The relatively few cinematographers in Denmark met for the first time in the 1950’s to found an association. At that time the annual movie production was 25 to 30 titles. The glorious epoch of the silent films in the beginning of the 20^th century was already a closed chapter. Those were the days when the renowned president and founder of Nordisk Film, Ole Olsen (1863-1943), heading a world-wide distribution net, produced hundreds of dramatic stories every year: Tales of fairytale princes, mysterious and attractive women, and all kinds of fun and games. The titles speak for themselves: The Journalist as a Bastard (Journalisten som Sjover), The Robber Chief (Røverhøvdingen)directed by Viggo Larsen(1880-1957), The Black Duke (Den Sorte Hertug), The Stonemason's Daughter (Stenhuggerens Datter), Texas Tex. And opening on Feb. 15th. 1907: The Polar Bear Hunt (Isbjørnejagten), with Ole Olsen as director and hunter; in which he, together with among others the cinematographer Axel Graatkjær (1885-1969), also playing a hunter, shoots a very expensively purchased polar bear on the frozen Øresund (The sound between Denmark and Sweden). The movie sold 191 prints, and brought a substantial profit to Nordisk Film. This line continued the same year with The Lion Hunt (Løvejagten), where two lions, again filmed by Axel Graatkjær, had to shed their mortal coils on the island of Elleore in Roskilde Fjord. This film alone sold 259 prints world-wide, even in Africa. Incidentally, the movie was directed by director and actor Viggo Larsen, who also played the role of the hunter, again with cinematographer Axel Graatkjær.

The start of "talking movies" in 1928-29, ironically made possible by two Danes, Arnold Poulsen and Axel Petersen, inventing the optical soundtrack, was the start of the decline of the Danish film industry. The Danish language was far too small to carry such a large film production. The industry faced an uncertain future. In the autumn of its golden age, Nordisk Film had to witness others attempting to emulate their success. Palladium in Hellerup, ASA Film Studier in Lyngby, and Saga Film was in on an early start. Later other players came onto the field. Merry Film and Flamingo Film also made full-length feature films, whereas studios like Minerva Film, Arnø Film and Laterna Film worked in shorter fiction and documentaries, and only rarely made full length movies.

In the preceding years, the cinematographers had been quite closely connected to the individual production companies. You stayed where you were employed initially. You worked on a fixed salary, and had to be available 24 hours a day, and furthermore be at disposal to work on Saturdays, Sundays, and during any holidays, if it suited the studios planning. These demanding working conditions alone would have been sufficient reason to form an association. But actually the motivating factors leading to the formation of The Association of Danish Cinematographers (Dansk Filmfotograf Forbund / DFF) was the cinematographers own enthusiasm and pride of their special kind of work, and the chance to meet colleagues from competing studios.

The foundation of DFF

The Association of Danish Cinematographers was founded on September 22nd. 1954, on the specific initiative of two Nordisk Film cinematographers: Poul Pedersen and Jørgen Skov and Ove Hillebrandt from Arnø Studio, who all knew each other from their time as assistants on Nordisk Film in the last half of the 1940’s. The three cinematographers were accompanied by the widely respected Rudolf Frederiksen from ASA Film who, at that time, had shot more than 60 films. As the most active member of the group, he was elected first President of the association. You had to have made at least one full-length film to become a member.

The first list of members contains the following names:

Einar Olsen, May 11th 1886 - April 11th 1966 (Honorary Member)
Rudolf Frederiksen, December 4th 1897 - May 7th 1970
Karl Andersson, February 9th 1899 (Sweden) - July 4th 1967
Ove Hillebrandt, June 5th 1911 -
Poul Gram, February 26th 1918 - May 10th 2003 (Honorary Member)
Henning Bendtsen, March 9th 1925 (Honorary Member)
Poul Pedersen, May 16th 1925 (USA) - May 14th 2003 (Honorary Member)
Jørgen Skov, November 12th 1925 - March 28th 2001
Henning Kristiansen, July 2nd 1927 - November 2nd 2006 (Honorary Member)
Kjeld Arnholtz, February 18th 1928 (Honorary Member)
Ole Lytken, September 9th 1929 - February 24th 1987

Presidents of DFF

The list of presidents of DFF since the founding in 1954 looks like this:

In the middle of the 1970's DFF decided to allow membership to cinematographers having specialised in documentaries – as well as camera assistants (B-photographers). This has given the association new impulses as well as a wider outlook and co-operation among colleagues.

Statutes of DFF

In DFFs Statutes from 1954 it says:

The purpose of the association is to gather in one organisation, qualified Danish cinematographers and camera-assistants – movie-cinematographers – and assistants as well as short film-cinematographers and assistants, to take care of collegial interests of any kind, to further cinematography, and to further good relationships among colleagues.

If one or more members applies, the association has to support the members when negotiating salary and working conditions and negotiations regarding their professional interests in relation to public bodies, institutions and individuals. In negotiating collective salary-agreements and suchlike, the association acts on behalf of the members.

The association acts on behalf of the members regarding Copy Dan and administers the revenue on behalf of the members. The revenue is administered and divided among rightful members according to current rules. Read the Statutes of DFF

The Kluk Award

In 1992 DFF established their own annual award, destined for a cinematographer who had excelled professionally, either in a specific movie or by some other contribution to cinematography. Read about the Kluk Award

Imago

Since 1993 DFF has been a member of Imago – European Federation of Cinematographers. And in 2003 the association could muster the president, 2003-2006, of the European association – former board-member Andreas Fischer-Hansen.

50th anniversary

In 2004 the association celebrated its 50th anniversary. At that occasion DFF was given a club house to conduct its activities. The rent is paid by a group of sponsors, who in this way wants to support the cinematographers and their work in furthering Danish cinematography.

Honorary Members

During the association’s more than 50 years of existence, the following members have been appointed honorary members:

Einar Olsen (1886 – 1966), who had started what today is the world’s second-oldest film laboratory Nordisk Films Teknik in 1906, became the first honorary member of the association. He moved to Nordisk Film Studier 3 years later in 1909. He stayed for 17 years, before becoming senior cinematographer at Palladium from 1926 to 1956. His last movie was Fire and Earth (Ild og jord, 1955), directed by Kai Wilton

Karl Andersson (1889–1967),”Calle”, was another early honorary member who had worked in Sweden from 1914-30. He started his Danish carrier making industrial movies for a company called A/S Fotorama. From 1940 he worked on feature films at ASA. In 1943, after moving to Palladium, he shot the masterpiece Day of Wrath (Vredens Dag) for Carl Th. Dreyer.

Jørgen Skov (1925-2001)), leading cinematographer for many years at Nordisk Film, where he worked his entire career. He was a member of DFF from early on – and president of the board from 1961-69. He managed to shot more than 25 films with director Erik Balling (1924).

Poul Gram (1918-2003) was appointed honorary member in 1993. Apart from his wide background in commercials, movies and documentaries, he has been a member of the association from the beginning. For a number of years he worked as a UN-cinematographer.

Henning Bendtsen (1925) has been a member from the earliest years, and can count movies like The Word (Ordet, 1955) and Suddenly, a Woman! (Gertrud, 1964), both directed by Carl Th. Dreyer among his achievements. In 1991 he finished his carrier by shooting director Lars von Triers award-winning movie Europa.

Poul Pedersen (1925-2003), one of the founders of DFF was appointed honorary member in 2001. He worked at Nordisk Film from 1944 to 1962. He made the first colourmovie in Denmark, Kispus (1956) and the same year he went to Greenland shooting Qivitoq (1956) – both with director Erik Balling. The most famous of his works is the exquisite b/w musical Meet Me on Cassiopeia (Mød mig på Caasiopeia, 1951) directed by Torben Anton Svendsen (1904-1980).

The thoroughly prepared back-and-white tale of images in movies like Dilemma (1962) and Hunger (Sult, 1966), both directed by Henning Carlsen (1927), became milestones in the wide-ranging career of Henning Kristiansen (1927-2006). And a the same time a great source of inspiration to colleagues in- and outside Denmark. But also colourmovies like Oscar-winning Babette's Feast (Babettes Gæstebud, 1987) with Gabriel Axel (1918) directing and The Suicide-school (Selvmordsskolen, 1964) directed by Knud Leif Thomsen (1924-2003), demonstrates his fine sense of image. He was appointed honorary member in 2002.

In 1956 Frank Paulsen (1933) and Bjarne Winther started Dansk Filmjournal, running in DSB Kino until 1966. 330 weekly revues containing more than 2.300 news items in ten years. Later on he worked for the English television station ITV, and later for the English Visnews. Throughout his career Frank Paulsen has tried just about anything a cinematographer can, but film reports are still closest to his heart. He became honorary member in 2003.

Kjeld Arnholtz (1928) was appointed honorary member in 2004. He worked on more than 20 movies, before starting in Dan marks Radio and TV in the 1960’es, where he stayed until the 1990’es. The most famous movie was Harry and the Butler (Harry og kammertjeneren, 1961), directed by Bent Christensen (1929-1991). Not to be forgotten is the ever popular Christmas-movie From the Old Merchants Farm (Fra den gamle Købmandsgaard, 1951), directed by one of the first female cinematographers in Denmark, Annelise Reenberg (1919-1994) and Svend Methling (1891-1977).

Talent and professionalism also permeates the younger generation of Danish cinematographers. Several have been recognised abroad. Consequently DFF has appointed two honorary members among the most active contemporary filmmakers.

Michael Salomon (1945) honorary member since 1993. He has a long carrier in Danish movies with titles like Cop (Strømer, 1976), directed by Anders Refn, The Wolf at the Door (Oviri, 1986), directed by Henning Carlsen, Street of my Childhood (Barndommens Gade, 1986), directed by Astrid Henning Jensen (1914-2002) and an number of tv-productions and movies in USA, where he has been living and working since 1988 – today mainly as a director.

Bille August (1948) has been honorary member since 1995 and ordinary member of DFF for many years. He originally graduated as a cinematographer from The National Film School of Denmark (1973). Today he is mainly known as director of among others Pelle the Conqueror (Pelle Erobreren, 1987), winning Palme d’Or at Cannes (1988) and an Oscar (1988), The Best Intentions (Den Goda viljan, 1992), and A Song for Martin (En Sång för Martin, 2001). All shot by swedish cinematographer Jörgen Persson FSF (1936).