Aleksandar Lifka | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1880-05-20)20 May 1880 |
| Died | 12 November 1952(1952-11-12) (aged 72) |
| Occupation | Cinematographer |
| Years active | 1929–1969 |
Aleksandar Lifka (20 May 1880 – 12 November 1952) was a Yugoslavcinematographer.
Lifka was born inBrassó in theAustro-Hungarian Empire, in what is nowRomania to a Czech family. After spending his childhood with his parents inŽatec nearPrague, he moved toVienna to study at technical high school. During that time, he experimented withmagic lantern moving pictures, but without success. After completing his education, Lifka traveled toParis, where he bought aPathé camera.[1] In 1900, he shot the visit of the emperorFranz Joseph andQueen Elisabeth to the town ofGödöllő, in Hungary.[2]
After his father's death, Lifka and his older brother Karl started a traveling movie theater. It had professional equipment (Gaumont,AEG, Körting) and had a luxurious interior. The first city in which they showed their films wasTrieste, Italy. The tour continued in 1901 toRijeka,Bjelovar,Osijek (Croatia), andLjubljana (Slovenia), and in 1902 toBelgrade,Zemun,Újvidék (now Novi Sad, Serbia), andSzabadka (now Subotica, Serbia).[2]
In 1903, the Lifka brothers bought another tent, and Karl separated and settled inLinz andSalzburg. Aleksandar Lifka shot documentary film of some political events, and of common people in the towns he visited.
Lifka visitedSzabadka again in 1905, and in 1910, he renovated the grand hall of Hungaria Hotel into a permanent movie theater. His wife, Beck Erzsébet, helped him to run the cinema. DuringWorld War I, he was hired by Filmkriegspresse to create films about battles in Galizia, where he was wounded. After the end of war, he returned to Subotica, which then belonged to theKingdom of Yugoslavia, and stopped making films. Only twenty of his original films survived. After World War II, he accepted Yugoslav citizenship.
He died on 12 November 1952 at his vineyard. He is buried in Subotica.[2]
