Anjeana Hans

From Vienna to Hollywood: Independent Films, Exile, and the Shaping of Hollywood Genre

Monday, April 6, 2026 - 7pm at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, 67 Erb Street West in Waterloo

When the Nazis rose to power in Germany in 1933, they instituted laws that systematically excluded Jewish Germans from cultural and social life and thus marked the start of a wave of forced immigration. Many filmmakers, writers, and actors forced into exile initially went to Austria, where they were able to produce independent films until the Anschluss of 1938. This talk focuses on director Henry Koster, who began his career in Berlin, made several independent films while in exile in Austria, and finally reached Hollywood, where he was one of a fairly small number of exile directors to build a truly successful career. By tracing continuities across his work, I will consider how Koster’s Austrian independent films, which were marked indelibly by the experience of exile, shaped his later work and contributed to the development of Hollywood genres.

Part of The Diefenbaker Lectures, a series of talks by leading scholars in German studies.

Anjeana Hans is Professor and Chair of German Studies at Wellesley College.

If you wish to attend, please register by using the link below - there's a reception after the lecture, and we want to make sure everyone gets something to eat and drink!