Documentation Commission

   International Directory of Cinematographers,
   Set and Costume Designers in Film

In the late seventies the FIAF Documentation Commission decided on the editing of a series of reference books, which should meet the need of film historians and researchers: the first international compilation and documentation on cinematographers, set and costume designers in film and their works.
Today, about 15 years later, the following volumes have been published:

Vol. 1    GDR/Poland
Vol. 2    France
Vol. 3    Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Yugoslavia
Vol. 4    Germany (from the beginnings to 1945)
Vol. 5    Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden
Vol. 6    Supplementary Volume
Vol. 7    Italy
Vol. 8    Portugal/Spain
Vol. 9    Hungary
Vol. 10   Czechoslovakia
Vol. 11a  General Register Film Directors
Vol. 11b  General Register Film Titles
Vol. 12   Cuba
in preparation:
Vol. 13   Soviet Union

Each volume includes a short biography of the artist and his filmography (feature films only).

We succeeded in convincing the publisher K.G.Saur (München) to publish these books. This was done in all the years although these books would bring no big profit. One of the reasons for that being that each FIAF affiliate receives one free copy.
We would like to express our thanks to Dr. Saur, as well as to his production manager Mr Link.

We wish to continue with the publication of these reference books in the future.
It must be said that during the first years it was not possible to find film archives which were ready to accept the responsibility with regard to the content of a given volume. The Editorial Board (Alfred Krautz, Rui Brito, Eberhard Spiess) had to research a lot of information all by itself. Therefore, and because the necessary material wasn't always available, numerous errors and incomplete information can be found in some of the volumes. Only after the national film archives took on the responsibility for the content of a volume, could the wanted quality be realised.

Since the majority of the members of the Editorial Board does not belong to a film archive anymore it will be even more difficult in the future to carry out any detailed research without the support of film archives. We must say that the continuation of this series is in great danger unless national film archives provide once more the necessary filmographies and biographies.

We therefore appeal to all FIAF affiliates to compile the datas of all cinematographers, set designers and costume designers in their country (if they have not done so in the past).

Please do contact me or Eva Orbanz via fax (Stiftung Deutsche Kinemathek [49-30] 302 9294) if you are able to help.

Dr. Alfred Krautz, Oderberger Strasse 39, O-1058 Berlin/ Germany