INSIDERS/OUTSIDERS: Refugees from Nazi Europe and their Contribution to British Film and Television
his special issue of Jewish Film and New Media entitled “Insiders/Outsiders” proposes to examine the extraordinarily rich and pervasive contribution of refugees from Nazi-dominated Europe to film and television of the United Kingdom. In every field, émigrés arriving from Europe in the 1930s – supported by a small number of like-minded individuals already resident in this country – introduced a professionalism, internationalism and bold avant-gardism to British screens. This includes, but is not limited to, Alexander Korda, Emeric Pressburger, Conrad Veidt, Lothar Mendes, Karel Reisz, Ken Adam, EA Dupont, Werner Brandes, Gunter Krampf, Alfred Junge, Erno Metzner, Hans May, Ernest Meyer, Anton Walbrook, Lilli Palmer, Conrad Vedit, inter alia in British film from the 1930s to the 1950s and beyond; documentaries on individual émigrés active in the arts; and artists’ films by members of the second or third generation relating to their families’ experiences. At a time when the issue of immigration is much debated, this special issue serves as a reminder of the importance of cultural cross-fertilization and of the deep, long-lasting and wide-ranging contribution that refugees have made and continue to make to British life.