The BVK mourn the loss of cinematographer Heinz Hölscher BVK

The BVK released the following statement in regards to the passing of their highly appreciated colleague Heinz Hölscher BVK:

“In his 96th year, our highly respected colleague Heinz Hölscher BVK passed away on 7 May at home surrounded by his family. It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to a colleague who was involved in the board of the professional association several times and who was also an honorary member of the BVK since 2000.

Heinz Hölscher shot a large number of well-known and very successful films over four decades and was one of the busiest and most sought-after German cinematographers in the 1960s and 1970s. We carry his images in our collective visual memory – and his large fan base proves that with Heinz Hölscher we are missing one of the most unifying players in the history of German film.

After training as a photographer and working in reprographics, Heinz Hölscher became an assistant cameraman in 1948 and worked as such under Franz Weinmayr on the film Pünktchen und Anton in 1953. In 1954, Heinz Hölscher was already working as director of photography on the film version of the soldier novel directed by Paul May. Almost one hundred feature films followed until 1990, some of which were very successful and made cinema history.

Heinz Hölscher has worked with many renowned directors, including Fritz Kortner, Harald Philipp, Russ Meyer, Gero von Radvany, Michael Pfl eghaar, Alfred Vohrer, Michael Verhoeven, Alfred Weidenmann, Franz Josef Gottlieb and Peter Patzak.

Heinz Hölscher was awarded the Federal Film Prize (Filmband in Gold) in 1965 for his cinematography for the film Onkel Toms Hütte. For the camera department, Heinz Hölscher was always a humane and approachable head – for his directors and creative partners, a congenial director of photography.

With personal modesty and integrity, he developed enormous productivity and creative power and created lasting film experiences for the most diverse genres and audience groups. Professional commitment was a matter of course for him, but he also contributed to the shaping and strengthening of the German Society of Cinematographers. Unforgotten – and of great importance for the development of the BVK into an authors‘ association – was Heinz Hölscher‘s willingness to get involved in a lawsuit for copyright against Taurus Film, which belonged to the Kirch Group.

Although this case did not end happily at the time, it laid the foundation for the BVK‘s intensive copyright commitment, which continues to this day and has since born fruit. The members of the BVK have not forgotten what they owe to Heinz Hölscher and his altruistic efforts on behalf of the profession and the authorship discussions.

The BVK  remembers its former board member and honorary member Heinz Hölscher with gratitude. Our sympathy goes to his wife Karin, who accompanied him so lovingly in his rich life and through the last difficult times, to his children and their families – and to all those who were close to Heinz Hölscher and who admire him. In his life and work, he was a role model for everyone who knew him or was allowed to work with him.

We will miss our colleague and friend Heinz Hölscher very much and hold his memory in high esteem.”