The Violinist Film
The Violinist
A film investment structured for family offices, UHNWI, and accredited investors — 120% priority return, IRS §168(k) bonus depreciation, and U.S. theatrical distribution.
Synopsis
In the early 1970s, a wave of Eastern European immigrants arrived in major U.S. cities, including Chicago. Most were scientists, engineers, doctors, artists, and families escaping Soviet persecution; a small percentage were unvetted criminals.
Michael Shuster arrives in Chicago as a child with physician parents and is groomed to become a concert violinist. As adulthood closes in, his path turns toward a Chicago-area Eastern European crime family and the violent underworld surrounding it.
The Violinist is built for authenticity, market differentiation, and the tonal discipline of classic crime dramas including Goodfellas, Once Upon a Time in America, The Departed, Scarface, Heat, Casino, Bugsy, and The Godfather.
Investment Structure
The Violinist is a private film investment opportunity for verified accredited investors under Regulation D Rule 506(c), with a total raise of $5 million.
The structure provides a first-dollar 120% principal priority return, followed by a 50/50 profit split across ongoing global backend revenues. Revenue streams include U.S. theatrical, international sales and licensing to 50+ territories, streaming, VOD, merchandise, and ancillary licensing.
The financing model anticipates state and international production incentives, international pre-sales, U.S. theatrical distribution, and potential IRS Section 168(k) treatment where the production and investor qualify. Amount, timing, eligibility, monetization, and tax results are not assured.
Investor Financial Highlights
120% First-Dollar Priority Structure
Distributable global receipts flow to the investor class first until 120% of contributed principal has been distributed, subject to the definitive offering documents.
Potential Accelerated Depreciation
Qualified investors may be eligible for IRS §168(k) bonus depreciation. Eligibility, timing, passive-loss rules, and individual tax results vary.
Modeled Production Incentive Offset
The financing model anticipates 30%–40% state and international production incentives. Amount, timing, eligibility, and monetization are not assured.
Creative Team
Yuri Rutman
His latest film, "Trained", was acquired and released globally in 33 million homes by the official distributor of Academy Award nominated short films, Shorts.TV/AMC Networks.
Yuri Rutman was born in Kiev, Ukraine and raised in Chicago. He has worked creatively with 20th Century Fox, NBC Universal and Crispin Porter Bogusky, and served as an executive producer at Spike TV and Fremantle Media.
His first film, "Mr. Id", was financed by an investor he connected with online — the same instinct for finding backing that now drives The Violinist.
Beyond entertainment, Yuri has advised and co-founded several startups outside media and entertainment, and is the founder of Dopamine.Global, focused on structuring international media finance and productions.
Scott Drucker
Scott Drucker brings award-winning visual storytelling to film, television and global brands. A USC MFA graduate, his work for the Canadian Down Syndrome Society earned Cannes gold for "Endangered Syndrome" and a Clio Grand Prix for "Project Understood".
His thesis film, "Between the Harvest", screened at more than 20 festivals worldwide, including Oscar-qualifying Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Flickerfest (Australia) and Uppsala Short Film Festival (Sweden).
His feature documentary "Who is Arthur Chu?", executive produced by three-time Academy Award winner Mark Jonathan Harris, premiered at Slamdance in 2017 before screening at Hot Docs in Canada.
Based primarily in Toronto, Scott moves fluidly between documentaries, television, narrative film and commercial work — pairing a distinctive eye with the discipline to deliver.
Film Finance Education
The learning hub covers film investment, alternative assets, tax structure, Regulation D 506(c), IRS Section 168(k), family office allocation, independent film ROI case studies, and the role of film in a diversified portfolio.
Request The Violinist Investor Materials
Informational purposes only. Not an offer. Offers are made only through the offering documents to verified accredited investors.