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Foreign Problems ^> ^> ^> ^> <^> ^> 419
out by the French representatives at the International Exhibitors Congress which was held in August, 1928, in Berlin.19
Success in the formation of an international control over European film companies would mean a serious challenge to the American position in the European market. In 1928, Germany, Great Britain, and France produced 221, 95, and 94 feature films respectively, a total of 410 films costing $22,360,000. Other countries produced as follows: Austria, 23; Czechoslovakia, 19; Poland, 14; Italy, 8; Spain and Portugal, 1 1 ; Sweden, 8 ; Denmark, 7 ; others, 19. The 1928 output of American producers was about 800 films at an estimated cost of approximately $1 15,000,000. As a market, Europe had 27,000 motion picture theaters for a population of 470,000,000 as compared with America's market of 20,500 theaters for 120,000,000 people. Irrespective of the attitude of such a union toward American product, the development of reciprocity in the distribution of European films and joint-production contracts would hamper American film distribution.
The establishment of a "Film Europe", however, had met with many obstacles. No definite agreements had been reached. The second meeting of an international group was not attended by representatives of Great Britain. The American industry received an invitation to participate after the date had been set for the meeting.
The officials of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, Incorporated, were of the opinion that the American industry had little to fear from the formation of a cartel in the European industry, since the American interests controlled a very large share of the European market. Furthermore, the relatively small size of the European companies in the industry, with the attendant lack of executives with a capacity in and knowledge of international relations, made such a development improbable.
19 Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, op. cit,