Black musical notes on a black background.
A boy in a black shirt and shorts, holding a baseball glove and baseball, is on a baseball field during daytime.

Placeholder Films is a UK-based film fund, founded in 2024 by Joseph Schull and Harriet Gugenheim, which finances independent documentary films that are socially engaged, director-led, and cinematic. 

We believe storytelling can be a force for good and have backed films that have served as catalysts for change.

A woman with long dark hair, resting her face on her hand, looking at the camera, with bookshelves in the background.

Harriet Gugenheim

Harriet is co-founder and co-director of Placeholder Films. Prior to this, she spent nine years as Director of Philanthropy and Partnerships at Impetus, a venture philanthropy foundation which works to improve education and employment outcomes for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in the UK. Earlier in her career, Harriet worked in film and television development, with companies such as IWC Media, Talkback Thames and Keo Films.

Black and white portrait of a middle-aged man with glasses, wearing a dark suit and white shirt against a dark background.

Joseph Schull

Joe is co-founder and co-director of Placeholder Films. He is a private equity investor and co-founder of Corten Capital, a technology-focused investment firm, having previously been a partner and Head of Europe at Warburg Pincus. He has a longstanding commitment to investigative journalism as an investor and philanthropist, supporting organisations such as ICIJ, Bellingcat, Frontline and The Observer. Joe studied and taught at Oxford University and later ran the Ford Foundation’s Russia and Eastern Europe programme in the 1990s.

A young woman with long hair and light-colored eyes in a black-and-white photo, looking at the camera with a slight smile.

Tatiana Stark

Tatiana is Development and Operations Manager at Placeholder Films. She studied History of Art at the Courtauld Institute and helped to set up cultural spaces in London (Reference Point) and Nairobi (SORALO).  She is an IDA and Grierson-nominated cameraperson and director. She holds a Masters in Directing and Producing Documentary from the National Film and Television School and her graduation film premiered at Telluride.