Uwe Boll will leave his post as managing director of German production outfit TaunusFilm's international arm - TaunusFilm International - on September 1 to concentrate on his directing career. He will continue to serve as a consultant, while TaunusFilm CEO Wolfgang Grass will oversee the subsidiary.

Boll, who used accumulated vacation time to shoot his most recent project Sanctimony in Vancouver, cites the sales success of the film as the main reason for his decision. However Boll said he has also become frustrated with Taunus majority shareholder CineMedia which he claims focuses on licensing while "extremely small amounts go into production."

Sanctimony, which stars Casper van Diem, Eric Roberts, Michael Pare, Jennifer Rubin and Catherine Oxenberg, will be screened at the upcoming Hof Film Festival. The film has yet to secure German theatrical distribution.

Meanwhile TaunusFilm has opened a Los Angeles office to produce news and entertainment shows for German television channels. In addition the company plans to produce two to three international features or TV films a year and hopes to increase contact with US studios and producers. The LA office will be headed by producer Susanne Bohnet.