Focus Films
is a leading independent feature film development and production company founded in 1982 by David Pupkewitzand Marsha Levin.The London-based company's early successes with TV documentaries and dramas preceded its transition to feature films in the 1990s. Films made over the last 10 years range from action thrillers to romantic drama, sci-fi/horror and black comedy. The strengthening of the company's executive and creative team has enabled Focus Films to launch 3 labels Focus Flagship, Red Carpet Films and Million Dollar Movie Company as well as FOCUS CAPITAL to finance development and production of both its own and other companies' feature films, in a budget range of $1 million to $25 million.
Copyright © Focus Films. All rights reserved.
David Pupkewitz is the founder and CEO of Focus Films Ltd. (UK). Starting out his career as an independent producer creating broadcast drama and documentaries for Channel 4, in 1995 he moved into Feature Film production with the George Sluizer helmed crime thriller Crimetime . Since then, Focus Films has concentrated solely on the development, financing and production of feature films including the The 51st State with Samuel Jackson & Robert Carlyle. David has a Bachelor of Business Science (Hons) degree from the University of Cape Town and a BA Philosophy (Hons) from University College London.
Peter Dale works in the banking sector and advises on funding for Focus' film projects. From 1984 to 1996 Peter worked in the City of London and then as a management consultant for A.T. Kearney, where he concentrated on strategy, turnarounds, new business establishment and corporate venturing. Peter holds degrees from Lancaster University and the London Business School, and he is also a Sloan Fellow.
Adam Polonsky is a trained lawyer and freelance Script Developer. Adam has worked as a Script Reader for Working Title, Script Factory, Kudos Film & TV, BBC Films, Lionsgate UK and Warner Bros. His qualifications include National Film and Television School Script Development Diploma (2007 - 2008), College of Law, Legal Practice Course (1998 - 1999) and LLB Law at University College London (1994 - 1997). He joined Focus Films as Development Producer with particular emphasis on the Million Dollar Movie Company initiative.
Marsha Levin is a writer, producer and co-founder of Focus Films closely involved with every aspect of the company's productions. She has contribued to costume and set research on the period romance, Heaven and Earth, as well as script and development on a wide range of projects including her own screenplays Chance and Chemistry. She is also involved in the Million Dollar Movie Company and designs Focus' websites and presentations. Marsha holds a BA in Languages and Drama, and a BA (Hons.) in Fine Art from the University of London.
Raimund Berens
is a freelance corporate Producer, who graduated with an MA in Filmmaking from the London Film School where he concentrated on producing. Since 2005 Raimund has worked with Focus Films as associate producer on a range of activities from legal documentation through budgeting to production co-ordination. He has his own company Iron Box Films which specialises in Corporate Video, Commercials, Music Videos, Shorts, Features and Electronic Press Kits.
Malcolm Kohll has worked as a freelance writer and producer since 1978. His first commissioned work was for the classic BBC sci-fi series, DR WHO; his first feature film as writer and co-producer was the $10 million The Fourth Reich (1990); and he developed and produced Secret Society, Julie's Geist, The 51st State and The Bone Snatcher for Focus Films. He is the writer of Heaven and Earth, Focus Films current flagship project. Malcolm holds a BA in Journalism and a postgraduate Diploma in Film and Television from Middlesex Polytechnic.
The Focus Flagship label includes feature films with budgets up to $25 million.
Heaven & Earth/James Miranda Barry (2012)
UK/South Africa Co-Production
LOGLINE The remarkable true story of the first woman doctor, who masqueraded as a man to pursue her career
GENRE Romantic Drama
BUDGET $10 million
WRITER Malcolm Kohll
PRODUCERS David Pupkewitz Malcolm Kohll
EXECUTIVE Peter Dale Raimund Berens
COMPOSER Klaus Badelt (Pirates of the Caribbean, Poseidon, Constantine)
SALES Edward Noeltner, Cinema Management Group
Back to Flagship
Nula and Jeff could be perfect for each other if it wasn't for one tiny hiccup - one a chronic agoraphobic, the other the most claustrophobic man in the world. In this romantic comedy about fears, phobias and the universal anxieties of love, it's what's on the inside that counts....
A Tale of Love Death & Insurance
set in small town New Mexico
The Red Carpet label includes films with budgets of up to $5 million
Million Dollar Movies
is low-budget initiative launched by Focus Films to complement its existing flagship productions.
Million Dollar Movies specifically targets emerging screenwriting talent and represents a key opportunity for writers looking to build a reputation in feature film. The slate demonstrates original, distinct voices, often but not always with a strong UK flavour. Written to, but not limited by, budget, the projects have a clear sense of identity and audience and a universal story to tell. Primarily these are scripts that focus on character, that have the ability to stand out from the crowd, but are also interesting and novel takes on traditional genres.
Amsterdam
Written by Spencer Honniball
A dark thriller about love & redemption
The red light district plays home to this noir-ish tale of love and human attraction a gripping fusion of thriller and contemporary love story in which a troubled man, in search of oblivion, finds a reason to live in a beautiful hooker, wrestling with her own demons.
Passports
Written & directed by Paloma Baeza
To escape the past takes more than a new passport
Set in the seedy backstreets of South-East London, Passports is an engaging, female-led character piece,
with strong thriller undertones in which a mother and daughter seek escape from the tyranny of a violent father.
Development Producer - Adam Polonsky
Executive Producer - David Pupkewitz
Script & Development - Marsha Levin
Tel: + 44 (0) 207 4359004
Email: General Enquiries: marsha_focusfilms.co.uk
