Transfilma

history

The production company Transfilma (Transcontinentale Filmfabrikatie) was founded in Rotterdam in 1927.

Its general manager was the German Friedrich von Maydell. The German photographer Andor von Bàrsy was its regular cameraman. The company made several documentaries and corporate films, mainly about Rotterdam and its industries.

In 1929, the company produced its final film, the feature film De maarschalksstaf, commissioned by the Centrale Bond van Nederlandsche Verbruikscoöperaties. The film was directed by Luc Willink, the film critic of the Hague-based newspaper 'Het Vaderland'.

In that same year, Transfilma announced its second film - the documentary Stalen Webben by Gerard Rutten and Martin Berger - but this film was never finished. For Stalen Webben, both a sound version as well as a silent version were meant to be shot in Romania.

But that never materialised - though in his autobiography 'Mijn papieren camera', Gerard Rutten does write about the film Sturm über Ploesti that he shot with Martin Berger in Romania. This film, though, was produced by the Berlin company Mondial-Film.

In October of 1931, Transfilma was pronounced bankrupt.