Anton Kolm

Who was Anton Kolm?

Anton Kolm was an Austrian photographer who became one of the first film directors and film producers in the history of Austrian cinema.

A skilled photographer, he started to make short films privately from as early as 1906, but these were not intended for cinemas. On the basis of his preparatory work he founded in 1910, together with his wife, Luise Kolm, and Jacob Fleck, the Erste österreichische Kinofilms-Industrie, which at the end of the following year was renamed Wiener Kunstfilm-Industrie, and remained for a long time the leading film production company of Austro-Hungary. Kolm occupied himself principally with the finances and the direction of the business, and was only actively involved in a part of the firm's productions, while his wife, one of the earliest female film directors, was responsible for the creative work.

In 1919, with his wife and with financial support from the Depositenbank, he re-founded the Wiener Kunstfilm-Industrie as Vita-Film. Work immediately began on the construction of the Rosenhügel Film Studios, which were already in use before their completion in 1923.