Continental Films was a German-controlled French film production company. It stood as the sole authorized film production organization in Nazi-occupied France.[1]
Established in October 1940, it was entirely bankrolled by the German government, and headed by Alfred Greven in Paris, with its finances, production and distribution tightly integrated with the German film industry.[2] Continental's first production was Who Killed Santa Claus? (L'Assassinat du père Noël, 1941). The firm gave Henri-Georges Clouzot his first directoral job for the comic thriller The Murderer Lives at Number 21 (L'Assassin habite au 21, 1942), which Clouzot also co-wrote.[3] Continental released 30 features before ending production four years later. Its last release was Majestic Hotel Cellars (1944).
The film Safe Conduct (Laissez-passer, 2002) depicts life and work at Continental, based on the memoirs of director Jean Devaivre.