 Ivens founded and remained involved in the Amsterdam film-league ("Filmliga"), while he managed his father's photographic business and attended university.Ivens' "first enthusiasm was the abstract films sent to them — sometimes "brought" to them — from Germany by new film directors Ruttmann, Eggeling, Richter, and others," and "De Brug", one of Ivens' first ventures into filmmaking, followed in a similar vein.In the 1920s, the modern, technology-oriented city of Rotterdam had become quite popular.