A professional history of screenwriters in Germany (1910–1945)

Abstract

Abstract This article outlines the emergence of screenwriters in Germany from 1910 until 1945. It focuses on the technological, cultural, social and political contexts and changing occupational environments that shaped screenwriting craft into an accepted media profession. German screenwriters were subsequently influenced by the ‘author film movement’ in the 1910s, and soon established a professional association to obtain professional status in 1919. Following the national socialist takeover in 1933, the political influence on German screenwriting became the main concern of their professional and creative practice. The article outlines the key events and patterns and how the occupation was shaped towards a creative profession, and describes the ways in which its professional history was influenced by institutional, political, cultural and industrial configurations.