We connect producers and investors

Starting out as a classic production company for international and German (co)-productions, Star Mountain Pictures has specialised in brokering private film financing for English-language projects by promising talents.

Primarily, we broker equity, mezzanine, gap financing and collateralised loans.  We work hand in hand with our global pool of high net worth individuals, private equity firms, gap financiers and lending companies.  Each of our investors and financiers has a different profile with genre priorities, budget preferences, security corridors and investment ranges.  The latter range from low-scale investments of 100.000 – 1.000.000, medium-scale investments of 1.000.000 – 5.000.000, to high-scale investments starting at 5.000.000 per project.

Secondarily – depending on the needs of the project – we can also broker MGs, pre-sales, negative pick-up deals and backstop deals through our world sales and distribution partners, as well as in-kind post-production deals through our post-production partners.

This financial diversity allows us to offer a wide-ranging mix of private financing strategies and to find the optimal solution for each project.  Our credo is:  Financing can be just as creative as storytelling.

Financing Deals

• Equity
• Mezzanine
• Gap Financing
• Collateralized Loans

Sales & Distribution Deals

• MGs & Pre-Sales
• Negative Pick-Up Deals
• Backstop Deals

In-Kind-Deals

• Post-Production

Investment Ranges

• 100.000 - 1.000.000 | Low-Scale
• 1.000.000 - 5.000.000 | Medium-Scale
• from 5.000.000 | High-Scale

We do the due diligence

Unlike many other brokers who pass on projects to investors without hesitation, we do a detailed due diligence for each project.  In doing so, we pay attention to both formal cleanliness and marketability.  We analyse budget sheets, financing plans, sales estimates, waterfalls, profit projections and ensure that the private investment is in a realistic relationship to the overall budget and market value.  We also check the timing and financial terms of planned tax credits and cash rebates, as well as MG deals or pre-sales that have already been concluded.  We pay attention to the smallest details to ensure that each project is presented transparently, crystal clear and waterproof.

Our due diligence has two objectives:  1. Assessment of the investment risk to ensure the respective safety corridor of our partners.  2. Transparent structure of the presentation to have all our partners' questions answered before they arise. 

Once both areas have our stamp of approval, decision times can be very short in favour of the producers.

Analysis of the documents

• Budget Sheet
• Financing Plan
• Sales Estimates
• Waterfall
• Profit Projections

Analysis of partners

• Tax Credits & Cash Rebates
• World Sales & Distributor

2 Goals

• Risk Assessment
• Transparent structure of the presentation

And now for the creative part or what is the “elevated genre” all about?

We believe that art and commerce are not mutually exclusive, but can go hand in hand.  The term "elevated genre" has become established in the international film scene.  However, we make a slight adjustment and deliberately say "elevated films", as the elevated approach of a film is more important for us than its genre. So what’s the best way to define "elevated films"?  Perhaps like this: 

Films that don't fit into a box and leave the beaten track.  Films that put a style-defining stamp on their stories.  Films that rely on a subtle visual language in an artful way.  Films that avoid superficial shock effects and aim for a message that transcends genre conventions.  Films that do not see themselves as a spectacle for gigantic effects, but instead place their focus on the small-scale.  Films that dare to venture into the abysmal.  Films that deliver a crude punch in the pit of the stomach.  Films with black, wicked humor that hold up a mirror to society.  Or films that do none of these things, but are outlandish, daring or deadly funny genre experiments.  Whether thematically multi-layered or disarmingly straightforward, the main thing is that it’s out of the ordinary.

In a nutshell:  We stand for innovative, unusual and against-the-grain elevated films that combine entertainment with sophistication and bring both festival potential and commercial prospects. 

Elevated Films

• Art & Commerce
• Entertainment & Sophistication
• Festival Potential & Commercial Prospects

In 2009, Konstantin Korenchuk realised his first short film DER STERNENBERG. This short film had a budget of 30 euros and won the 3rd cash prize of 150 euros at the “Mainz Film Culture Competition”. The budget was thus recouped five times and the financiers received a 500 % return on investment. This small anecdotal success laid the foundation for Konstantin’s film career.  As an homage to the first short, the English-language company name was created.

In 2012, Konstantin Korenchuk founded STAR MOUNTAIN PICTURES in Cologne.  Starting out as an advertising production house for clients such as Wikifolio, Strato, Geberit and Renault, he developed it into a production company for international and German (co-)productions in 2018 and into a brokerage company for private film financing in 2022.