Business screen magazine (1946)

Delegates are welcomed to opening session at the festival. Host at West Berlin, Dr. Hugo Ritter (inset) chats with Will Riesenberg president of the international jury. 15 Countries Compete in International Festival 'T^Hn Significant Role of the industrial -* film in the social and economic communications' process were cited in the keynote address which opened the 10th International Industrial Film Festival on Tuesday morning, November 1 1 in the Congress Hall of West Berlin. Fritz Berg, distinguished president of the Bundesverbandes der Deutschen Industrie (West Germany's manufacturer associations), noted the wide and resultful use of the film medium by companies throughout Europe. At the Festival's concluding Gala Awards Dinner ceremonies at the Berlin Hilton on Saturday evening, November 15, Dr. Wolfgang Eichler, managing director of the Federal Union of German Employers' Associations, prefaced Grand Prix awards with these comments: "121 films from 15 countries were displayed on the screens of the Congress Hall this week. Judging from the films I have seen here, strong creative impulses have come to the industrial film, thus confirming tlie close relation of industry and culture." It is this kind of high-level management Darticipation which has made this event the premier world competition for factual films in the 10 years since its inaugural at Fritz Berg, president of the Bundesverbandes derDeutschen Industrie, at opening session. Rouen, France in 1959. The presence at West Berlin this year of the first sizeable U.S. delegation, including nine corporate communications' executives, added further lustre to this year's Festival. The Confederation of European Industrial Federations is the sponsoring organization. Counterpart organizations in the Federal Republic of Germany were 1969 hosts as the Festival returned to West Berlin for the second time. 24 prize trophies awarded in the seven well-defined competitive categories were /? ■ 1 ^B X 1 H M ^^KiWJ 111 ^ ^■^ a^ ->< '^1^1 l^^^l I IHI ^^^^■jT^.'i^^^^Hu H n \ * ^Tl^^^^bI^H 11^^ ^4\» Hy^^^B ii IJBH H fi Mj 1 ^^^^^^^^H^^B^^L^ ^^?\"-t> flpWPP V ^f supplemented by two Grand Prix, the annual Inforfilm plaque and a special West German "Landesfiimdienste" award. The 26 members of the International Jury, headed by their president, Will Riesenberg of the Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbande, voted top category honors to entries from Great Britain j (three "firsts" in categories D, E and F); ! West German titles won first prizes in cate i gories A and B; a Swiss film was first in i category G and the United States received I the first prize trophy in category C. The : first four categories A-B-C-D embrace gen ■ eral audience subjects and the latter three ;over "special interest" films for internal training, employee indoctrination, safety, ate, generally of lower budget cost. Jury ballots gave the Festival's coveted Grand Prix awards to the U.S. first prize winner: Why Man Creates, sponsored by Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. and produced by Saul Bass & Associates. This film was the overwhelming favorite of both the juries and the delegates at West Berlin. The Festival's second Grand Prix, from among the E-F-G categories, went to another outstanding audience winner. The Behaviour Game, sponsored by Barclays Bank Limited and produced by Lion Pacesetter Productions Ltd., both of London. Wliy Man Creates added to its laurels when it received the annual Inforfilm plaque, presented by this international distribution organization as symbolic of "its great potential worldwide audience interest." Inforfilm secretary-general Jan Botermans, of Brussels, presented the plaque to O. H. Coelln, head of the U.S. delegation. Adding to first place and Grand Prix iionors, films from Britain also tallied three second-place trophies and one fourth award to merit top honors at West Berlin. German entries matched that country's two first prizes with three "seconds" and a third prize. Britain and Italy were the only two countries to submit the full total of 15 entries; the German entry list totaled 14. Small in geographical size, but strong at Berlin, Switzerland carried home four prizes out of its 1 1 entries, winning a first place, two "thirds" and a fourth. Films from Italy were also multiple award winners with one third and a fourth prize. The United States submitted only 1 1 films this year (two of which were "late" entries) but its delegation went home wellMembers of the U.S. delegation included (I. to r.): Jack Gabrielson, McDonnell-Douglas Corp.; Harold Daffer, Honeywell, Inc.; Wm. Walton, IBM Corp.; Michael Ritt, Jr., Combined Insurance Co.; Johna Pepper, Ford Motor Co.; Robert Unrath, Port of New York Authority; Robert 0. Beatty, Boise Cascade Corp.; Ott Coelln, head of U.S. delegation; Bruce Thomas, Modern Talking Picture Service; and E. B. (JacI ) Hal, Eastman Kodak Co.