Renny Harlin Launches Harlin House to Back Emerging European Filmmakers

Finnish director Renny Harlin unveiled Harlin House on Nov. 13 at Helsinki's Night Visions International Film Festival, a production company built to mentor emerging European directors and turn their projects into commercially viable genre features.

Harlin co-founded the venture with producer Johanna Harlin and Max Michael of M3 Global Strategy. Johanna Harlin will run the company's community and podcast. Michael, previously head of Asian business development at UTA, has spent almost 20 years developing talent and packaging projects, and will tie creative development to packaging, financing and overseas partnerships.

The founding advisory board includes Colin Trevorrow ("Jurassic World," "Jurassic World Dominion"), Tim Miller ("Deadpool," "Terminator: Dark Fate"), "Minions" and "Despicable Me 3" director Kyle Balda and Janet Change Balda. Between them, they cover live action, VFX and animation.

What does the fellowship offer filmmakers?

Filmmakers selected for the Harlin House Fellowship will develop their projects with Harlin and the advisory board. The company will pick titles from the program to produce. The plan is concrete: a first film next year, then a minimum of two films annually, and seven to 10 features over the first five years.

Harlin framed the mission in personal terms.

"I also know what it means to arrive from Europe with a story to tell and no clear path into Hollywood," Harlin said. "Helping another filmmaker find that path is a central part of this company's mission."

His directing credits span four decades: "Die Hard 2," "Cliffhanger," "The Long Kiss Goodnight," "Deep Blue Sea," "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master" and "The Beast." He has worked with Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Geena Davis and Jackie Chan.

How can fans take part?

The venture goes beyond a conventional fellowship. Through the global investment platform Republic Film, fans can join as founding investors and share in the films' earnings alongside the Harlin House team. The investment window opened a week after the Helsinki launch.

Backers will track the fellows' work from development into production and help promote the finished films. Any investor can also submit an original film idea; the company will option some pitches for development and give their authors a story credit. Members will be invited to suggest scenes and story ideas as projects progress.

"Fans have been the driving force behind my career. They are the reason these films get made and the reason they continue to find new audiences years later," Harlin said. "With Harlin House, I want to bring them closer to the process and give them an opportunity to participate in what we build."

Why launch in Helsinki?

The Helsinki event doubles as the company's first. Harlin began his career in Finland before leaving for Hollywood. "It feels right to come back to my roots to make this announcement," he said.

Harlin House events will move on to other major international and genre-focused festivals to scout local talent and bring filmmakers and audiences together.

Johanna Harlin started out in Finnish television. Her international credits include "The Strangers" trilogy, "The Bricklayer," "Deep Water" and "The Beast."

If Harlin House delivers its first feature next year and reaches its two-film annual target, it will become one of the few European schemes pairing emerging genre directors with Hollywood-level advisors and fan financing from the outset.