Hans Weltner

Hannes Benedict Florian Weltner (March 3, 1894 – September 20, 1994), professionally known as Hans Weltner, was a Swiss film director, screenwriter, and producer who began his career in Germany, and later emigrated to the United States and then Canada. A veteran of, Weltner's films spanned numerous genres and were known for their ambitious nature.

Weltner's career took off after the success of The Masked Stranger (1927), which proved to be influential in the development of future horror films, especially the slasher genre, and served as a precursor to the film noir genre. The groundbreaking action-adventure epic Blackbeard (1930) proved to be one of the most successful films of the era. After moving to the United States in 1936, he directed the gangster films Dawn to Dusk (1937) and A Street Divided (1939).

Disappointment with the American sociopolitical atmosphere and opposition to the led Weltner to move to  in 1965. His lakeside manor in became his workplace, where he centered the large majority of the writing, research, editing and management of his productions. His first two films in Canada, produced in, were the Ernie Gregg features High Rollers (1967) and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1969).

While many of Weltner's later films were controversial and drew mixed reviews upon release—particularly the violent Sitting Duck (1972), which was banned in several countries due to its content, they often went on to undergo critical re-evaluations. The action-adventure film California Zephyr (1975) made use of camera rig on a helicopter for "soaring" aerial shots. With the horror film Howl at the Moon (1981), he made use of the WireCam cable-suspended camera system for aerial and overhead shots, a technology vital to two of his later films, You Better Run (1984) and The Storymaster (1987). The -era period thriller The Wedding (1990) served as a acknowledgment of his influence on the film noir genre. His last film, the comedy-drama Don't Think About Her (1995), was completed just before his death at.