Vanessa McMahon

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Photo credit to Lauren Faretta

Filip Jan Rymsza, 37, is a Polish-born producer and filmmaker. He resides in Los Angeles, where he manages Royal Road Entertainment, an independent production company.

During the 68th Cannes Film Festival, Filip announced the launch of an Indiegogo campaign to raise money for the finishing of legendary filmmaker, Orson Welles' last and never before seen film, 'The Other Side of the Wind'. Since his death in 1985, Welles’ film was embroiled in a “Byzantine legal wrangle,” as Filip describes it, and the film’s negative was locked away under court order in Paris. With the help of the money raised through Indiegogo, the aim is to finish the film in 2015 (the centenary year of Orson Welles’ birth) for the entire world to see.

When did you start working on this film?

It was exactly six years ago, here in Cannes, when I found out that the rights were available. But that’s a bit of an understatement, because I spent the following three years figuring out what that meant and finding an entry point. From a legal standpoint, the film had a sordid history. It was embroiled in all sorts of legal issues, especially here in France. Once I had a handle on who and what, the game plan shifted to figuring out what motivated everyone. In the end, everyone wanted to see this film done. It was on me to come up with a method and that took a few more years.

What were all the legal issues that stopped this film from getting made?

At the start, Orson Welles was self-financing it. He thought it would be a comeback film of sorts and there’s an irony to that, because it's about a director who is also making a comeback film. Orson had been spurned by so many productions, investors and studios, that creative control was of the utmost importance to him, especially when undertaking something he’d be devoting so many years to. The production period was long, because he took on acting jobs to be able to finance it. Then he found a backer, but they had a falling out over the years. It was partially bad luck, something unforeseeable, like the Persian Revolution, which tied up a lot of the investor's assets, and partially because he was being pressured to deliver the film by a certain date. The investor was very patient, but Orson didn’t appreciate having someone look over his shoulder. From that point forth, once that became an issue, Orson shifted his focus to buying out that investor. Plus, Orson didn't have access to all of the materials, as the negative was in Paris under the investor’s control. He managed to smuggle out some of the rush print and was working from that. When he died in 1985, he left behind some forty minutes of non-sequentially edited footage, a loose assembly, five linear feet of scripts, letters and memos to editors. We’re working from a wealth of information.

Now that all those legal battles are over and the film is getting closer to finishing, do you have any ideas when the film be completed and where will it premiere?

We have a calendar and internal goals, but there are still too many unknowns. We are not working toward a deadline. We want to do what is right for the film and that has always been our mandate. Once we get it to rough assembly, then we’ll know what we are dealing with and what else needs to be done.

It could very well be that Welles is still changing cinema from the great beyond. He introduced the Flashback and now he will have a film released decades after his passing. Plus, there are so many layers of irony to it. Do you think it could end up at the Academy Awards?

Sure, why not? Since it was never release, I suppose it will be eligible. The film and its history are equally fascinating. There’s a meta aspect to it all.

That's incredible! Producer Frank Marshall must be ecstatic to finally see it completed.

Of course. For him and Peter Bogdanovich it’s been a much longer journey. What’s my six years compared to their forty-five? A blink, really. I’m extremely proud of how far we’ve come, but there’s still a great deal of work ahead of us and this Indiegogo campaign is essential to the process. So, it’s no longer about the past. It’s all about the future and the future is now. We can’t do this without the fans.

Are you pre-selling the film here in Cannes?

We want to finish the film and show something truly compelling. This isn’t a restoration or a re-release. It’s an entirely new, never released film and the work print is worn and not representative of what I’ve seen from the negative, which is in mint condition. That footage is breathtaking and the film’s construction is inspired and unusual. We’re really excited about that. That's why this Indiegogo campaign is necessary, because it gives us the means to go to distributors and say, “this is what the finished product is going to look like.” Whether that’s a sequence or the finished film, that depends on who and at what point in time. I think this is in keeping with the way Orson went about his work. There’s definitely an anti-establishment bend to it.

You’re looking to raise $2M. Why do you need so much money?

Honestly, that’s just a fraction of the overall budget. We’ve put a lot of our own money into this, but, between the acquisition of all the rights and the unique challenges of post-production, this proved massively expensive. It’s a one-of-a-kind project that presents one-of-a-kind challenges and, as a whole, it bucks the indie finance model. We wouldn’t be able to finish this without crowdfunding. That’s why I implore all film fans and art fans to check out our campaign site and, if you’re compelled by the project, contribute what you can. Join us in being a part of film history.

Join the campaign on Indiegogo http://www.orsonslastfilm.com

Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Orson-Welles/432784776893981

Follow us on Twitter http://https://twitter.com/OrsonWelles

Photo 1 Photo Caption: Orson Welles, far right, in 1971, filming Oja Kodar in “The Other Side of the Wind” with Producer Frank Marshall (with slate) and Cinematographer Gary Graver. Photo Credit: Photograph by José María Castellví

Photo Caption: From left, Peter Bogdanovich, Bill Weaver, (seated), Orson Welles and Oja Kodar on location during the filming of Orson Welles' last unfinished film “The Other Side of the Wind." Photo Credit:  Photograph by José María Castellví

Photo Caption: Orson Welles, (far left) on location during the filming of Welles' last unfinished film 'The Other Side of the Wind,' discussing a scene with Peter Bogdanovich (second from left) and Neil Canton (holding screenplay). Photo Credit:  Photograph by Larry Jackson

About the Film: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND is a scathing tale of friendship, betrayal, media and ambition in Hollywood that unspools as a fast-cutting, kaleidoscopic film-within-a-film. It’s the last night in the life of Jake Hannaford (John Huston), a once-legendary director trying to finish a sexy, edgy film intended to reinvent his career. In a series of encounters with reporters, studio heads, members of his entourage, acolytes and enemies, elements of Hannaford’s art and life come to the fore. The all-star cast includes cinematic legends John Huston, Peter Bogdanovich, Oja Kodar, Robert Random, Lilli Palmer, Edmond O’Brien, Cameron Mitchell, Mercedes McCambridge, Norman Foster, Dennis Hopper, Paul Stewart, Peter Jason and Susan Strasberg. The film is being produced by Filip Jan Rymsza, Frank Marshall and Jens Koethner Kaul.

About Indiegogo: Indiegogo empowers people around the world to fund what matters to them. As the largest global crowdfunding platform, campaigns have launched from almost every country around the world with millions of dollars being distributed every week due to contributions made by the Indiegogo community. At its core, Indiegogo is an open platform dedicated to democratizing the way people raise funds for any project–creative, entrepreneurial or cause-related. The company was launched in 2008 and is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Los Angeles and New York. For more information, visit www.indiegogo.com and follow us at www.twitter.com/indiegogo and www.facebook.com/indiegogo.

Join the campaign on Indiegogo https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/other-side-of-the-wind-orson-welles-last-film/x/4216615

Visit us on http://www.orsonslastfilm.com

Interview by Vanessa McMahon; posted May 28, 2015