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The History of Cinema: 1930

Greece - USSR

Greece

– Dimitris Gaziadis’s Oi Apahides ton Athinon, Greece’s first sound film, is released. [ADD]

India

Two short Indian films featuring synchronised sound are screened with an MGM talkie at Bombay’s Krishna Theatre.   The first film is of a Khadi exhibition at Mandvi, the second that of a dance scene of Sulochana from the silent film Madhuri. [ADD]

– The first Indian film society, Punjab Cinema Art Society, is founded in Lahore. [ADD]

Iran

Italy

Cines Studios are equipped for sound. [ADD]

– Gennaro Righelli’s La Canzone dell’amore becomes the first Italian sound film to be released in Italy.  Although Alessandro Blassetti’s Resurrectio was actually the first sound film to be produced it was not released until 1931. [ADD]

Japan

Yasujiro Ozu’s Ojosan premieres in Tokyo. [ADD]

Mongolia

– Mongolia becomes part of Vostok, the Soviet cinema organization, concluding a co-operative agreement to make films about the country, and to receives films from the USSR with a revolutionary theme. [ADD]

Philippines

– Ang Aswang, a vampire tale inspired by Philippine folklore, is the country’s first sound film. [ADD]

– Julian Manansala’s Dimasalang is released.  [ADD]

Poland

Boleslaw Newolin’s Moralnosc pani Dulskiej (The Morals of Madame Dulska), Poland’s first sound film, is released. [ADD]

– START (The Association of Amateurs of Artistic Cinema) is established by Eugeniusz Cêkalski, Stanislaw Wohl, Wanda Jakubowska, Tadeusz Kowalski, Jerzy Zarzycki, Jerzy Toeplitz and Jerzy Bossak.   They are soon joined by Aleksander Ford. [ADD]

Portugal

– Kino film magazine, edited by Lopes Ribeiro, is published for the first time. [ADD]

Romania

Premiere of Martin Berger’s Verklungene Traume, Rumania’s first sound film. [ADD]

– Romanian novelist Liviu Rebreanu writes: “...In the great haste toward the realization of the art, of a true cinematographic art, Romanian efforts cannot be futile. As much as our material and technical means have not permitted us to participate in the peoples' race toward the new art, I think the moment must come when we bring a Romanian contribution as well...Romanian talent would have a large possibility to manifest itself.” [ADD]

Serbia

– Milutin Ignjacevic’s Kroz buru I oganj (Through Storm and Fire), starring Dimitrije Dimitrijevic, is released. [ADD]

Sweden

– Europa Film Ltd is formed. [ADD]

Switzerland

A report from the International Trade Organisation states that capital investment in the film industry is as much as $4 billion.   Half of this investment is in the US, where 225,000 workmen, 30,000 extras and thousands of actors are employed. [ADD]

– Robert Wohlmut’s Bunzli Grossstadtabenteur, Switzerland’s first sound film, is released. [ADD] 

Tajikistan

– Tajikkino (later Tajikfilm), the country’s documentary and newsreel studio, is founded. [ADD]

Mosfilm Studios opens in Moscow. [ADD]

Alexandr Dovzhenko’s Zemlya (Earth) is released.   However, Soviet authorities censor a number of scenes, including peasants urinating into a tractor’s radiator and a dead man’s fiancée hysterically mourning him in the nude. [ADD]

The Soviet government forms Intorgkino to control importation and exportation of film. [ADD]

The vertically-integrated Soyuzfilm replaces Sovkino in managing all domestic film and cinema activity. [ADD]

– Yuli Raizman’s Zemlya zhazhdet is released as a silent film.   One year later a soundtrack will be added, making it Russia’s first sound movie. [ADD]

Other Key Films of 1930

Greece

Kiss Me Maritsa [ADD]

Nerone (Alessandro Blasetti) [ADD]

For hennes skull (Paul Merzbach) [ADD]