Artur Brauner belongs to the few producers who shaped German film history for over 60 years. He stands as a symbol for the German Entertainment Filmindustry of the 50s and 60s and at the same time is producer of some of the most significant West-German Films in the latest German history.
Born 1918 to the son of a wood merchant in Lodz (Poland), he graduated there from higher school. After his “A-levels” he studied at the Polytechnic until the German invasion of Poland. Together with his parents and four siblings he escaped to the former Soviet Union, where he was able to hide unidentified and thus survived the war. He lost 49 of his relatives due to the Nazis, his parents and three of his siblings immigrated to Israel. Even before the Second World War, Artur Brauner was a huge film fan seizing his chance after the war ended. After a brief consideration of immigrating to the US, he applied for a film company license in Berlin and after receiving it, he founded the CCC Film GmbH… read more
Artur Brauner belongs to the few producers who shaped German film history for over 60 years. He stands as a symbol for the German Entertainment Filmindustry of the 50s and 60s and at the same time is producer of some of the most significant West-German Films in the latest German history.
Born 1918 to the son of a wood merchant in Lodz (Poland), he graduated there from higher school. After his “A-levels” he studied at the Polytechnic until the German invasion of Poland. Together with his parents and four siblings he escaped to the former Soviet Union, where he was able to hide unidentified and thus survived the war. He lost 49 of his relatives due to the Nazis, his parents and three of his siblings immigrated to Israel. Even before the Second World War, Artur Brauner was a huge film fan seizing his chance after the war ended. After a brief consideration of immigrating to the US, he applied for a film company license in Berlin and after receiving it, he founded the CCC Film GmbH (Central Cinema Company) on the 16th of September 1946.
His initial film with the newly found company is Morituri (“Morituri”) (1948), directed by Eugen York, starring Hilde Körber and Winnie Markus. The film reflects the dark German history together with his personal suffering from the Nazis. As post-war German audience is yet not ready for past German history, the film is a financial flop.In 1949 Artur Brauner acquired a 35.000 sqm piece of land of a former manufacturing plant for poisoned gas. In the north of Berlin, Spandau-Haselhorst, he established his first film studios. In the years to come Artur Brauner puts more emphasis on films that feed the audience’s desire for pure entertainment. He then achieved major success with “Dr. Mabuse” productions, films based upon short stories of Bryan Edgar Wallace, as well as cowboy films by the famed German writer Karl May.
In those days (late 50s to mid 60s) the CCC Film studios were amongst the busiest in West Europe. Up until today more than 700 films were produced in Spandau-Haselhorst. Approx. 200 films are CCC’s own productions. One of the first productions in the newly erected studios is “Maharadscha wider Willen” (“Maharadga without desire”) (1950) with Olga Tschechowa. Young German starlets shoot their very first films in the CCC studios, such as Romy Schneider in “Maedchen in Uniform” (“Girl in uniform”) (1958). Even her last film, “La Passante du Sans-Souci" (“The stroller of Sanc Soucci”) (1991) with Michel Piccoli, is produced by Artur Brauner. Between those two productions Artur Brauner produced numerous box office hits, which were viewed by millions of people. Big names such as O.W. Fischer, Maria Schell, Sonja Ziemann or Gerd Fröbe call the studios their home. Artur Brauner invests the profits from his entertainment films into productions closer to his heart, due to his personal history.
Amongst many, he produced “Die weisse Rose” (“The White Rose”) (1982) directed by Michael Verhoeven, starring Lena Scholze as Sophie Scholl. His “Hitlerjunge Salomon” (“EUROPA EUROPA”) (1990) starring Marco Hofschneider and Julie Delpy wins the Golden Globe and receives an Oscar nomination from the Academy Awards for best the screenplay. He produced “Hanussen” (“Hanussen”) (1988) as well as “Babijar” (“Babijar”) (2003), a film about the true massacre of nearly 33.000 Jews near Kiev.His latest production “Der letzte Zug” (“The Last Train”) (2006) by director Joseph Vilsmaier and Dana Vávrová tells the horrific story of a small group of Berliner Jews, who were dumped like thousand of other Jews into in a cattle box of a “special transport train” and deported from Berlin – Grunewald to Ausschwitz during the very last days of the war.
Artur Brauner has produced more than 200 feature films. He is a prominent member of the Berlin Jewish community, bearer of the “Bundesverdienstkreuz”. (“German National Cross”). In 2003 he received the “Goldene Kamera” (“Golden Camera”) from the Berlin Filmfestival, as an award for his lifetime achievements. Amongst numerous other awards, he also has received two Golden Globes. His German / Italian co production “Der Garten der Finzi Conti” (“The garden of Finzi Conti”) was awarded an Academy Award Oscar in the category “best foreign movie”.
Artur Brauner has been married since 1947 with Theresa Albert, called Maria and is a father of four children. He lives and works in Berlin. —CCC Film
