Year book of motion pictures (1951)

tionalized and the importation and distribution of motion pictures is controlled by the state monopoly. CZECHOSLOVAKIA — The Government of Czechoslovakia has established a State monopoly that controls the production, distribution, and exhibition of motion pictures. No imports may be made without a license: an allocation of foreigfn exchangre automatically follows issuance of the import license. While there are no regulations restricting the distribution of foreifn films, measures making it mandatory to show native films are implied in the institution of the monopoly. No new United States films are known to have been released in Czechoslovakia during 1950. DENMARK — The Board of Supply allocated 4.211.500 kroner to Danish distributors for the purchase or rental of motion pictures from abroad during 1950. This is an increase of 411,500 kroner over the total set aside for this purpose in 1949. Subsidiaries of United States producers have been allocated approximately 50 per cent of the kroner total which will permit them to remit about the same dollar amount as in 1949. Amounts earned above the allocation will be blocked to the credit of the United States producers and may be used only with prior approval of the National Bank o[ Denmark. There is no commitment on the part of the Government that any portion of the blocked funds may be transferred at some future date. In November 1949. legislation was passed providing financial assistance to Danish film producers. The law provided for 25 per cent of the entertainment tax receipts from exhibition of Danish films to be remitted to the producer of the film. (One Danish krone is worth about 15 cents in U. S. currency.) FINLAND — There are no quotas limiting the number of films which may be imported into Finl.ind. however, restrictions on the transfer of foreign exchange may tend to reduce the distribution of imported films. Import licenses are required and are granted to distributors who slate in each license application that they will not require foreign exchange before the Bank of Finland is ready to grant it. FKANCB; — -In France the Joint Franco-American Declaration of September 16. 1948 continues in effect. This agreement limits the number of dubbed features to he imported from the United States to 121, provides that French films must be shown five weeks out of each thirteen, and limits annual remittances of U. S. film earnings to $3,625,000. However, early in 1951 preliminary negotiations were begun on the revision of this agreement and an attempt will l>e made to increase the number of United States films that may be imported. Also in September 1948. the French Government created a fund for the temporary subsidy of the French film industry. Revenue for this fund is supplied by two taxes, one on theater admissions and the other a meterage tax based on the length of the film. As of July 1, 1950, approximately 2,400,000,000 francs had been put at the disposal of the French film industry from this fund, about 1.500,000.000 francs of which was used for assistance to feature film producers. (350 francs equal U. S. $1.00.) GERMANY — During the 1949-50 film year the self-imposed quota for United States feature films to be licensed for import into Germany was set at 160. The film program for 1950-51 (beginning September 19501 was still under discussion at the end of 1950. Negotiations were being carried on in an effort to eliminate a fixed quota and to establish a voluntary control on the number of films to be imported which would be agreeable to both the Germans and the United States film industry. As late as the middle of January 1951, no agreement had been reached. The alternative is a Federal Law governing the number of films to be imported. A draft law to this effect was submitted to the German parliament by the German fi'm producers association late in 1950. All revenue earned by United States film companies in Germany is blocked. The Economic Cooperation Administration has agreed to guarantee current expenses of United States film producers for operations in Western Germany and $1,163,539 was approved for this purpose in 1949 and $3,105,930 in 1950. Import licenses are required for the importation of films and are obtained through application to the Federal Ministry of Economics. At the close of 1950 the Federal Committee for Press, Film, and Radio of the German parliament was discussing the draft of a law which would reserve 25 per cent of screen playing time in Western Germany to German films. GIBRALTAR — All booking of films into Gibraltar is done through London. Applications lor dollars are made to the Financial Secretary of the Colony, and dollars can be had for the purchase of United States films only if the British Financial Secretary in England approves. A Gibraltar Ordinance provides that all U. S. dollars acquired must be surrendered to the Government. It is unlikely that permit to import films and export currency from Gibraltar would be granted. GREECE — On August 25, 1950, the Greek Ministry of National Economy issued a decision regulating imports of U. S. films during the 12-month period from July 1, 1950 through June 30, 1951. The Ministry's decision again allocated $500,000 for film imports, payable quarterly at the rate of $125,000. As in the past, the decision provides that payment for prints, shipping charges, and advertising material would be effected in dollar exchange at the time of importation. The amount of dollar exchange left after payment of these expenses will be used for remitting royalty earnings in proportion to the blocked drachma deposits made with the Bank of Greece for the account of United States producers by their Greek distributors. Import licenses are required and are obtained from the Ministry of National Economy. HUNGARY — The Motion Picture Export Association is operating in Hungary. Production, distribution, and exhibition of motion pictures have been nationalized and are completely under Government control, A contract which was signed with MPEA in the summer of 1948 was never honored and the films under the contract were never released in Hungary. No new U. S. films are known to have been imported and released in Hungary during the past two years. MPEA reported that in March 1950 the Hungarian Government issued an order requiring it to surrender all motion picture prints of member companies on hand in Hungary to the Ministry of Education. ICELAND — ^Imports of motion pictures into Iceland have been curtailed since the beginning of 1948 because of shortage of foreign currencies, especially dollars. Import and currency licenses are required. The currency permit does not guarantee foreign exchange which is dependent upon exchange available and a priority determined by a foreign exchange committee. A law effective January 1, 1949, required the payment of a special license fee on the Imports of motion picture films. The fee amounts to 100 per cent of the valuation of the import and currency license, and applies to films from all sources. IRELAND — The importation of motion pictures into Ireland continues to be handled from the United Kingdom. All United Slates films that are exhibited are obtained from the British subsidiaries of United States film companies and payment is made in sterling. No quotas or other import regulations are in effect in Ireland that restrict importation and exhibition of United States films. ITALY' — At the close of 1950 there were no import quotas for motion pictures into Italy. Import permits are required. Negotiations were still being carried on. however, in an attempt to arrive at a mutually agreeable voluntary limitation on the number of U. S. films that might be broguht into the country. Failure to arrive at a satisfactory agreement may lead to the imposition of Governmental controls on film imports. 722