Federico Figner

Who is Federico Figner?

Federico Figner was a German immigrant living in Brazil who in 1896 filmed in Argentina what are now considered the first three films of the country. Figner's three films consisted of short depictions of sights of the city of Buenos Aires and were screened 24 November 1896.

Little is known of Figner, and his work is usually obscured by that of Eugenio Py's, a Frenchman who filmed in 1897 La Bandera Argentina. The film consisted of an Argentine flag waving at the camera for a few seconds, but for some time was regarded as the first ever made in the country, largely due to its patriotic symbolism. Figner's films, like Py's, are now lost.