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1938

Argentina

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

Austria

Mar -

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

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

Denmark

16/3 -

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

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

Finland

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

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

Germany

28/3 -

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

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

India

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

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

Macedonia

23/3 -

An article about Milton Manaki entitled The Pioneer of the Balkans Films is published in the Politika newspaper. [MORE] [ADD]

– Kiril Minoski films the silent The Fire Prevention Society in Prilep from a prepared script. [MORE] [ADD]

Philippines

– Julian Manansala’s Mutya ng Katipunan, starring Ricardo Brillante, is released.  [MORE] [ADD]

Poland

– The government imposes a limit on the import of American films. [MORE] [ADD]

Romania

– The National Film Office is founded.  [MORE] [ADD]

– Paul Calinescu’s documentary Tara Motilor is released.   It is awarded the Lion of San Marco Plaquette at the Venice Film Festival. [MORE] [ADD]

Syria

– Ayoub Badri’s silent Nida al wajeb (The Call of Duty) is released.  The director also leads a largely amateur cast. [MORE] [ADD]

Thailand

– Klua Mia (Wife-phobia), a colour musical starring Chamras Suwakhon and Manee Sumonnat, is released by the Srikrung Studio. [MORE] [ADD] 

– The Thai Film Co. is founded by Prince Panupan Yukon and a group of overseas graduates.   It has a sound studio and equipment imported from Hollywood.   [MORE] [ADD]

– Joungjan Jankana’s Kai Bang Rajan, produced by Manit Wasuwat, is released.  [MORE] [ADD]

Uruguay

17/8 -

Premiere of Juan Carlos Pattern’s Soltero soy feliz takes place.   Ramon Collazo stars. [MORE] [ADD]

– Rina Massardi writes, directs and acts in the musical comedy ¿Vocación? [MORE] [ADD]

USSR

18/6 -

Mark Donskoy’s Detstvo Gorgoga (The Childhood of Maxim Gorky), the first of a trilogy, is released by Soyuzdetfilm studios. [MORE] [ADD]

25/11 -

Sergei Eisenstein’s first sound film, Alexandr Nevsky is released.   It tells the story of a prince (Nicolai Cherkassov) who forms a people’s army to fight invading Teutonic knights. [MORE] [ADD]

– Grigori Aleksandrov’s Volga-Volga, which is alleged to have been Soviet leader Stalin’s favourite film, is released.  [MORE] [ADD]

Other Films of Note

Argentina

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

Armenia

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

Greece

Refugee Girl (Togo Mizrachi) [MORE] [ADD]

Hungary

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

Italy

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

Mongolia

Norjmoogiin Zam (Norjmoo's Way) (Temet Natsagdorj) [MORE] [ADD]

Philippines

Bago Lumubog ang Araw (Before the Sun Sets) [MORE] [ADD]

Hatol ng Mataas na Langit (Judgement from Heaven Above) [MORE] [ADD]

Portugal

Miramar, Praia das Rosas (Manoel de Oliveira) [MORE] [ADD]

Slovenia

Draft of Mladinski dnevi (Mario Foerster) [MORE] [ADD]

USSR

Chelovek s ruzhyom (The Man With the Gun) (Sergei Yutkevitch) [MORE] [ADD]

Dezertir (Deserter) (Vsevelod Pudovkin) [MORE] [ADD]

Professor Mamlok (Herbert Rappaport, A. Minkin) [MORE] [ADD]