A very influential film star has died. Renowned Hungarian arthouse filmmaker Béla Tarr, celebrated for his intricately planned marathon sequences, has passed away aged 70.
Fellow Hungarian director Benxe Fliegauf broke the heartbreaking news to Hungary’s national news agency MTI, speaking on behalf of Tarr’s family.
The European Film Academy announced on their website Tuesday [6 January] that Tarr had died “after a long and serious illness” in a touching tribute. Throughout his career, Tarr helmed nine feature films across a relatively brief but impactful journey in cinema.
His filmography spanned from Family Nest in 1979 through to The Turin Horse in 2011, reports the Express. Tarr emphasised the immediate sensation of time, space and mood rather than traditional narrative techniques.
(Image: Sean Gallup, Getty Images)
His films frequently showcased extended, intricate single-shot sequences that could stretch for several minutes which immerse viewers in the environment, a technique some film scholars dubbed “temporal realism”. Despite not hitting the commercial jackpot, his films left an indelible mark on art house cinema.
His 1994 epic Sátántangó, a whopping 450-minute adaptation of László Krasznahorkai’s novel, is hailed as a cornerstone of the modern slow cinema movement.
(Image: Pier Marco Tacca, Getty Images)
Born in 1955 in the heart of Pécs, Hungary, Tarr embarked on his filmmaking journey at just 16. He began at Balázs Béla Stúdió and his directorial debut, Family Nest, scooped the Grand Prix at the Mannheim Film Festival.
He once told The Hollywood Reporter: “I don’t want to be a stupid filmmaker who is just repeating himself and doing the same s*** just to bore the people.” Instead, he channelled his energy into pioneering fresh approaches to filmmaking through teaching programmes.
(Image: Europa Press via Getty Images)
In 2012, he established the international film school Film Factory in Sarajevo, bringing in arthouse heavyweights like Tilda Swinton and Juliette Binoche as tutors in an innovative learning environment. The European Film Academy recognised his cinematic achievements with an honour in 2023.
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