LONDON — It’s the form of plot twist often reserved for the large display: an acclaimed director, a rising manufacturing firm, a charismatic Outdated Etonian, and an alleged fraud that’s rocked the UK indie movie world.
Award-winning filmmaker Dekel Berenson — identified for Anna (BIFA winner, Cannes nominee) — has filed a £200,000 lawsuit towards the manufacturing firm Paradox Home LTD, co-founders Merlin Merton and Greer Ellison, and affiliate Alex Chang, citing fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of contract, and illegal conspiracy.
And this isn’t nearly misplaced cash. Berenson claims he was systematically deceived, misled by a sophisticated producer with an aristocratic pedigree and a pitch-perfect backstory — who allegedly siphoned money, doctored filings, and even faked an investor to safe funding.
Hidden threats inside
“These people are uninvestable and deeply dangerous to the business,” mentioned Berenson. “They need to don’t have any place within the movie neighborhood.”
🎥 The Setup: Cannes, Money & A Charming Con
Again in 2019, Merton — finest identified for producing The Beast Inside starring Equipment Harington — allegedly persuaded Berenson to speculate £50,000 into a brand new firm known as Paradox Home, buying and selling on Merton’s suave persona and obvious connections to royalty. Actually.
Merton, who goes by Mongkut Merlin Ralph Merton, introduced himself as half-Thai the Aristocracy, descended from Sir Thomas Merton KBE, the real-life inspiration for MI6’s “Q.” In accordance with the lawsuit, he was all appeal, zero substance.
Berenson, impressed by Merton’s ties and pitch, transferred each cash and a revenue-generating movie location web site to the corporate — in change for a 2.5% non-dilutable stake and a share of future income. However there was one large situation: that one other investor was concurrently placing in £600,000 for a 30% share.
Unseen truths unveiled
That investor by no means existed.
💸 The Alleged Rip-off: Ghost Buyers & Phantom Loans
For 3 years, Berenson believed the enterprise was legit. Then, in 2022, the reality unraveled. Court docket paperwork reveal Merton allegedly faked the existence of the £600K investor to lure Berenson in — a transfer that might land him in critical authorized and prison hassle.
However that’s simply the tip of the iceberg.
In accordance with the go well with, Paradox Home:
Unmask the deception
Loaned tens of 1000’s of kilos to Shuster & Shuster, a shell firm managed by Merton and Ellison — at a jaw-dropping 50% rate of interest.
Wrote off these loans in 2023 — successfully paying themselves tax-free cash whereas exterior shareholders like Berenson acquired nothing.
Made a £22,000 mortgage to a dissolved firm (Samsara), elevating the query: the place did that cash go, and who pocketed it?
Decipher the hidden fact
Falsified shareholder data and made backdated filings to Corporations Home, a few of which listed traders who deny any data of proudly owning shares.
One twist reads like one thing out of The Huge Quick: Shuster & Shuster’s accounts say the loans have been written off. Paradox Home’s accounts say nothing in any respect.
🦠 Pandemic Profiteering?
Then there’s the COVID fraud allegation. The corporate is now on the hook to repay £120,000 to HMRC for illegally claimed furlough cash. Berenson says workers have been nonetheless working whereas Paradox pocketed taxpayer money throughout the pandemic — a critical cost with prison implications.
⚖️ A Reckoning Forward
The lawsuit, which is anticipated to hit courtroom in early 2026, will embody witnesses testifying to their very own experiences with Paradox Home. Berenson is represented by Leverets, a hybrid barrister-solicitor observe.
In the meantime, Paradox’s founders proceed to advertise high-profile credit. Merton touts work on Amazon Prime’s Find out how to Date Billy Walsh, whereas Ellison claims writing credit on BBC’s Hope Road. But when Berenson’s proof holds up, they may go from scripted drama to real-life courtroom scandal.
🎞️ A Cautionary Story for the Indie Movie World
As streamers pull again, budgets tighten, and filmmakers scramble for funding, Berenson’s lawsuit paints a grim image of how simply artistic professionals might be duped by insiders taking part in the system.
“The UK movie business is already below stress,” Berenson mentioned. “Operators like this make it nearly unattainable to construct something trustworthy.”
With claims of fraud, forgery, and financial sleight-of-hand, Paradox Home could also be one of the appropriately named firms in current reminiscence.