The Prexer AP-44 film projector, manufactured in the 1970s, is designed to project films from a 16mm tape. It was designed to be used in small projection rooms or other rooms with limited dimensions. It was manufactured by Łódzkie Zakłady Kinotechniczne (ŁZK) – the only manufacturer of film projectors in communist Poland. The enterprise began operation in 1945, initially repairing damaged units and making replacement parts for them. Soon, the core activity of the factory became the production of equipment for Wytwórnia Filmów Fabularnych at the Łódź film studios, established in January 1950. Due to the development of film and television, the range of devices was extended to include 35 mm film projectors with an arc lamp for permanent cinemas, and projectors with a filament lamp for the narrow 16mm and 8 mm gauges, intended for use in small projection rooms and travelling cinemas. Mass production of the first projector was launched in 1947 – it was a wide-gauge device of the AP-1 type. Popular transparency projectors with a cult following were made by Łódzkie Zakłady Kinotechniczne, such as the B-2 Bajka and B-9 Ania, photocopiers, 8-, 16- and 35-mm projectors, as well as weapons, reels for angling, circular saws, lathes, grinders, and milling machines. In the 1970s and 1980s, ŁZK Prexer was part of Zjednoczenie Przemysłu Zmechanizowanego Sprzętu Domowego Predom. It ended its operations in 1990.
As an optical device, the Prexer AP-44 allows projection of images onto a projection screen, for which it uses film tape wound onto two reels. Enclosed in the body of the device is the mechanism for the continuous movement of film at a speed of 16 frames per second or more, enabling the creation of the impression of a moving image. Like other projectors made by ŁZK, this device was advertised as “easy to operate” and “durable in use”, and, above all, as providing a “sharp, stable and clear image and clean, undistorted sound”. For these reasons it was a device useful for teaching in schools and universities. The body of the projector, with folding arms for film reels, was placed on a durable metal plate to which the protective case is mounted with clips. Such a design, combined with the relatively small weight of the device (below 20 kg), makes the Prexer AP-44 a portable projector. This allowed the equipment to be used in training sessions or in ad hoc propaganda campaigns in the field.

Authors: Piotr Turowski, Filip Wróblewski