after the death of his father in 1910 and the inheritance of his estates in bohemia, alexander kolowrat founded the sascha-film factory and a film laboratory at his castle groß meierhöfen (today "velké dvorce") in pfraumberg ("přimda"). in 1912, he moved to vienna and founded the "sascha-filmfabrik" on pappenheimgasse 2/treustraße in brigittenau. one of his first productions with sascha-film was the documentary "die gewinnung des erzes am steirischen erzberg in eisenerz" ("the ore mining in the styrian erzberg in eisenerz"). in 1915, he took over the film branch of the "k.u.k. kriegspressequartier" (war media quarters) in vienna and also produced several propaganda movies during world war i.