Haro Senft

Haro Senft was a German film director, screenwriter, and producer known for his pioneering role in the New German Cinema movement in the 1960s and 1970s. ^{[1] [2]} Born on 27 September 1928 in České Budějovice, Czechoslovakia, he relocated to Germany after his early education and became a key figure in revitalizing West German filmmaking through innovative documentaries and narrative works that challenged conventional styles and addressed social issues. ^[3] Notable early works such as the short documentary Kahl (1961) earned international recognition, including an Academy Award nomination. ^{[4] [3]} In the 1970s, Senft shifted his focus to children's cinema, resigning from institutional film policy roles in 1971 to advocate for and develop high-quality films for young audiences, an area where he made lasting contributions as a tireless promoter of German children's films. ^[5] Senft's lifetime dedication to independent and culturally significant cinema was honored with the Berlinale Camera award in 2012. ^[2] He passed away on 4 February 2016 in Munich, Germany. ^[6]

Early life and education

Birth and family background

Haro Senft was born on 27 September 1928 in Budweis, Czechoslovakia (now České Budějovice, Czech Republic). ^[7] He was the son of bank director Jaroslaus Senft and Hermine Senft (née Reitspieß), with his family rooted in pre-war Czechoslovakia. No further details on his family context or background in Czechoslovakia are available from verified sources.

Wartime and post-war experiences

Senft attended secondary school (Oberschule) in Prague. ^[8] During the later stages of World War II, from September 1943 to April 1945, he served as a Luftwaffenhelfer, an auxiliary in the German air force assigned to support anti-aircraft defenses. ^[8] With the end of the war in May 1945, Senft was placed in civilian internment in Prague, where he remained until May 1946. ^[8] Following his release, he relocated to Germany in 1946. ^[8]

Film studies and early professional work

Haro Senft began his formal film education in 1949 at the Akademie für Bühne, Film und Funk in Wiesbaden, where he studied various aspects of film production, including directing, cinematography, and screenwriting. Concurrently with his studies, he worked as a trainee (Volontär) and assistant on feature film productions, gaining practical experience in the German film industry during its post-war reconstruction phase. This combination of academic training and on-set work provided him with foundational skills in production processes and collaboration with established filmmakers. In the mid-to-late 1950s, Senft took on non-directorial roles in film productions, including production management credits on Autobahn (1957) and Menschen im Espresso (1958). These early professional engagements allowed him to contribute to feature films while building industry connections and technical expertise prior to his independent work.

Career beginnings and institutional roles

Founding production companies

Haro Senft founded his first production company, Bohême Film (also credited as Boheme-Film Harold Senft), in Wiesbaden in 1954, marking his shift from assistant and trainee roles to independent production ownership. ^[9] This company produced his experimental animated short X Y (1954/1955), a hand-painted color film created without a camera, where Senft served as director, animator, and producer. ^[9] In 1956, he relocated to Munich and established Haro Senft-Filmproduktion as the successor to his Wiesbaden entity. ^[10] The Munich-based company became his primary production base for subsequent works, including early shorts like Auto, Auto (1964) and feature films such as Der sanfte Lauf (1967), and later supported projects by emerging directors. ^[10] From the 1970s onward, Senft used Haro Senft-Filmproduktion to produce children's films and television contributions, including segments for the ZDF series Rappelkiste, while continuing to foster young talent in German cinema. ^[11]

Co-founding film initiatives

Haro Senft was a pivotal figure in establishing organizational structures to promote independent and artistic film production in West Germany during the late 1950s and beyond. In 1957, he co-authored and published the manifesto "filmform – Das dritte Programm" together with Herbert Vesely and Heiner Braun, advocating for a culturally oriented film production free from commercial pressures and modeled after international movements like Free Cinema and Nouvelle Vague. ^[12] This initiative sought economic independence through reduced costs and new distribution channels while proposing a curatorial body to support artistic work. ^[12] In 1959, Senft co-founded and served on the board of DOC 59, a Munich-based association of documentary filmmakers that continued the push for innovative cinematic forms and included many who later contributed to broader renewals in German film. ^[12] Between 1961 and 1963, he held a position as guest lecturer at the Hochschule für Gestaltung Ulm, where he taught and influenced students in film design and related disciplines at this renowned institution. ^[12] In June 1962, Senft co-founded the Stiftung Junger Deutscher Film, which developed into the Kuratorium junger deutscher Film in 1964 to provide funding and support for emerging filmmakers. ^[12] He was a founding member of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Neuer Deutscher Spielfilmproduzenten in 1965, serving on its board until 1971, and was later named an honorary member in 2002. ^[12] Additionally, in 1978 he co-founded the Förderverein Deutscher Kinderfilm and remained a member of its board of trustees until 1998, contributing to efforts promoting quality children's cinema. ^[12]

Oberhausen Manifesto and New German Cinema

Haro Senft was the main initiator and co-author of the Oberhausen Manifesto, a pivotal document presented at the West German Short Film Festival in Oberhausen in February 1962. As one of the 26 signatories, he joined other young filmmakers in declaring the conventional German film industry "dead" and calling for a radically new, independent cinema free from commercial and artistic constraints. Following the manifesto's proclamation, Senft became the spokesperson (Sprecher) of the Oberhausener Gruppe, the collective established by the signatories to promote and realize the manifesto's goals, and also served as a board member (Vorstand) of the group. Through this leadership role, he helped organize efforts to secure funding, distribution, and institutional support for the emerging movement. The Oberhausen Manifesto is widely regarded as the founding act of the Young German Film (Junger Deutscher Film), which later developed into the internationally recognized New German Cinema of the 1960s and 1970s. Senft is recognized as one of the key founders of this movement due to his central involvement in its ideological and organizational origins. In 1982, marking the 20th anniversary of the manifesto, Senft received the Filmband in Gold from the German Federal Ministry of the Interior in recognition of his role as a signatory. This honor acknowledged the lasting impact of the manifesto on German film history.

Filmmaking career

Early short films and documentaries

Haro Senft began his directing career in the mid-1950s with short films, frequently taking on multiple roles as director, screenwriter, and producer. ^[3] His debut work, XY (1954/1955), was an animated short in which he handled direction, animation, and production. ^[3] He followed this with Die Brücke (1957), an episode within the episodic short Maya, where he served as director and screenwriter. ^[3] In the late 1950s, Senft continued experimenting in the short format with Von 6 bis 6 (1958), where he directed, wrote, and produced, and Patience (1959), an animated short in which he also contributed animation alongside his primary roles. ^[3] Entering the 1960s, Senft produced several notable short documentaries and experimental works, including Parolen und Signale (1961/1962), where he directed, wrote, and produced. ^[3] His most internationally recognized early documentary was Kahl (also known as Atomkraftwerk Kahl, 1960/1961), a short film documenting the construction and early operations of Germany's first commercial nuclear power plant, for which he served as director. ^{[13] [14]} The film earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Short Subject in 1961, marking the first such nomination for a German short film, and received multiple festival prizes including first prizes at the Industriefilmfestival Berlin and New York, as well as awards in Turin and Bergamo. ^{[5] [2]} Senft's subsequent shorts maintained his focus on concise, often formally innovative formats. Plakate Parolen Signale (1962) saw him contributing as co-screenwriter and producer alongside directing duties. ^[15] Auto Auto (1964), which he directed, wrote, and produced, won the Deutscher Filmpreis Filmband in Silber for Best Documentary and the prize at the International Filmfestival Mannheim. ^[16] His 1966 short Ein Anlaß zum Sprechen (also known as Die Prager Schule) concluded this prolific early phase of short and documentary filmmaking, again with Senft in the triple role of director, screenwriter, and producer. ^[3] These works established Senft as an independent voice in post-war West German cinema, bridging experimental and documentary approaches in the years leading into the New German Cinema movement. ^[5]

Feature films

Haro Senft directed two feature-length narrative films during the late 1960s and early 1970s. ^[17] Der sanfte Lauf (1967) marked his debut in feature filmmaking, where he also served as co-writer and producer. ^[17] This was followed by Fegefeuer (1971), in which Senft again took on the roles of director, screenwriter, and producer. ^{[17] [18]} Fegefeuer is a psychological thriller set in Munich, centered on Daniel, a Marxist doing odd jobs, who witnesses a kidnapping and becomes increasingly involved in efforts to free the victim—an opposition politician from the Middle East—after authorities show little interest. ^[18] The story follows his militant engagement and an affair with the politician’s girlfriend, framed by an interrogation that prompts a painful self-examination of responsibility and guilt. ^[18] The film contrasts colorful depictions of Munich’s establishment with disturbing scientific close-ups and images from animal husbandry and war, questioning the notion of a detached existence in West Germany. ^[18] It runs 91 minutes, features cinematography by Klaus Müller-Laue, editing by Jane Hempel, music contributions including from David Llewellyn and Supertramp, and a cast led by Jost Vobeck alongside Ingeborg Schöner, Paul Albert Krumm, Valeria Ciangottini, and others. ^[18]

Children's films and later works

From the early 1970s, Haro Senft increasingly concentrated on children's films and youth-oriented productions, earning recognition as one of the most significant German directors in the field of Kinderfilm.^[19] He contributed to children's television with episodes of the series Rappelkiste in 1972 and produced the short Supertramp Portrait 1970, marking an early entry into this area.^[4] Throughout the decade, he created several short films aimed at young audiences, including Mondtag in 1973.^[20] A major achievement in this phase was the 1978 children's feature Ein Tag mit dem Wind, which Senft wrote, directed, and produced.^[21] The film follows eight-year-old Marcel, who sets out alone to find a female companion for his lonely pet rabbit, encountering various people and experiences while trusting unconventional adults over conventional ones and passing a test of courage in the forest.^[21] Shot chronologically on a low budget without fixed dialogue, it emphasizes calm observation, childlike curiosity, and respect for children's viewpoints.^[21] The work received the Gold Griffin (Premio Grifone d'oro) for best foreign film at the International Festival per Ragazzi in Giffoni Valle Piana, Italy, in 1978, along with the FWU-Förderpreis that year and the best camera award at the Children's Film Festival Bombay in 1979.^[21] In subsequent years, Senft sustained his engagement with youth cinema through projects such as Jakob hinter der blauen Tür (1987), which he directed, wrote, and produced.^[4] He co-produced the feature Lebe wohl, Fremde in 1991.^[4] His later output included the short Spielstraße Deutsch in 1990, which he directed, wrote, and produced, as well as Wie das Leben spielt in 1997.^[4]

Personal life

Awards and recognition

Haro Senft received the following notable awards and recognitions:

• His 1961 short documentary Kahl was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject.^[3]
• He received the German Film Award (Deutscher Filmpreis) in 1964 for his film Auto Auto.^[3]
• In 2012, he was awarded the Berlinale Camera in recognition of his pioneering role in New German Cinema and his advocacy for high-quality German children's films.^{[5] [1]}

No comprehensive list of all awards is available from sources; IMDb reports 3 wins in total, though specifics beyond those above are not detailed.

Death