish Film Production Fund, for four years. As well as general responsibility for development and short film
schemes such as Tartan Shorts, his main job was to run the local investment
company, the Glasgow Film Fund, and be responsible for the Scottish National
Lottery investments into film production. Executive producer credits during
this time include many international successes such as Shallow Grave, Regeneration and Carla’s Song.
Eddie now runs his
own company, Makar Productions, which has a wide range of projects in
development. He has feature film deals with Scottish Screen, NIFTC and Beyond
Films. Makar Productions is in
partnership with London-based Parallax Independent, of which Eddie is also a
director.
Eddie is a Director
of Moonstone International Screenwriters’ & Directors’ Labs and Vice-Chairman
of Filmhouse in Edinburgh. He is on the
Board of the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
David
Collins is the managing director of Samson Films, one of Ireland’s leading
independent production companies. Over the last five years, it has produced and
co-produced film and television projects with cumulative budgets of over €150
million. Samson focuses on commercially attractive feature films with the best
of Irish and international talent, in addition to low-budget digital projects
featuring breaking talent in Ireland and Europe.
Samson has been awarded slate funding by Media
Plus. Samson also has output deals with emerging producers in Scotland and
Northern Ireland. Past feature productions include Once by John Carney, Asylum by David
Mackenzie, The Honeymooners by Karl Golden, Blind Flight by John Furse, The
Abduction Club by Stefan Schwarz, Rat
by Steve Barron, The Most Fertile Man In
Ireland by Dudi Appleton, A Further
Gesture by Robert Dornhelm and The
Disappearance of Finbar by Sue Clayton.
Samson also produces television drama as
Accomplice Television. |
