The Educational screen (c1922-c1956])

April, 1928 73 FOREIGN NOTES CONDUCTED BY OTTO M. FORKERT •ii.^x^^t^'V.^v.^v^^^y^yi^-x.^^tv^^K^Y^yL^^^.^^^'.^v.^.'.^v^'x^v.^Vj^-x^^t^y^^ff^ European Educational Film Chamber AS USUAL we have been following the doings of our friends in the educational film movement in Europe with continued interest. Reports from several sources have kept us well informed, and the highly informative comments in the Tage buck (Diary) of our colleague, Walther Giinther, published in the most outstanding European educational film publication, Der Bildzvart, of which he is the editor, are always interesting. In a recent issue of his diary he gives his impressions concerning a recent meeting of the European Film Chamber, at which about a . dozen countries of the Continent were represented. Following a long discussion under the able presidency of D. van Staveren from Holland (The Hague) a resolution was adopted as follows: (1) The Permanent Council of the Educational Film Chamber in Basel acknowledges with interest the initiative of the League of Nations and the Italian government, in regard to the founding of the International Educational I'ilm Institute in Rome, that shall work for the execution of the decisions of the first Educational Film Conference held in Basel (.*\pril, 1927). The Council declares its co-operation with the International Film Institute under the condition that the Institute be truly international, and that the following points (Numbers 2, 3 and 4) of the outlines be accepted by the Institute. (2) The aforesaid Permanent Council is instructed to negotiate with the League of Nations in regard to the making of the constitution and rulings of the International Educational Film Institute harmonize with the decisions of the Basel Conference of April, 1927. (3) The aforementioned Permanent Council proposes that the members of the Administrative Committee elected at Basel be taken into the Administrative Council of the International Educational Film Institute, and that these members be delegated by their respective governments and accredited by the League of Nations. Other members may be accepted for the Board of Officers, especially from those countries outside Europe showing an active interest in the educational film movement. Mr. Forkert, editor of this department, will represent The Educational Screen at The Hague Conference. The Administrative Council of the International Educational Film Institute shall distribute the work to the three organizations in Paris, Rome and Basel. (4) The Permanent Council proposes that all countries shall contribute toward the expenses of the International Educational Film Institute. We shall see at the next Film Conference what has been accomplished in negotiating between Ge neva and Rome toward a realization of these terms. The Constitution of the European Educational Film Chamber was accepted and the Second Continental Conference will be held at The Hague, not in Rome as previously decided. The Foreign Department of The Educational Screen will be represented in the person of its editor. The Film at the International Press Exhibit At the great International Press Exhibit, which is being held this year in Colon, from May until October, and which promises to become one of the outstanding events in the history of the Press, the modern "Movie-Newspapers," the daily Newsreels, and examples of screen advertising from all over the world will be on exhibition. And so we shall go to Colon and see if there are some interesting educational subjects and news items to be discovered. Library on Motion Pictures The largest library on the subject of the motion picture is said to be in the possession of Die Lichtbnhne, one of the largest and most influential daily film papers of Germany. It is reported to contain about 1,400 books regarding the film ; 172 film papers and magazines from all over the world and in all languages are being collected ; and over 20,000 still pictures and studio photos of the film from its early beginnings until today are assembled in the archives of the Lichtbuhne. A worthy undertaking for a commercial film daily!