Countervailing Kulturfilme: The Projects of the Gesellschaft für bildende Filme

abstract: The "Gesellschaft für bildende Filme" (GBF) was the Adenauer Era's most successful producer of experimental educational and industry shorts. This article discusses its contributions to the legitimation projects aligning West Germany with (Western) Europe in two phases separated by the Treaty of Rome and the establishment of the European Economic Community (1957–58). The first phase wrestles critically with colonialist modes of depicting relations to the global South. The second phase turns to a developmental framework reflecting European hegemony; however, the aesthetic choices of these "Kulturfilme" often undermine the intended visualization of West Germany's and Europe's future.