What is DIE FORELLE?

Locked in a basement in 1940s Poland, German captain Wolfgang Schäfer finds himself accused of smuggling Jews to safety, a claim made all the more suspicious with his estranged friend Josef Fischer running the interrogation. Through a meeting shadowed in memory, a reality-shifting dreamscape, and a blank confession waiting on the desk between them, we must answer a set of questions:

Who is guilty? Who can be trusted? And who do you want to believe?

Who are we?

Hi! My name is Dana Kjeldsen. I'm an award-winning actor, director, and writer, and the founder of Great Dane Productions. We released our post-apocalypse drama Babylon in 2023 and premiered our Western thriller Varmint earlier this year, which has screened for audiences in both Texas and Colorado.

Our cast and crew contains some of the most dedicated, talented, and in-demand artists from the theatre and film communities in Colorado Springs and Denver, with experience spanning from local indie films and regional theatre to nationally touring stage productions and Netflix movie sets.

It also contains some of my dearest friends and greatest collaborators, people with whom I've been blessed to make art and tell stories over the last several years of my life.

What do we need?

At an independent level, producing a period piece like Die Forelle requires a lot of creativity—and a lot of help. Here's what your support will achieve:

• First and foremost, payment for the cast and crew. The artists involved are dedicating months of their time and effort to make this movie. Simply put, they deserve to be paid for their work. Your donation will support 20-30 members of the local film, theatre, and art communities.
  
  
• Our other big expense is costumes. Die Forelle is set during World War II, and our costume needs include military uniforms, boots, coats, and other era-appropriate attire, including duplicates of pieces that get—no spoilers!—bloody. Your donation will give our actors the clothes they need to embody their characters and create an authentic period piece.
  
  
• Equipment rentals. We're a small community here in the Springs, and while talent is everywhere, resources are scarce. Your donation will enable us to use top-notch camera, lighting, and audio equipment, and produce the most competent and best possible version of this story.
  
  
• Wolfgang and Josef's encounter is based in their shared memories—and with the help of a little movie magic, those memories frequently join them in the room. Your donation will provide the props, set pieces, makeup, and even animal performers required to turn our dingy basement into a haunted forest, a party in Paris, even a battlefield.
  
  
• Festival fees. Our goal is to compete in both national and international film festivals before distributing the film online and to streaming platforms, and fees to submit a project add up fast. Your donation will ensure the film finds an audience.
  
  
• And finally: food! The cast and crew will be spending long days on set over the course of three weeks. They need meals as well as a full table of proteins, healthy snacks, caffeine, and considering we're filming on location, TONS of water. Your donation will keep the cast and crew hydrated, happy, and healthy on set.

Why does it matter?

The thesis of Die Forelle can be found in Wolfgang's words near the movie’s climax: "The story will be told by the man who walks out that door. The whole of history is written by the man who walks out the door."

Like most historical fiction, Die Forelle uses the past to consider the present: the grey areas between truth and perception, the power of propaganda, and the danger of dehumanizing the “other”. While these problems might be too big to solve over the course of 30 minutes, they shape the framework in which our central relationship is revealed—and fractured.

Ultimately, Die Forelle is about two people, fighting tooth and nail, to control a narrative—and if we do our job right, there will be some fun thrills and creative filmmaking along the way! But there's a deeper meaning embedded in Wolfgang's interrogation, one we find reflected back at us simply by turning on our laptops: in our current moment of comment threads, bot-fueled outrage, and "alternative facts", it's easy to see why it's still relevant today.

Additionally: independent film matters, local art matters, and good storytelling matters. Investing in indie film expands the kinds of stories we get to experience and allows us to hear voices we haven't yet heard. Donating to Die Forelle is a simple way to empower a group of artists in our attempt to tell an original story well, with a result that's as professional as it is meaningful.

How else can I participate?

Can't help us out financially right now? Spreading the word and using Crowdfundr's sharing options are other ways you can lend a hand. Word of mouth helps just as much as a dollar amount!

What does "Die Forelle" mean anyway?

I'm so glad you asked! The title comes from Franz Schubert's 1817 opera "Die Forelle, Op. 32". It translates literally to "The Trout". You'll get to hear our own version of the song in the film, so keep an ear out—just don't take the bait.