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Klaus Müller

Winner of the Best Arizona Short at the Phoenix Film Festival 2025!

A lost nuclear bomb. An Park ranger. A German expert.
“Klaus Müller” is a darkly funny comedy about two men trying to defuse a relic from the Cold War — and themselves.

In the heart of the Arizona wilderness, park ranger Tommy Dolan stumbles upon a chilling discovery: a long-lost nuclear bomb hidden among the trees. Desperate, he calls in federal bomb expert Klaus Muller to defuse the situation, but as tensions rise, it becomes clear that one of them is not who he says he is.

Beneath the suspense lies an echo and generational conflict of post-war Germany — a son refusing to walk in his father’s footsteps.

  • Zach Tolchinsky
    Director
    The Forbidden Zone
  • Zach Tolchinsky
    Writer
  • Will Martinez
    Producer
  • Sven Gey
    Producer
  • Chinyere Nwodim
    Producer
  • Anthony Hsiaojung McMillan
    Producer
  • Sven Gey
    Key Cast
    "Klaus Muller"
  • Jamie Daniels
    Key Cast
    "Tommy Dolan "
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Klaus Muller
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Thriller
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 1, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    17,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, German
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Phoenix Film Festival 2025 (USA)

    Best Arizona Shortfilm
  • L.A. Shorts International Film Festival 2025 (USA)
  • Eichsfelder Filmfestival 2025 (GER)
  • Taunale - Taunus Filmfest Oberursel 2025 (GER)
  • BEYOND Filmfestival 2025 (GER)
  • NRW Filmfestival 2025 (GER)

    Best Shortfilm, Best Director, Best Actor Sven Gey, Best Actor Jamie Daniels
  • BEST INDEPENDENTS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2025 (GER)

    Best Camera, Best Actor
  • XXS Filmfestival (GER)
  • Cine-Maniacs Filmfest (GER)

    Best Shortfilm
  • Underdog Film Festival Wolfsburg
  • SPITZiale Filmfestival Eselkamp
Director Biography - Zach Tolchinsky

Zach Tolchinsky doesn’t just make films
- he builds them by hand.

A Los Angeles-based writer, director, and model maker,
he’s teamed up with Disney, Nintendo, Vans, and Stoopid Buddy to craft stories that fuse precision with imagination.

His credits include the Oscar-nominated Anomalisa, Emmy-winning Robot Chicken, and Katy Perry’s “Cozy Little Christmas.”

Through his studio, Wood Goblin, Zach has produced five award-winning shorts, including the international cult hit The Forbidden Zone.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

While researching how government authority is mishandled, I uncovered a chilling fact: multiple nuclear bombs are missing around the world—like, really missing. The U.S. alone has misplaced at least three in the last 50 years, and those are just the ones we know about. This alarming reality fueled the script for my new film, Klaus Muller, an exploration of truth, authority, and the chaos of misplaced power.

The film centers on an unlikely duo—a park ranger in Arizona and a German bomb retrieval expert—who must navigate trust, authority, and gut instincts when they discover a missing nuke. Inspired by my love of Japanese cinema and character-driven stories like HARA-KIRI and Seven Samurai, the film asks: Who do you trust when the stakes are nuclear—authority or your instincts? There’s an old saying that captures it best: “There’s no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole.”