Kinematograph year book (1937)

The Year Abroad. 27 Minister can permit the employment of a foreigner (whether " Aryan " or not) applied for by a producer, permission to be given for each special case only. Trade agreements exist with France, Austria and Czechoslovakia. HOLLAND. General Legislation. — The protective measures against redundancy and excessive competition among distributors adopted by the Nederlandsche Eioscoop Bond, as referred to in the 1936 issue of the Year Book, were extended for another year in a slightly alleviated form. The Bond forbids distributors to rent films to non-members, with the exception of documentaries, and compels them to also acquire the sub-standard rights of the films distributed by them. Censorship and Taxation. — Generally unchanged. Notwithstanding the strict censoring of films, particularly regarding the admittance of juveniles below an age of 18, some municipalities are barring children below 14 years of age from attending all kinema performances. Import Regulations. — -No changes. HUNGARY. General Legislation. — Since August 20, 1936, programmes are not allowed to contain more than one feature film of a length exceeding 1,200 metres, the total length of a programme having been fixed at not more than 3,400 metres for first-run theatres and 3,800 metres for other halls ; kinema performances, the number of which is restricted to three on weekdays and four on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, must end before midnight ; no free tickets are issued and reduced prices may only be issued to Government officials, the press and members of the National Students' Association. — Pending a general regulation of admission fees contemplated by the Home Office, the exhibitors of the capital, Budapest, have already taken the initiative by classifying their theatres into five categories with prices ranging from 0.80 to 3.50 pengoe for the first and 0.20 to 0.80 pengoe for the last class (one pengoe equal to Is. 2|d. at the official rate and 9d. at the commercial rate of exchange). Censorship and Taxation. — No changes. The regular censorship fee amounts to 0.04 pengoe per metre on domestic and 0.10 pengoe per metre on foreign films. Import Regulations. — The exhibitors' quota of Hungarian-speaking films, original or dubbed within the country, is increased to 20 per cent, of programmes shown from August 1, 1936, till July 31, 1937. Import certificates, a certain number of which are needed for the import of a foreign film according to footage (which also applies to documentaries), are granted as follows: 8 for a domestic feature film (exceeding in length 1,200 metres), 3 for a domestically dubbed foreign feature film, 5 to 20 for a domestic documentary suited for public performances. The Film Fund formed by the charges made by the Board of Censors for examining films regarding their suitability for the exhibitors' quota (0.06 pengoe per metre with an extra charge on dubbed films of 0.20 pengoe per metre), and by the special tax on imported films screened in a foreign language (0.20 pengoe per metre if sub-titled in Hungary and 1 pengoe per metre if subtitled abroad) subsidises the domestic production, mainly by maintaining the State-owned Hunnia Studios, where producers are allotted space and facilities free of charge. ITALY. General Legislation. — The regulations reported in the 1936 issue of the Year Book are to be supplemented by the following : Where the Propaganda Ministry has not granted to a producer a credit free of interest out of the Film Fund which has been endowed by the Finance Ministry with 6 million lire (100 li. about £1 Is. 6d.) per year for the next five years, he can