Person Details

Birthday: 1929-09-20 01:20:41

Death: 1998-06-23 01:20:41

Aliases: No known aliases

Gender: Male

Place of birth: Wien, Austria

Homepage:

Movie Involvements: 61

TV Involvements: 0


Most Famous Work

Biography

Kurt Kren was born in 1929 in Vienna, Austria from a Jewish father and a German mother. From 1939 till the end of World War II, Kren lived in Rotterdam, where he was sent to with one of the Children's Transports. In 1947 Kren returned to Vienna, and his father provided him a job at the National Bank. He began making films in 1957. 2/60 48 Köpfe Aus Dem Szondi -Test (1960) was his first serial film and 3/60 Bäume Im Herbst (1960) confirmed this structural orientation. He realized in the 1960s his most famous films with the Viennese actionists, where his skill of short film blossomed. In 1966, he took part in the « Destruction in Art Symposium » organized by Metzger in London. In 1968 he visited the USA for the first time, showing his films in New York and St. Louis. This very year he became a founder of the Austria Filmmakers Cooperative. After a participation in a happening "Kunst und Revolution" ("Art and Revolution") at the University of Vienna in 1968, Kren's films were confiscated and he was fired from the National Bank. He participated in 1970 in the International Underground Film Festival (London) and in 1971, in the Cannes Film Festival. He then moved to Cologne for five years. Retrospectives were set up by the London National Film Theatre in 1976 and the New York Museum of Modern Art in 1979. He was also involved in the Dokumenta 6 of Kassel in 1977. From 1978 to 1989, Kren lived in the USA and presented lectures for universities and schools. He did many jobs such as security officer in the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. Within this period he made his bad home movies as he used to call them inspired by his travels across the country. He finally returned to his native Vienna in 1990. He died from pneumonia in Vienna in 1998.

Most Famous Work

The 120 Days of Bottrop
Average
5

The 120 Days of Bottrop

(1997) Director of Photography
37/78: Tree Again
Average
6

37/78: Tree Again

(1978) Director
2/60: 48 Heads from the Szondi-Test
Average
6
10/65: Self-Mutilation
Average
6

10/65: Self-Mutilation

(1965) Director
15/67: TV
Average
5

15/67: TV

(1967) Producer
31/75: Asylum
Average
5

31/75: Asylum

(1975) Producer
6/64: Mom and Dad (An Otto Mühl Happening)
Average
4
1/57: Experiment with Synthetic Sound (Test)
Average
5

Acting

Camera

Year Role Movie/Tv
1997 Director of Photography
1968 Camera Operator
Year Role Movie/Tv

Directing

Year Role Movie/Tv
1996 Director
1995 Director
1991 Director
1990 Director
1985 Director
1984 Director
1983 Director
1982 Director
1981 Director
Director
1979 Director
1978 Director
Director
1977 Director
1976 Director
Director
1975 Director
1973 Director
Director
Director
1971 Director
Director
1970 Director
Director
1969 Director
Director
1968 Director
Director
Director
1967 Director
Director
Director
1966 Director
1965 Director
Director
Director
Director
1964 Director
Director
Director
Director
1962 Director
1961 Director
1960 Director
Director
1957 Director
1956 Director
Director
Director
Year Role Movie/Tv

Production

Year Role Movie/Tv
1975 Producer
1967 Producer
Year Role Movie/Tv

Crew

Year Role Movie/Tv
1975 Cinematography
1971 Cinematography
1969 Cinematography
1968 Cinematography
1967 Cinematography
Year Role Movie/Tv

Writing

Year Role Movie/Tv
1970 Writer
Year Role Movie/Tv

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