Aafa Film or Aafa-Film was a German

film production Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, casti ...

and

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations * Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a vari ...

company which operated during the 1920s and 1930s. Established in 1920 as Radio-Film the company was controlled by the producer

Gabriel Levy Gabriel Levy (26 May 1881 – 26 March 1965) was a German film producer who was associated with the company Aafa-Film during the 1920s and 1930s.Gemünden Following the Nazi takeover of power in 1933 the Jewish Levy lost control of the company a ...

and the director

Rudolf Dworsky Rudolf Dworsky (1882–1927) was a German film producer and film director, director of the Silent era. His production company was called Aafa-Film (Althoff-Ambos-Film), Berlin, the co-owner was the producer Gabriel Levy. Selected filmography Pro ...

. The company was one of the leading producers of the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is al ...

, and survived the transition from silent to sound film in 1929. It made the first German full

sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

(as opposed to part-sound films or silent films with sound added later) ''

It's You I Have Loved ''It's You I Have Loved'' (german: Dich hab ich geliebt) is a 1929 German drama film directed by Rudolf Walther-Fein and starring Mady Christians, Walter Jankuhn, and Hans Stüwe. It is considered the first full sound film to be made in Germa ...

'' that year.Kreimeier p.182 During the early 1930s Aafa produced a number of

mountain film A mountain film is a film genre that focuses on mountaineering and especially the battle of human against nature. In addition to mere adventure, the protagonists who return from the mountain come back changed, usually gaining wisdom and enlighten ...

s directed by

Arnold Fanck Arnold Fanck (6 March 1889 – 28 September 1974) was a German film director and pioneer of the mountain film genre. He is best known for the extraordinary alpine footage he captured in such films as '' The Holy Mountain'' (1926), '' The White He ...

. It also made a

multi-language version A multiple-language version film, often abbreviated to MLV, is a film, especially from the early talkie era, produced in several different languages for international markets. To offset the marketing restrictions of making sound films in only one ...

musical ''

Lieutenant, Were You Once a Hussar? ''Lieutenant, Were You Once a Hussar?'' (german: Leutnant warst Du einst bei den Husaren) is a 1930 German comedy film directed by Manfred Noa and starring Mady Christians, Gustav Diessl and Georg Alexander.Schöning p. 19 It was made as a MLV ...

'' (1930). In 1934 the company was forcibly disbanded and its assets taken over during the

Aryanization Aryanization (german: Arisierung) was the Nazi term for the seizure of property from Jews and its transfer to non-Jews, and the forced expulsion of Jews from economic life in Nazi Germany, Axis-aligned states, and their occupied territories. I ...

programme of the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...

which confiscated businesses from Jewish ownership. This was also part of a wider move which led to production being concentrated in the hands of four major studios

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

, Tobis,

Terra Terra may often refer to: * Terra (mythology), primeval Roman goddess * An alternate name for planet Earth, as well as the Latin name for the planet Terra may also refer to: Geography Astronomy * Terra (satellite), a multi-national NASA scienti ...

and

UFA Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya and Ufa rivers, in the centre-north of Bashkortostan, on hills forming the ...

Selected filmography

* ''

Only One Night ''Only One Night'' (german: Nur eine Nacht) is a 1950 West German drama film directed by Fritz Kirchhoff and starring Marianne Hoppe, Hans Söhnker and Willy Maertens.Bock & Bergfelder p. 52 It was shot at the Tempelhof Studios in West Berlin. Th ...

'' (1922) * ''

Bigamy In cultures where monogamy is mandated, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their marital status as married persons. I ...

'' (1922) * ''

The Big Thief ''The Big Thief'' (german: Der große Dieb) is a 1922 German silent film directed by Rudolf Walther-Fein and starring Colette Corder, Paul Hardtmuth and Hermann Picha Hermann Picha (20 March 1865 – 7 June 1936) was a German stage and f ...

'' (1922) * ''

William Tell William Tell (german: Wilhelm Tell, ; french: Guillaume Tell; it, Guglielmo Tell; rm, Guglielm Tell) is a folk hero of Switzerland. According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albr ...

'' (1923) * ''

The Treasure of Gesine Jacobsen ''The Treasure of Gesine Jacobsen'' (German: ''Der Schatz der Gesine Jakobsen'') is a 1923 German silent drama film directed by Rudolf Walther-Fein and starring Marija Leiko, Paul Wegener and Reinhold Schünzel. It premiered in Berlin Be ...

'' (1923) * ''

The Little Duke ''The Little Duke'' (German: ''Der kleine Herzog'') is a 1924 German silent film directed by Rudolf Walther-Fein and starring Carl Wallauer, Paul Biensfeldt and Lia Eibenschütz.Bock & Bergfelder p.536 Cast * Carl Wallauer as Herzog Milan * P ...

'' (1924) * ''

Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and falls on the first day of Lent (the six weeks of penitence before Easter). It is observed by Catholics in the Rom ...

'' (1925) * ''

In the Valleys of the Southern Rhine ''In the Valleys of the Southern Rhine'' (German: ''Die vom Niederrhein'') is a 1925 German silent film directed by Rudolf Walther-Fein and Rudolf Dworsky and starring Albert Steinrück, Erna Morena Erna Morena (born Ernestine Maria Fuchs, ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Laughing Husband ''The Laughing Husband'' (German:''Der lachende Ehemann'') is a 1926 German silent film directed by Rudolf Walther-Fein and Rudolf Dworsky and starring Livio Pavanelli, Elisabeth Pinajeff and Hans Albers.Bock & Bergfelder p.181 It is based on ...

'' (1926) * ''

The Schimeck Family ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1926) * ''

The Divorcée ''The Divorcée'' (german: Die geschiedene Frau) is a 1953 German musical film directed by George Jacoby and starring Marika Rökk, Johannes Heesters and Hans Nielsen. It was based on the operetta '' Die geschiedene Frau'' by Leo Fall and Vict ...

'' (1926) * '' Sword and Shield'' (1926) * '' The Adventurers'' (1926) * '' Schützenliesel '' (1926) * ''

Vienna, How it Cries and Laughs ''Vienna, How it Cries and Laughs'' (German: ''Wien, wie es weint und lacht'') is a 1926 German silent film directed by Rudolf Walther-Fein and Rudolf Dworsky and starring Fritz Greiner, John Mylong, and Mady Christians.Bock & Bergfelder p.72 Th ...

'' (1926) * '' Kissing Is No Sin'' (1926) * ''

Circle of Lovers ''Circle of Lovers'' (german: Liebesreigen) is a 1927 German silent film, silent drama film directed by Rudolf Walther-Fein and Rudolf Dworsky and starring Hans Mierendorff, Marcella Albani, and Charlotte Ander.Grange p.Grange p. 266 It was shot ...

'' (1927) * ''

The Beggar Student ''Der Bettelstudent'' (''The Beggar Student'') is an operetta in three acts by Carl Millöcker with a German libretto by Camillo Walzel (under the pseudonym of F. Zell) and Richard Genée, based on ''Les noces de Fernande'' by Victorien Sar ...

'' (1927) * '' A Girl of the People'' (1927) * '' Rhenish Girls and Rhenish Wine'' (1927) * ''

Weekend Magic ''Weekend Magic'' (german: Wochenendzauber) is a 1927 German silent romance film directed by Rudolf Walther-Fein and starring Harry Liedtke, Lissy Arna and Gustav Rickelt.Grange p. 269 It was shot at the Staaken Studios in Berlin. The film's s ...

'' (1927) * ''

Marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

'' (1928) * ''

The Criminal of the Century ''The Criminal of the Century'' (german: Der größte Gauner des Jahrhunderts) is a 1928 German silent crime film directed by Max Obal and starring Luciano Albertini, Gritta Ley, and Hans Albers. It was shot at the Staaken Studios in Berlin ...

'' (1928) * '' The Game of Love'' (1928) * '' The Adjutant of the Czar'' (1929) * ''

Gentlemen Among Themselves ''Gentlemen Among Themselves'' (German: ''Die fidele Herrenpartie'' or ''Herren unter sich'') is a 1929 German silent comedy film directed by Rudolf Walther-Fein and starring Hermann Picha, Lydia Potechina and Maria Paudler.Bock & Bergfelder p.3 ...

'' (1929) * ''

Foolish Happiness ''Foolish Happiness'' (German: ''Das närrische Glück'') is a 1929 German silent film directed by Johannes Guter and Rudolf Walther-Fein and starring Fritz Kampers, Livio Pavanelli and Margarete Kupfer.Lamprecht p.604 The film's sets were desig ...

'' (1929) * ''

Tempo! Tempo! ''Tempo! Tempo!'' is a 1929 German silent adventure film directed by Max Obal and starring Luciano Albertini, Trude Berliner and Oreste Bilancia.Bock & Bergfelder p.440 It was shot at the Staaken Studios in Berlin and on location on the Italia ...

'' (1929) * ''

Youth of the Big City ''Youth of the Big City'' (German: ''Grosstadtjugend'') is a 1929 German silent film, silent drama film directed by Rudolf Walther-Fein and starring Harry Liedtke, Ida Wüst and Maria Paudler.Grange p.307 The film's sets were designed by the art ...

'' (1929) * ''

Hungarian Nights ''Hungarian Nights'' or ''Night Is Whispering'' (German: ''Es flüstert die Nacht'') is a 1929 German silent drama film directed by Victor Janson and starring Lil Dagover, Hans Stüwe and Alexander Murski.Parish p.131 The film's sets were desi ...

'' (1929) * ''

Queen of Fashion ''Queen of Fashion'' or ''The Competition Bursts'' (German: ''Königin der Mode'' or ''Die Konkurrenz platzt'') is a 1929 German silent comedy film directed by Max Obal and Rudolf Walther-Fein and starring Harry Liedtke, María Corda, and Ern� ...

'' (1929) * '' Love in the Snow'' (1929) * '' The White Hell of Pitz Palu'' (1929) * ''

Mascots A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fic ...

'' (1929) * ''

The Circus Princess ' (''The Circus Princess'') is an operetta in three acts by Hungarian composer Emmerich Kálmán to a German libretto by Julius Brammer and Alfred Grünwald. It premiered at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna on 26 March 1926 and went on to 344 ...

'' (1929) * '' The Black Domino'' (1929) * '' Danube Waltz'' (1930) * ''

'' (1930) * ''

The Fate of Renate Langen ''The Fate of Renate Langen'' (german: Das Schicksal der Renate Langen) is a 1931 German drama film directed by Rudolf Walther-Fein and starring Mady Christians, Francis Lederer and Hilde Hildebrand.Bock & Bergfelder p. 72 Cast * Mady Christians ...

'' (1931) * '' Peace of Mind'' (1931) * ''

My Heart Longs for Love ''My Heart Longs for Love'' (German: ''Mein Herz sehnt sich nach Liebe'') is a 1931 German musical romance film directed by Eugen Thiele and starring Trude Berliner, Max Adalbert and Johannes Riemann.Klaus p.202 The film's sets were designed by ...

'' (1931) * '' The White Ecstasy'' (1931) * '' Victoria and Her Hussar'' (1931) * ''

'' (1931) * ''

The Woman They Talk About ''The Woman They Talk About'' (German: ''Die Frau von der man spricht'') is a 1931 German drama film directed by Victor Janson and starring Mady Christians, Hans Stüwe and Lilian Ellis.Waldman p.27 The film's art direction was by Botho Hoefer ...

'' (1931) * ''

Distorting at the Resort ''Distorting at the Resort'' (german: Lügen auf Rügen) is a 1932 German comedy film directed by Victor Janson and starring Maria Matray, Paul Hörbiger, and Otto Wallburg. It was shot at the Tempelhof Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were de ...

'' (1932) * ''

The Dancer of Sanssouci ''The Dancer of Sanssouci'' (german: Die Tänzerin von Sans Souci) is a 1932 German historical drama film directed by Frederic Zelnik and starring Otto Gebühr, Lil Dagover, and Rosa Valetti. Set at the court of Frederick the Great, the film is p ...

'' (1932) * ''

Once There Was a Waltz ''Once There Was a Waltz'' (german: Es war einmal ein Walzer) is a 1932 German operetta film directed by Victor Janson and starring Mártha Eggerth, Rolf von Goth and Paul Hörbiger. It was shot at the Tempelhof Studios in Berlin with sets d ...

'' (1932) * ''

The Sun Rises ''The Sun Rises'' (Romanian: ''Răsare soarele'') is a 1954 Romanian drama film directed by Dinu Negreanu.Liehm & Liehm p.143 It was made at the recently opened Buftea Studios in Bucharest. The film is a sequel to Negreanu's 1953 film '' The Bug ...

'' (1934)

References

Bibliography

* Kreimeier, Klaus. ''The Ufa story: a history of Germany's greatest film company, 1918–1945''. University of California Press, 1999. German film studios Film production companies of Germany {{film-company-stub