12
•
LMGI COMPASS
|
Fall 2021
Greisner
Launches
Film O ce
Late last year, while much
of Europe was cocooning
at home, Berlin-based LM
Henrik Greisner/LMGI
received an intriguing
proposal from the city of
Görlitz—help this historic
centuries old German city
create a fi lm offi ce.
Located in the state of
Saxony near the border of
Poland, Görlitz has long been
a popular fi lming location
for such fi lms as
The Grand
Budapest Hotel, The Reader,
Inglorious Basterds
and
Monument Men. The city had
the good fortune to survive
unscathed during World Wars
I and II. The 950-year-old city
is a treasure trove of historic
European architecture going
back almost 500 years.
Greisner soon learned that
the city had much more
ambitious plans than just
creating a fi lm offi ce. "The
plan," he says, "is to build a
center of excellence for fi lm
professionals at the gateway
to Eastern Europe. They want
to create a campus situation
inside of a city, with stringent
COVID protocols where
crews can safely fi lm."
This autumn, Greisner
and the city begin laying
the groundwork to start a
fi lm academy to educate
residents about how to
transition their current
professional skills into well-
paying industry careers.
Greisner says, "We will
start with production offi ce
skills and then grow it to a
working school for the craft
of fi lmmaking. We are looking
for investors to build studios
for the future."
A project of such scope
might seem daunting
but Greisner, whose LM
credits include the feature
fi lms
Uncharted, Cure for
Wellness, Cloud Atlas,
the
TV series
Berlin, I Love You
and Sense8, feels that his
LM and UPM experience give
him a distinct advantage.
"I was asked to take on
this challenge probably
because I love to make
things happen. As location
manager or fi lmmaker,
you are accustomed to
facing supposedly hopeless
situations, but the magic
begins by never giving up,
never surrendering."
The Görlitz Film Offi ce plans
to attend the American Film
Market in Santa Monica,
CA, this November, COVID
permitting. Greisner is on
schedule to formerly hand off
the fi lm offi ce keys to the city
Görlitz at the end of the year.
Says Greisner,
"Today, we have
space, faith and
a city that fully
supports fi lmmakers'
desire to make
movies. Yes, it has
been a challenge, but
hey, there is a plan!"
Henrik Greisner/LMGI
Classic and international gardens, roads,
ponds, mature trees, statues, architecture.
THE HUNTINGTON
| f ilmhuntington.org
THINK GLOBALLY,
FILM LOCALLY
