Perennial Lens
About Us
PERENNIAL /pəˈrɛnɪəl/ - enduring or continually recurring
LENS /lɛnz/ (metaphor) - a channel through which something can be seen or understood.
​
Perennial Lens is a film production company with offices in Darmstadt, Germany, London and Los Angeles, producing international, trans-cultural, socially progressive fictional and documentary feature films. Perennial Lens was founded by Rodney Charles and Yasmin C. Rams.
Yasmin C. Rams
Co-CEO
​
Yasmin C. Rams is a film producer and director based in Germany and Los Angeles, California. She started out working as Assistant to the Director at Yangon Film School in Myanmar, assisting in the production of films such as the award-winning feature-length documentary Nargis: When Time Stopped Breathing.
Yasmin proceeded to make short films with different directors and founded her first production company in 2011. After collaborating on the short film African Cowboy, Yasmin decided to join forces with Rodney Charles and they established the production company Perennial Lens.
​
With Perennial Lens, she produced the feature-length documentary In Exile directed by one of Myanmar’s most promising talents, Tin Win Naing, which celebrated its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Her latest award-winning film Go Heal Yourself had a successful German cinema run of 10 subsequent weeks .
Yasmin is a Eurodoc and IDFA Academy alumna, as well as a the Co-Chair of the up-and-coming section of the German Producers Guilt Produzent*innenverband.
Lisa Legina
Assistant
Growing up in Heidelberg, Lisa discovered her passion for filmmaking during the IB Diploma Program, which led to the creation of her first short films in an advanced film course. 2022, she started her Motion Pictures studies at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences.
Rodney Charles
Co-CEO
​
Rodney Charles’ first screenplay won the Greater London Arts advanced film and video award. The resulting film Once Upon a Time, which he also produced, was broadcast by BBC television and screened at the Venice Film Festival, London Film Festival and FESPACO winning achievement awards. His screenplay Reclaimed won the BHERC screenwriting award.
In 2008 Rodney completed his debut feature The Disciple as Writer, Director and Producer, opening the 2008 BFM Film Festival to a sell-out UK premier at the BFI South Bank. The Disciple also won Best New Director honor at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles.
As a film actor Rodney has collaborated with notable directors such as Wim Wenders, Mike Figgis and Antoine Fuqua. His numerous film and television appearances have been balanced with a career as a writer and international model resulting in Rodney’s exposure to diverse global cultures and an acute understanding of how film, imagery and advertising impact on self-awareness and identity globally. This has heavily influenced his unique and original collection of trans-cultural, internationally relevant feature screenplays.
​
Vita Spieß
Production Coordinator
As a native of Bremen, Vita studied art education and cultural anthropology in Frankfurt am Main. As a coordinator, she particularly enjoys teamwork. For Vita, the exchange and bringing together of different ideas is an elementary dialogue in the production process.
Members of:
