Austria's Cinema Amateurs Club
The Austrian Cinema Amateurs Club ( KdKÖ ) is the oldest association of non-commercial film and video makers in the world - since 1927 - in this form and under the original name.
history
The KdKÖ was founded by Carl Maria Kotlik in Vienna on October 27, 1927 with the aim of promoting and promoting the production of films as a hobby. At that time, filming was a very elitist and, above all, very expensive “pleasure”. The pioneers of Austrian amateur film bring up a lot of idealism and initiative and, with great enthusiasm and financial sacrifices, procure the first technical devices and facilities that are necessary for the clubhouse.
In 1931 “ UNICA ” (Union international du cinéma d'amateur, today: Union international du cinéma) was founded with the assistance of the KdKÖ . The first international competition takes place in Brussels. There are many films in the 9 ½ and 16 mm cine film formats that are historically very valuable today . A special event that Fritz Kuplent realized on film is the landing of the airship " Graf Zeppelin " in Vienna Aspern .
Club statistics from 1934 show that the 9 ½ mm format is the dominant system, followed by 16 mm film. Around 5% used the "new" 8 mm film (halved 16 mm film with twice the number of perforation holes, the so-called "worker or shoelace format"). 92% of all films at this time are documentaries and only 4% feature films. The rest are cinematic experiments.
The last club evening took place on February 27, 1936 in the Klubheim Wien 3., Schützengasse. On March 12, 1936, the clubhouse in the 7th district, at Neubaugasse 36, opens, and the club will stay there until 1999.
From June 13th to 19th, 1938, the KdKÖ took on the organization of the VII UNICA competition as part of the Wiener Festwochen. Due to the political events of this year, Austrian films have to start under the German flag. The KdKÖ is quickly attached to the BDFA (Association of German Film Amateurs). The "Working Group VIENNA of the BDFA" - that is the name of the KdKÖ from March 1938 to May 1945 - is still active in Neubaugasse.
After the end of the war, some idealists got together in May 1945 to bring the KdKÖ back to life. There are no more club assets, the club rooms left by the dissolved BDFA are in a desolate state.
In the 1950s and early 1960s, numerous associations were founded throughout Austria. The organization and support of these associations led to the founding of the "Association of Austrian Film Amateurs - VÖFA " in 1964 , in which members of the KdKÖ were active in leading positions and went to work with just as much idealism as their predecessors, who founded the KdKÖ in 1927. In the mid-1970s, the legendary course series "More joy in filming" started, which the KdKÖ held together with the newspaper Kurier . These 3-part course events are held for several years in spring and autumn and are so well attended that some courses have to be “run” on three tracks in parallel. The advertising effectiveness through the publication in the courier is also very high, so that the club can record an increase to 180 members. It is no longer possible to determine the exact total number of filmmakers participating in this series of courses, but in retrospect it will probably have been well over 3,000 participants who acquired the basic knowledge for their hobby at the KdKÖ. At this time, the Super8 technology was at its peak and the club continues to record a brisk increase in membership.
As early as 1981 the establishment of a "KdKÖ Video Section " was tackled. In September 1981, all film amateurs received the surprising news of the decline of the narrow-film device manufacturer Eumig . The prices for some types of film equipment from this former flagship company are falling into the abyss and many club members can stock up on high-quality cameras and film projectors at affordable prices.
In 1986 film and video courses are again planned for the club. Participation is so low, however, that this series of courses is no longer being continued. In general it can be stated that there has been a strong decline in membership. More and more people are dealing with videography and have little interest in perfecting themselves or actively participating in a club. The idea of consumption comes more and more to the fore. In order to take this into account, the KdKÖ's club management is changing its program for the club evenings to mainly “watching a film”. The club's program includes the latest films by club members, evenings on family films and film evenings with a mixed program of award-winning films. Attempts are also being made to attract new interested parties to this medium at the so-called “video active evenings”.
In 1991 the construction of the KdKÖ cine film equipment museum begins. In the meantime this collection has grown into a museum worth seeing. The exhibits are put together for special exhibitions and used at film events throughout Austria.
The recording medium video is rapidly gaining ground, so that when the club members moved to the club home in the 15th district, Mareschplatz 5, on September 9, 1999, the club members only produced films with electronic recording.
The Club of Cinema Amateurs is still very active in the field of “film and video”. The weekly club evenings on Thursdays include screenings of club members' films, international amateur films, technical presentations and training evenings for beginners and advanced students.
In 2007, in the 80th year of existence of the club, both the Vienna State Championship and the Austrian State Championship of Film Authors are organized and carried out. At the state championship, numerous guests can be welcomed to the award ceremony in the special prize categories camera, actor, acoustic design, direction, screenplay, etc. who have themselves started as amateur filmmakers in the KdKÖ or have worked in films by KdKÖ authors and are now Prominence "of the" Austrian film "belong.