Introduction

This section on early film covers the history of film in the Netherlands from 1896 until 1923. This is the period in which film was introduced in the Netherlands. The very first film to be shown in public was screened on 12 March 1896 in the Kalverstraat in Amsterdam. Dutch film took on a new aspect during the tumultuous developments around the First World War.
 
Between 1896 and 1910, the Dutch film world was dominated by what were known as exhibitors and producers. These were theatre directors and carnival showmen. The two groups saw film respectively as either a welcome addition to already-existing specialty programmes, or as a new attraction for carnivals and fairs. In general, both exhibitors and producers showed foreign films, which they then supplemented with films made locally in the Netherlands.
 
 
Cinema’s arrival
A major change came about in circa 1910: following on the heels of developments in other countries, the cinema made its debut as a permanent location in which to screen films. Within just a few years, the cinema dominated the entertainment circuit, and the exhibitors who’d begun showing films had to make way for cinema directors and distributors. Around 1920, these two groups united to become the Nederlandsche Bioscoopbond (NBB), a special-interest organisation that grew to be an unassailable bulwark in the Dutch film world until well into the 20th century.
 
With the disappearance of theatres and fairs as places to exhibit films, the popularity of local films also began to decline; cinemas showed primarily foreign films. Due to this, domestic film production was reduced to a minimum. Shortly before the First World War, this changed. There was concern about how certain imagery shown in the cinema could be harmful, particularly to younger audiences. This discussion ultimately led to the formation of a censorship board.
 
It was at this time that people began to realise that film was an excellent medium for educational and promotional purposes. One of the first organisations to anticipate this was the Colonial Institute, which sent J.C. Lamster was sent to the Dutch East Indies to record footage for informational films. At home, the Dutch were also beginning to produce educational and promotional films. Maurits H. Binger, an industrialist and amateur photographer from Haarlem who established the Filmfabriek Hollandia in 1912, played a particularly important role in this area.
 
 
Golden era
The First World War brought about many changes to the Dutch film world: Binger’s production company reversed its course and developed into the largest producer of feature films in the Netherlands. Willy Mullens, one of the very first exhibitors, began making commissioned and educational films. After the success of his propaganda film Leger- en vlootfilm, he founded his own production company, called Haghe Film, in 1918.
 
Binger predicted an international breakthrough for Hollandia Filmfabriek but, as was the case with so many European producers, he couldn’t compete against the rapid advance of the American feature film. After unsuccessfully attempting to find support in other countries, Hollandia went bankrupt in 1923, shortly after Binger’s death. It would mark the end of a brief golden era for Dutch feature films, during which not only Hollandia but other production companies such as Amsterdam Film Cie. (run by Theo Frenkel, Sr.) and Rembrandt Film Co (led by Johan Gildemeijer) played a significant role.
 
 
Commissioned films popular 
Hollandia divested itself of its documentary section in 1919. This section carried on independently under the name Filmfabriek Polygoon and, with Haghe Film, it would become one of the driving factors behind Dutch film. These two companies were the most important Dutch producers of newsreels as well as advertising, educational, commissioned and information films. It was these genres, rather than feature films or short entertaining films (which were nearly always made abroad), that made up the natural habitat for Dutch film after the First World War.
Supported by the organisational know-how of the NBB, which regulated the exhibition and distribution of film, Dutch film production and exhibition took shape in the 1920s. This situation would remain relatively unchanged until the turbulent  1960s.