EMBERFALL: Operation Underworld

The Story

When the Government Made
a Deal With the Devil.

During World War II, the U.S. Navy secretly partnered with the Sicilian Mob to protect the strategic ports of New York from Nazi saboteurs. The deal was real. The files were classified. The alliance was never officially acknowledged.

Eighty years later, FBI Special Agent Hightower — a man of relentless moral conviction — is pulled from a shelved investigation into the trafficking of children by powerful men. When a child's body surfaces on the Hudson waterfront and the case is shut down before it starts, a Governor with too many debts and too few options reaches out off-book.

Hightower's only path runs through Santino — an ex-mobster who knows where the bodies are buried, because some of them are his fault. Together, they descend into an elite underworld of predators protected by politics, money, and decades of institutional silence.

"The same ethos that bound the Navy and the Mob in wartime — duty above self, mission above ego — binds Hightower and Santino now. When Santino faces his darkest hour, it is that legacy of shared purpose — not law, not loyalty, but something older — that pulls him back from the edge."

Leadership

Military Precision.
Hollywood Pedigree.

Director / Producer

Frank Kostenko

U.S. Navy Reserve Captain (O-6) leading Special Operations and an American feature film Second Unit Director, Producer & Line Producer. Frank has worked alongside the greatest directors in Hollywood, blending military precision with artistic creative vision. Co-founder of PacRim Media — one of the few filmmakers alive who operates at the intersection of combat discipline and cinematic excellence.

Act of Valor · Man on Fire · The Last Samurai · We Were Soldiers · Con Air · Face/Off · Freelance · Streets of Fire · Back to School · Wishmaster · Magnificent Desolation

With: James Cameron · Tony Scott · Ed Zwick · John Woo · Pierre Morel · Randal Wallace

Executive Producer

Alex Bazarov

Veteran of international independent film finance and multi-jurisdiction co-production. Alex structures deals spanning North American gap financing, European equity, and Asian distribution advances — closing capital stacks that keep productions greenlit and fully delivered. Deep expertise in tax-incentive architecture: Section 168(k), Reg D private placements, and Canadian provincial credits. Relationships with top-tier sales agents, distributors, and festival programmers give every project a clear path from development to global release.

Cross-border film finance · Gap & bridge financing · Tax credit monetization · Reg D private placement · Distribution pipeline management

Executive Producer

Mike Janke

Navy SEAL Team 6 combat veteran turned serial entrepreneur. As CEO of SOC-USA (SAIC), commanded 11,000+ personnel across 14 countries. Co-founded Silent Circle with PGP creator Phil Zimmermann — creator of the Blackphone, the world's first purpose-built secure smartphone. Co-founded DataTribe, D.C.'s premier cybersecurity startup studio. Now founder of Blue Pacific Studios in Los Angeles — bringing operator clarity and capital instinct to story-driven film.

SOC-USA / SAIC · Silent Circle / Blackphone · DataTribe · Blue Pacific Studios

Producer

Jaime Hernandez

Results-driven independent film producer with deep roots in North American and international co-productions. Iron-clad organizational discipline and creative intuition across development through delivery. Proven ability to attract talent, secure financing, and guide films from script to screen on time and on budget. His commercially minded instincts make him an essential force behind Emberfall's path to global distribution.

Producer

Pierre Morel

Taken grossed over $400 million worldwide, spawned a billion-dollar franchise, and transformed Liam Neeson into one of today's biggest action stars. Peppermint hit #1 most-watched on Netflix. District B13 introduced parkour to the world. The Gunman starred Sean Penn, Javier Bardem & Idris Elba. One of the most bankable names in global action cinema.

Taken · Peppermint · District B13 · The Gunman · The Ambush

Writer / Actor

Michael Paré

From Eddie and the Cruisers and Streets of Fire to The Philadelphia Experiment and Hope Floats, Michael Paré has defined screen presence across decades. As co-writer and actor on Emberfall, he brings deep character insight — having conceived the original story alongside Jason White — that is impossible to fabricate.

Eddie and the Cruisers · Streets of Fire · The Philadelphia Experiment · Hope Floats · The Virgin Suicides · Moon 44 · Village of the Damned · Houston Knights

Market Validation

The Proof Is In The Numbers.

Taken

$400M

WW gross. Billion-dollar franchise. Pierre Morel director.

Sound of Freedom

$300M

WW on $14.5M budget. Child trafficking narrative — same core audience.

Den of Thieves

$80M

WW on $30M. Gritty crime, strong VOD tail.

Cop Land

$65M

WW. Corrupt institutions, moral center. Strong critical legacy.

Peppermint

$63M

WW. Pierre Morel. Jennifer Garner. #1 Netflix.

Capital Structure

$2,000,000 Production Budget

Early Equity — Sec. 168(k) Bonus Depreciation (up to 2× tax savings)	$500,000
Production Expense Allocation — Reg D (100% budget deduction to equity)	$300,000
Senior Bank Loan / Gap Finance	$570,000
BC PSTC — 36% of ~$1.2M Qualifying BC Spend (post Jan 2025 rate)	$432,000
Canadian Federal Production Services Tax Credit	$48,000
Brand Integration / Product Placement	$10,000
Contingency & Legal Reserve	$140,000
Total Budget	$2,000,000

$5M+

Projected Global Sales

36%

BC PSTC Rebate Rate

2×

168(k) Tax Savings

2.5×

Sales-to-Budget Multiple

Projected Returns

$5,000,000+ Global Sales Target

North America

$1.75M

Theatrical + Premium VOD + SVOD

Europe / UK

$1.0M

Pay TV + theatrical

Asia Pacific

$1.0M

Korea, Japan, SE Asia

Latin America

$500K

Streaming + theatrical

Middle East / Africa

$350K

Military/action titles strong

Ancillary / Other

$400K

Sequel rights, sync, merch

Investment Tiers

Your Level of Involvement.

Associate Producer

$50K–$99K

Associate Producer screen credit
Pro-rata revenue participation
Section 168(k) tax deduction eligibility
Premiere invitation & set visit

Co-Producer

$100K–$499K

Co-Producer screen credit
Enhanced revenue participation
168(k) + Reg D deduction eligibility
Premiere + wrap party invitations
Quarterly production updates

Executive Producer — Featured

$500,000+

Executive Producer credit on all prints & promo
Priority revenue participation
Full 168(k) + Reg D tax structure
Creative consultation rights
All premiere, press & festival events
Named in all marketing & distribution materials

Why the tax structure matters: Section 168(k) allows investors to deduct up to 100% of their qualified film investment in Year 1 — meaning a $500K investment may generate $500K+ in federal tax deductions in the year of investment. Stacked with the Reg D structure and $480K in Canadian rebates, Emberfall offers one of the strongest risk-adjusted profiles in independent film today.

Next Steps

Let's Talk.

Confidential offering for accredited investors. Full PPM, financial models, and script available under NDA upon request.

Frank Kostenko

Director & Producer — PacRim Media · U.S. Navy Reserve Captain (O-6)

✉ [email protected] ▸ pacrim-media.com

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EMBERFALL

When the Government Madea Deal With the Devil.

Military Precision.Hollywood Pedigree.

Frank Kostenko

Alex Bazarov

Mike Janke

Jaime Hernandez

Pierre Morel

Michael Paré

The Proof Is In The Numbers.

$2,000,000 Production Budget

$5,000,000+ Global Sales Target

Your Level of Involvement.

Let's Talk.

When the Government Made
a Deal With the Devil.

Military Precision.
Hollywood Pedigree.