HELLA MOJA (SAMMLUNG)
02/06/2025
VOM WERDEN DEUTSCHER FILMKUNST - DER STUMME FILM CIGARETTEN BILDERDIENST - ALTONA-BAHRENFELD (1935)
Card n.22
HELLO MOJA
Hella Moja Origins and education Born in Königsberg on January 18, 1896 as Helene Morawski (later also registered as Helene Schwerdtfeger), Hella Moja was orphaned at a young age. To support herself, she worked as a translator for the Deutsche Presse-Korrespondenz in Hannover, while simultaneously cultivating her passion for acting. She trained on stage with the famous Emmanuel Reicher and Frida Richard, taking her first professional steps at the Lessingtheater in Berlin, where she debuted in 1913 and remained until 1915. From theater to silent cinema 1914: first engagement on the set, she began to play roles in German productions. Early career: she made her mark during the First World War, becoming one of the most sought-after actresses on the national scene. Key roles: “The White Rose” (1915) “Streichhölzer, buy Streichhölzer!” (1916) “Tatiana's Last Dance” (1918) with Otto Rippert “Figaros Hochzeit” and “So ein Mädel” (1920), the latter directed by Urban Gad “Gräfin Walewska” and “Der Vampyr” (1920) In 1927 in “U 9 Weddigen” by Heinz Paul Thanks to a face with a strong visual impact and a refined elegance, she even ended up in collections such as those of the very famous film figurines. Entrepreneur and screenwriter In 1918 she founded the Hella Moja Filmgesellschaft, a production company entirely managed by her, where she not only acted but also began to produce and, in the mid-twenties, to write screenplays. Among the titles produced and signed as a screenwriter: So ein Mädel (1920) – actress, producer and author Felicitas Grolandin (1923) – producer Der falsche Prinz (1927) and Die andere Seite (1931) – screenwriter This versatility made her a rare example of a female entrepreneur in an industry that was still deeply male at the time. The Thirties and difficulties under Nazism With the rise of Nazism, Hella Moja found herself entangled in the racial laws: unable to prove an “Aryan” ancestry, she was forced to change her name in 1934 to Helka Moroff. Despite some attempts to resume her film career, engagements on the big screen became increasingly rare. Final years in Kiel and tragic conclusion From 1942, under the last pseudonym Hella Sewa, she worked as a prompter at the Stadttheater in Kiel. After the war, she found no more space in either the cinema or the theatre. In December 1951, at the age of just 55, she took her own life in Kiel, leaving behind the memory of a pioneer of German cinema. Legacy and curiosities Pioneering figure: one of the first women to head a production company and to sign her own screenplays in Germany. Iconic image: several of her photographs, including portraits of Nicola Perscheid, helped spread her sophisticated style in the 1920s. Historical memory: although she disappeared from the big screen after the 1930s, her entrepreneurial and creative path is often studied as an example of female autonomy in the silent film industry.