- Reichsfilmkammer
The Reichsfilmkammer (RFK; English: "Film Chamber of the Reich") was a public corporation based in
Berlin that regulated the film industry inNational Socialist Germany between 1933 and 1945. Everyone in the German Reich who wanted to work on films in any capacity had to be a member; lack of membership meant in effect a ban on employment.History
The predecessor of the "Reichsfilmkammer" was the SPIO ("Spitzenorganisation der Filmwirtschaft"; in English, the "Film Industry Summit Organisation").
The "Reichsfilmkammer" was established on the basis of the "Gesetz über die Errichtung einer vorläufigen Filmkammer" ("Law for the Establishment of a Temporary Film Chamber") of
14 July 1933 . Under the "Reichskulturkammergesetz" ("Law of the Reich Culture Chamber") of22 September 1933 the Film Chamber was integrated as a subdivision of the newly founded "Reichskulturkammer" ("Culture Chamber of the Reich").The establishment of the "Reichsfilmkammer" was preceded by an ordinance of the
Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda ("Reichsministerium für Volksaufklärung und Propaganda"), which prohibited Jews and foreigners from any participation in the German film industry.Direction
The presidents of the "Reichsfilmkammer" who reported directly to the president of the "Reichskulturkammer",
Joseph Goebbels , were as follows:
* Fritz Scheuermann, lawyer, (1933-1935)
*Oswald Lehnich , Minister of the Economy forWürttemberg (1935-1939)
*Carl Froelich ,film director (1939-1945)Functions
The "Reichsfilmkammer" had a key role in the film-related politics of the National Socialist government. Its mission was principally:
* the establishment of compulsory control over all those active in any aspect of film production (production, distribution, cinema);
* the regulation of the cinema industry (e.g., admission prices, composition of programmes, advertising and so on)
* the regulation of contracts, for example between fiklmmakers and film producers, or between theatre owners and tenants
* supervision of the Film Credit Bank ("Filmkreditbank GmbH")
* regulation of film exportsSee also
*
Department of Film (Nazi Germany) References
:"this article is translated from its equivalent on the German Wikipedia (retrieved
25 November 2007 )"External links
* [http://www.verfassungen.de/de/de33-45/filmkammer33.htm Gesetz über die Einrichtung einer vorläufigen Filmkammer vom 14. Juli 1933] (text of law)
* [http://www.verfassungen.de/de/de33-45/kulturkammer33.htm Reichskulturkammergesetz vom 22. September 1933] (text of law)
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