Filmverlag der Autoren
The film publishing of the authors is a German film distribution, which is also in the commercial film rights (licenses) and has worked as a film producer. One focus of the repertoire is the New German Cinema. Founded in 1971 in Munich as a self-help organization of the German auteur film, a part of the film publishing since 1999 to the group of world cinema (Leipzig).
History and foundation
The film publishing of the authors was in a transitional phase of the film industry in the Federal Republic of Germany. After the German film after the Second World War had become artistically almost meaningless, a new generation of filmmakers grew up who were both writers and directors, and producers. For her mostly realized with little money movies there were few venues as the big city cinemas were tied to a few major rental companies. " Blockbuster " came only after weeks of evaluation in the smaller towns. As a counter movement arose cinemas (commercial) and community theaters ( non-commercial). The auteurs found their ambitious projects difficult production funds and lenders.
Against this background, signed 13 filmmakers on April 18, 1971 in Munich, the shareholders' agreement establishing the Filmverlag the authors. The signatories were Hark Bohm, Michael Fengler, Peter Lilienthal, Hans Noever, Pete Ariel, Uwe Brandner, Veith von Fürstenberg, Florian Furtwängler, Thomas Schamoni, Laurens Straub, Wim Wenders, Hans W. Geissendörfer and Volker Vogeler. Following the example of the Frankfurt publishing house of the authors they wanted to organize production, rights management and distribution of own films together. Managing Director, Michael Fengler.
The first film of the production 1 film publishing of the authors was Fearless Flyer of Veith von Fürstenberg and Martin Müller.
The first years
From the beginning of the film publishing the authors suffered from underfunding. The share capital was applied by a loan of 30,000 DM. Each partner should deposit $ 20,000 as a deposit liability - an obligation that has not been cashed.
Rehearsed profits should be paid to each half of the movie Publishing and the respective Filmmaker: A compromise between the co-operative organization and individual interests. Even in subsequent years published the renowned directors their films in solidarity remains with the publisher film, although they had received from the U.S. rental companies more money. Nevertheless, the economic situation of the company remained uncertain.
1972 Laurens Straub was appointed Managing Director.
In 1974, the film publishing of the authors was restructured as a GmbH & Co. KG. Only seven shareholders remained in business: Hark Bohm, Uwe Brandner, Rainer Werner Fassbinder (new ), Michael Fengler, Hans W. Geissendörfer, Hans NOEVER and Wim Wenders. The new company focused exclusively on the rental. There were three main areas:
- Movies of the directors of the New German Cinema
- First works
- Foreign films, mostly experimentally
Augstein
In February 1977, involved Rudolf Augstein, editor of the news magazine Der Spiegel, as a private person with 55 percent of the share capital of DM 600,000 on Filmverlag the authors. He saved the company so close to insolvency. Rainer Werner Fassbinder resigned as shareholders. This left Hark Bohm, Uwe Brandner, Hans W. Geissendörfer and Wim Wenders. As a new manager Theo Hinz and Matthias Ginsberg were used. The repertoire should be supplemented by commercial, but quality films.
1977/78, the film Publisher committed again as a producer. The documentary film Germany in Autumn, a collaborative work of several directors of the New German Cinema, came in 1978 in the cinemas. In the same year the film publisher founded the subsidiary Pro-ject Filmproduktion. She produced the film The candidate who dealt on the model of Germany in the fall with the candidacy of Franz Josef Strauss as Chancellor.
In addition to these "political" films, the company pursued in Augstein era continue to a more commercially oriented course. The hoped-for economic success came in 1980 with films like Theo against the rest of the world (more than 3 million viewers) and men. In subsequent years, the film publishing increasingly distant from the ideas of its founders and also took productions such as The Terminator and steamy rubber boat under contract.
Theo Hinz resigned in February 1983, the film of the authors and publisher founded in August its own rental Futura movie. First film in the program was The Power of Emotion by Alexander Kluge.
1986 Rudolf Augstein sold its interest in the film publishing to the Futura movie.
In 1989, the film publishing media company Felix film with the aim more to spread the Soviet film in the Federal Republic.
World Cinema
In October 1999, the world of cinema Media AG acquired the film publishing the authors. John wax was Managing Director in January 2000. To the film stock of around 300 titles includes virtually all the classics of the New German Cinema. The label Filmverlag the authors initially went to the arthouse film distributor, a subsidiary of the cinema world.
After restarting the cinema world as a limited company on 1 July 2003 in Leipzig Filmverlag trades as Filmverlag of the authors and Futura Film GmbH & Co. KG rental distribution company with three subsidiaries:
- Futura Film World sales in Filmverlag the authors GmbH
- Pro-ject Filmproduktion in Filmverlag the authors GmbH
- Felix Film GmbH
DVD documentary
The work of the film has been publishing "Edition Filmverlag the authors " published by Arthaus documented a panel of 50 DVDs, 2009. In half of the movies are DVD - world premieres.