European Film Fund

The European Film Fund ( EFF) was founded by a film agent Paul Kohner 1938 non-profit organization with the purpose to the United States emigrated European filmmakers to assist in financial distress. The fund was financed by contributions from other European filmmakers in Hollywood. The fund was in 1948 at the European Relief Fund, since after the war fell sharply donations.

History

The European Film Fund was established on November 5, 1938 on the initiative Paul Kohners. The founding members were still beside him William Dieterle, Frank Bruno, Felix Jackson and Ernst Lubitsch. Office of the Fund was the agency Kohners. As President Ernst Lubitsch was used because he is the most famous European filmmakers in Hollywood was at this time and the new Fund needed a representative personality at the top. Lubitsch held this position until his death in 1947.

Foundation

The basic idea of ​​the establishment of the fund was to coordinate the myriad solicitation of emigration crowded in Europe, or already emigrated to the United States filmmakers to already more or less successful emigrants in Hollywood to affidavits, money, jobs and other supports and to bundle. As the situation after the Anschluss, where many German expellees were initially fled, worsened further, Kohner won a number of European filmmakers in Hollywood for the creation of this fund. Help solicitations of any kind should be passed from now on the European Film Fund ( EFF). Instead of individual supports from filmmakers to other filmmakers money should now be donated to the EFF, which in turn worked on the numerous requests for assistance and grant assistance.

Activity

The main task was the collection and distribution of funds. The fund turned in a variety of ways to successful European filmmakers in Hollywood. Often the filmmakers were invited to a percentage of their salary to be paid by the EFF - with actors from the agency Kohner this has already taken over the agency. Earners emigrants were often to be required to report monthly to transfer a larger amount. Among the most enthusiastic donors from the beginning belonged example, Michael Curtiz and William Wyler. Other sources of income were fundraisers and regularly gambling winnings of emigrants with passion for gambling, for example from the popular " Gin Rummy ".

An incentive for donors was in addition to all the helpfulness of the tax deductibility of donations, as the EFF was recognized by the Inland Revenue as a charitable organization.

In its heyday, the Fund beginning of the 40s brought a year around 40,000 dollars. Since the bulk of the work for the EFF volunteer happened, the annual fixed costs amounted to only a little over $ 1000, the rest was available for distribution.

The supports were paid for part loan, partly as a donation. In fact, only a small portion of the loans was collectible ever again. 1942/43, there were receivables of approximately $ 40,000, in contrast, were repayments of almost $ 2,000. The cause was that many European filmmakers after fleeing from Europe to Hollywood poorly paid or irregularly found work.