Now I had something I could show. But I was convinced that a potential investor would only jump on board if I could not only showcase the concept of the film but also that, as a newbie in the film business, I could be supported by veterans of the trade. So I set out to find these veterans and since I was not likely to find filmmakers in Germany with interest in South American history (romcoms seem to still be what most German movie productions are about), I focused on finding a producer in Bolivia or Argentina, where the story takes place.
To my surprise, I did find an Austrian producer who resided in Bolivia and was well known in the industry. He had the experience and the connections. All I needed was his support. He knew the trailer, now I needed to pitch the full script to him.
And in 2012 I flew alone to Bolivia on a mission to win over the producer, meet fellow filmmakers, scout locations where filming might take place and draft a script that I could pitch to win local support which could help leverage financial support from investors. The idea was simple: If I was able to put together a trailer in northern Berlin, I would certainly be able to put together a film in Bolivia with local support.
It is safe to say that not all went as planned. Location scouting went well and I was able to put together a solid first draft of the script which impressed the producer. I got to meet several filmmakers and actors who seemed interested in supporting the dreams of an ambitions young and untrained filmmaker. But we never secured interest from those with the necessary money to get the project off the ground.
After three weeks of postponed appointments, I left Bolivia with a solid draft and concept of the film I wanted to make, but still without a proper plan on how to get it done.
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