Jules Stoop

Biography

Film producer and director Jules Stoop came from a family of manufacturers in Haarlem. In January 1913, he succeeded Jan Holtrop as the general mananger of Filmfabriek Hollandia. In 1917, he was also appointed general manager of the newly formed Nederlandsche Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Witte Films, one of Hollandia’s affiliated companies.

The first film that Stoops directed was the Hollandia film Steenkolenmijnen in Limburg. Hollandia had meanwhile come into financial difficulties, prompting owner Maurits H. Binger to cooperate with the British distributor Harry R. Smith. This led to a collaboration under the name Anglo-Hollandia-films.

During the same period, Stoop wanted to leave Hollandia and start his own company. He came into contact with the brothers I.A. and B.D. Ochse, and together they founded Filmfabriek Polygoon. With some of Hollandia’s customers and inventory, this Haarlem company began in late 1919. Stoop became its new general manager. Yet he soon was at odds with Polygoon’s other major player, B.D. Ochse.

In 1923, Stoop had had enough, and left Polygoon. He went to Germany and later to Switzerland. In Montreux, he opened a small company that produced postcards. After his death in 1942, this company was continued by his sons for a number of years.