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The History of Cinema: 1938

Argentina - Italy

Argentina

– There are 29 film production companies making films in Argentina in 1938. [ADD]

Austria

Mar -

Domestic film production comes to an end with the Anschluss.   Austrian studios are consolidated to form Wein-Film. [ADD]

Belgium

15/2 -

The Association des Directeurs de Théâtres Cinématographiques de Belgique (ADTCB - Association of Belgian Cinema Theatre Owners) is founded by a group of 25 exhibitors to preserve the moral and material interests of exhibitors. [ADD]

– The Royal Belgian Film Archive is founded, although too late to be an inaugural member of the Fédération Internationale des Archives du Film (FIAF). [ADD] 

Canada

14/11 -

Here Will I Nest, Canada’s first colour film, premieres at London Ontario’s Grand Theatre.   Directed by Melburn E. Turner and starring John Sullivan and Robina Richardson, it tells the story of Thomas Talbot, founder of  South-western Ontario. [ADD]

– British documentarist John Grierson is commissioned to travel to Canada to survey the country’s film needs.   His report is scathing. [ADD]

Chile

– The government creates CORFO (Corporación de Fomento de la Producción) to stimulate industrial activity – a step which will result in the creation of Chile Films. [ADD]

China

30/9 -

The Cinema Group of Yenan is established under the management of actor-director Mu-jih Yuan and the political supervision of the Eighth Communist Army. [ADD]

Denmark

16/3 -

Svend Methling’s Kongen bød is released by Dansk Kulturfilm. [ADD]

– A law is passed requiring film exhibitors to contribute between 20% and 65%, depending on profits, to help finance domestic film production. [ADD]

– Filmsfonden (The Film Fund) is established.   It is administrated by Filmsraadet (the Film Council), and Statens Filmcentral (SFC) (the State Film Centre) to stimulate film production, and to preserve films. [ADD]

Finland

– The Finnish Cinema Owners Association is founded. [ADD]

– Torielämää Helsingissä (Life at the Market in Helsinki), the oldest Finnish colour film is made. [ADD]

Germany

28/3 -

Arnold & Richter of Munich develop the first Arriflex hand-held 35mm camera. [ADD]

20/4 -

Leni Riefenstahl’s majestic account of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, commissioned by the International Olympics Committee, is released in two parts.   Olympia 1. Teil – Fest der Volker (Festival of the Nations) and Olympia 2. Teil – Fest der Schonheit (Festival of Beauty).   It receives criticism, however, for failing to reward the feats of Black US athlete Jesse Owens with appropriate screen time. [ADD]

– The Bavaria Filmkunst GmbH (Bavaria Film Art Ltd) is founded in Munich's Geiselgasteig to make films promoting Nazi ideology. [ADD]

India

– Rajaram Vankudre Shantaram’s Duniya na Mane is screened at the Venice Film Festival. [ADD]

– S Nottani’s Balan, the first Malayalam sound film, is released. [ADD]

Italy

20/8 -

The Venice Film Festival is marred by accusations of political motivations behind the awarding of prizes to certain films when Jean Renoir’s La Grande illusion is overlooked by the jury for the Coppa Mussolini in favour of Leni Riefenstahl’s Olympia. [ADD]

– US distributors Paramount, MGM, 20^th Century-Fox and Warner Bros withdraw from the Italian market in protest at new laws imposing limits on American imports. [ADD]

Other Key Films of 1938

Argentina

La Vuelto al nido (Leopoldo Torres Rios) [ADD]

Armenia

Zangezur (Amo Bek-Nazaryan, Y. Dukor) [ADD]

Greece

Refugee Girl (Togo Mizrachi) [ADD]

Hungary

Péntek Rézi (Friday Rose) (Péntek Rézi) [ADD]

Italy

La Principessa Tarakanova (Mario Soldat, Fedor Ozep) [ADD]

History of Cinema: 1938