Catalog filminfo.ch/ae of 103,000 movies

In the past few days, I have cataloged many films by Julius Pinschewer. For those unfamiliar with Julius Pinschewer, it should be noted that he is considered the founder of the advertising film. As early as 1911, he created an amusing soup commercial for the company Maggi. Julius Pinschewer lived and worked in Germany for the first half of his life, and spent the second half in Switzerland.

Advertising film ‘Jump Competition’ by Julius Pinschewer, 1936, made in Germany for a Swiss company.

Julius Pinschewer as an example

Even though he only obtained Swiss citizenship in 1948, he had already created unforgettable commercials, especially for Nestlé. The Suchard commercial ‘Sprung Konkurrenz’ is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful commercials I have ever seen. And although the commercial was made in 1936 for the Swiss multinational corporation Nestlé, it has been missing from my list until now.

This is simply because it was still being produced in Germany in 1936. The new catalog of the entire collection will rectify this ‘flaw’. However, this catalog is too extensive to be presented in a list. The current list includes approximately 103,000 films, and such a list can no longer be reasonably displayed on a single page.

That’s why, for the global directory, only database querying is available. You can access it either through the search field under ‘Global Directory’ or via the direct link filminfo.ch/ae

Where do the films come from?

From my evening’s work on this (which is, after all, a hobby project), I can report that the vast majority of the films come from television recordings. In this respect, many of the collected entries contain so-called ‘watermarks’. Swiss television is, of course, well represented, as are Arte and the other German-speaking channels.

Now and then, a VPN service is also used for ‘recording’. No content from so-called sharing platforms (peer-to-peer) ends up in my archive. I consider this practice (even in Switzerland) to be illegal.

Furthermore, I can often be found in video rental stores and libraries. The greater Zurich area offers a good number of sources that I like to use. In general, however, I don’t keep track of all the sources.

Not because there’s something to ‘hide,’ but because it would exceed my capabilities. Furthermore, it wouldn’t be very useful at this point. What’s available today (e.g., on streaming services) may not be available tomorrow.

What can be found in the international directory?

Since around 2020, I’ve been collecting movies. Right from the start, I abandoned the idea of only collecting ‘high-quality’ films. This was simply because it wasn’t so easy to make that kind of judgment. Therefore, I chose a pragmatic approach and decided to collect basically everything.

The Other Half, 2002, Isolde Marxer, women’s suffrage only in 1984 in the Ländle.

Below, I would like to provide an overview of the current status of my collection. Since this list is quite long, I would like to make a few notes before the ‘Statistics’ section. First, it should be noted that almost two-thirds of the films in my collection come from Europe. Nevertheless, the USA is clearly in the lead with over 36,000 films.

In second place is Germany, with 24,350 works currently, excluding the 1,046 entries from the former East Germany. Closely following is Switzerland, with a good 24,150 films. A small note: Liechtenstein is also represented with 30 films, including the documentary by Isolde Mrxer about the late introduction of women’s suffrage in Liechtenstein, which has unfortunately been completely forgotten today.

If we think in international terms, all continents except Africa are represented by a four-digit number of films. While African countries are underrepresented, I am nevertheless quite proud to now have a very good four-digit number (1182) of Australian works in my archive.

And of course, I also enjoy older films, like the one in question here, The Cheaters, a silent film from 1930, Australia, with such a villainous look that was probably only possible in the era of silent films.

The Cheaters, 1930. A dramatic glimpse, without sound, an early work from Australia.

Furthermore, it should be noted that individual episodes of series are always listed separately, and they are also included in the overall list of films. Finally, it should be added that of the approximately 103,000 films, about a third are series, and the total length currently exceeds 106,000 hours.

Films per year (Year => Number)

2026 => 660
2025 => 1468
2024 => 1635
2023 => 1978
2022 => 1997
2021 => 2331
2020 => 3002
2019 => 2496
2018 => 2346
2017 => 2441
2016 => 2409
2015 => 2930
2014 => 2176
2013 => 2141
2012 => 2181
2011 => 1963
2010 => 2014
2009 => 1954
2008 => 1911
2007 => 1802
2006 => 1910
2005 => 1722
2004 => 1601
2003 => 1530
2002 => 1619
2001 => 1329
2000 => 1236
1999 => 1622
1998 => 1387
1997 => 1264
1996 => 1335
1995 => 1352
1994 => 1704
1993 => 1369
1992 => 1332
1991 => 1453
1990 => 1633
1989 => 1147
1988 => 1262
1987 => 1245
1986 => 1112
1985 => 1014
1984 => 1158
1983 => 1047
1982 => 820
1981 => 718
1980 => 885
1979 => 846
1978 => 792
1977 => 695
1976 => 718
1975 => 764
1974 => 835
1973 => 737
1972 => 852
1971 => 829
1970 => 945
1969 => 959
1968 => 857
1967 => 715
1966 => 712
1965 => 703
1964 => 705
1963 => 611
1962 => 614
1961 => 555
1960 => 663
1959 => 561
1958 => 447
1957 => 455
1956 => 456
1955 => 459
1954 => 361
1953 => 365
1952 => 313
1951 => 308
1950 => 351
1949 => 248
1948 => 269
1947 => 220
1946 => 186
1945 => 214
1944 => 201
1943 => 231
1942 => 234
1941 => 244
1940 => 232
1939 => 220
1938 => 193
1937 => 179
1936 => 284
1935 => 411
1934 => 324
1933 => 300
1932 => 279
1931 => 259
1930 => 285
1929 => 79
1928 => 90
1927 => 64
1926 => 78
1925 => 90
1924 => 56
1923 => 61
1922 => 65
1921 => 49
1920 => 36
1919 => 23
1918 => 28
1917 => 21
1916 => 23
1915 => 21
1914 => 24
1913 => 11
1912 => 22
1911 => 7
1910 => 15
1909 => 3
1908 => 4
1907 => 5
1906 => 12
1905 => 11
1904 => 5
1903 => 14
1902 => 6
1901 => 15
1900 => 20
1899 => 5
1898 => 8
1897 => 15
1896 => 22
1895 => 4
1894 => 5
1893 => 1
1892 => 2
1889 => 4
1888 => 1
1833 => 2

Total movies (all): 102864

Conducta, 2014, is set in Cuba and depicts the situation on the streets as well as within the administration and schools.

Movies by Region (Code = Country Name: Number)

CH=Switzerland: 24148
DE=Germany: 24353
DD=DDR (ex): 1046
AT=Austria: 2241
LI=Liechtenstein: 30
CH, DE, DD, AT, LI: 49392
FR=France: 8352
GB=Great Britain: 7532
IT=Italy: 3351
VA=Vatican: 1
ES=Spain: 1593
PT=Portugal: 188
BE=Belgium: 1210
LU=Luxembourg: 229
NL=Netherlands: 600
DK = Denmark: 599
GL = Greenland: 6
SE=Sweden: 835
NO=Norway: 343
FI=Finland: 309
IE=Ireland: 344
IS=Iceland: 136
FO=Faroe Islands: 2
PL=Poland: 341
CS=Czechoslovakia (former): 234
CZ=Czech Republic: 288
SK=Slovakia: 63
LV=Latvia: 29
LT=Lithuania: 30
EE=Estonia: 41
SI=Slovenia: 38
RO = Romania: 246
BG = Bulgaria: 97
HU=Hungary: 493
GR=Greece: 126
HR=Croatia: 63
YU=Yugoslavia (ex): 110
BA=Bosnia and Herzegovina: 42
AL=Albania: 24
ME=Montenegro: 6
XK=Kosovo: 22
MK=North Macedonia: 21
CY=Cyprus: 28
RS=Serbia: 66
IM=Isle of Man: 15
MC=Monaco: 28
AD=Andorra: 1
MT=Malta: 29
UA=Ukraine: 110
RU=Russia: 320
BY=Belarus: 5
SU=Soviet Union (former): 327
EUROPE (51): 66090

US = United States: 36521
CA=Canada: 3358
NORTH AMERICA (2): 38108

JP=Japan: 2874
KR=South Korea: 791
KP = North Korea: 4
IN=India: 671
CN=China: 822
HK=Hong Kong: 838
MO=Macau: 2
IL=Israel: 203
PS=Palestine: 17
TR=Turkey: 155
JO=Jordan: 29
LB=Lebanon: 37
SY=Syria: 14
SA=Saudi Arabia: 21
AE = United Arab Emirates: 71
KW=Kuwait: 2
YE=Yemen: 2
BH=Bahrain: 3
QA=Qatar: 77
IR=Iran: 102
IQ=Iraq: 20
MD=Moldau: 4
TM=Turkmenistan: 2
UZ=Uzbekistan: 3
GE=Georgia: 35
AM=Armenia: 5
KG=Kyrgyzstan: 11
KZ=Kazakhstan: 22
AZ=Azerbaijan: 4
TJ=Tajikistan: 9
NP=Nepal: 26
BT=Bhutan: 7
BD=Bangladesh: 4
PK=Pakistan: 22
AF=Afghanistan: 18
MN=Mongolia: 26
MM=Myanmar: 3
MY=Malaysia: 23
LK=Sri Lanka: 10
PK=Pakistan: 22
TW=Taiwan: 487
SG=Singapore: 58
PH=Philippines: 358
ID=Indonesia: 58
TH=Thailand: 113
VN=Vietnam: 28
LA=Laos: 7
KH=Cambodia: 29
VU=Vanuatu: 1
ASIA (49): 6418

Flüstern des Meeres, 1993, Die Filme vom Studio Ghibli setzen bis heute Masstäbe, wenn es um Animé-Filme geht.

AU=Australia: 1182
NZ=New Zealand: 179
WS=Samos: 1
TV=Tuvalu: 1
FJ=Fiji: 1
AQ=Antarctica: 100
AUSTRALIA (6): 1435

AR=Argentina: 235
BO=Bolivia: 17
BR=Brazil: 228
MX=Mexico: 465
CU=Cuba: 43
SV=El Salvador: 1
PA=Panama: 10
BS=Bahamas: 20
CR=Costa Rica: 18
PR=Puerto Rico: 11
BB=Barbados: 1
HT=Haiti: 4
KY=Cayman Islands: 3
VE=Venezuela: 22
CO=Colombia: 69
CL=Chile: 74
EC=Ecuador: 16
PE=Peru: 33
PY=Paraguay: 10
UY=Uruguay: 26
HN=Honduras: 1
JM=Jamaica: 7
DO=Dominican Republic: 14
GT=Guatemala: 4
TT=Trinidad and Tobago: 6
SR=Suriname: 1
NI=Nicaragua: 10
AW=Aruba: 4
BM=Bermuda: 1
GQ=Equatorial Guinea: 1
GP=Guadeloupe: 1
KN=Saint Kitts and Nevis: 1
MQ=Martinique: 1
PG=Papua New Guinea: 1
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA (34): 1202

ZA=South Africa: 184
LS=Lesotho: 3
MA=Morocco: 72
EG=Egypt: 33
TN=Tunisia: 43
DZ=Algeria: 28
LY=Libya: 6
MR=Mauritania: 2
KE=Kenya: 22
LD=Angola: 2
ET=Ethiopia: 21
MZ=Mozambique: 6
CG=Republic of the Congo: 2
CD=Kongo: 13
GH=Ghana: 9
SN=Senegal: 31
ST=Sao Tome and Principe: 4
CM=Cameroon: 9
UG=Uganda: 7
NG=Nigeria: 17
SL=Sierra Leone: 2
LR=Liberia: 3
GM=Gambia: 1
ML=Mali: 13
NA=Namibia: 4
BF=Burkina Fuso: 17
BJ=Benin: 2
NE=Niger: 23
MW=Malawi: 3
TG=Togo: 2
SO=Somalia: 2
GA=Gabon: 2
ZM=Zambia: 9
ZW=Zimbabwe: 11
BW=Botswana: 2
SZ=Swaziland: 2
MU=Mauritius: 2
MZ=Mozambique: 6
MG=Madagascar: 1
RE=Reunion: 9
TD=Chad: 4
BI=Burundi: 3
RW=Rwanda: 4
SD=Sudan: 5
CI=Ivory Coast: 13
GW=Guinea Bissau: 2
GN=Guinea: 2
TZ=Tanzania: 4
EH=Western Sahara: 1
AFRICA (49): 573

TOTAL REGIONS: 191

Movies by age rating

Total children: 11478
Total Teenie: 45705
Total Adults: 43816
Total Over 18: 1865

Overview of series episodes

2026 => 105
2025 => 350
2024 => 426
2023 => 417
2022 => 444
2021 => 790
2020 => 1031
2019 => 755
2018 => 748
2017 => 883
2016 => 793
2015 => 1398
2014 => 762
2013 => 738
2012 => 743
2011 => 561
2010 => 564
2009 => 539
2008 => 518
2007 => 506
2006 => 553
2005 => 624
2004 => 616
2003 => 484
2002 => 532
2001 => 512
2000 => 430
1999 => 768
1998 => 612
1997 => 474
1996 => 622
1995 => 626
1994 => 823
1993 => 734
1992 => 725
1991 => 757
1990 => 874
1989 => 484
1988 => 531
1987 => 570
1986 => 480
1985 => 404
1984 => 550
1983 => 523
1982 => 249
1981 => 235
1980 => 335
1979 => 279
1978 => 204
1977 => 186
1976 => 201
1975 => 264
1974 => 348
1973 => 268
1972 => 305
1971 => 347
1970 => 317
1969 => 363
1968 => 257
1967 => 194
1966 => 234
1965 => 303
1964 => 243
1963 => 197
1962 => 247
1961 => 207
1960 => 196
1959 => 196
1958 => 104
1957 => 90
1956 => 111
1955 => 80
1954 => 68
1953 => 54
1952 => 54
1951 => 50
1950 => 49
1949 => 51
1948 => 52
1947 => 37
1946 => 27
1945 => 55
1944 => 53
1943 => 52
1942 => 56
1941 => 56
1940 => 29
1939 => 4
1938 => 1
1937 => 2
1936 => 40

Total Serien: 34729

Metrics from the archive

Total hours of video + audio: 106341.45 hours
<15 Min:15155, 15-30 Min:17338, 30-60 Min:20525 (<=1 Std: 53018)
1-2 hours: 45240, 2-4 hours: 4574, >4 hours: 56 (>1 hour: 49870)
Number of files: 115883 – Videos: 102896 (102864) – Audios: 12987