Hungarian filmmaker Bence Fliegauf, who directed the film "Womb," confirmed Tarr's death to Hungary's national news agency, MTI, on behalf of the Tarr family.
The European Film Academy shared a tribute on their website, stating that Tarr died "after a long and serious illness."
Throughout his career, Tarr made nine feature films.
He started with "Family Nest" in 1979 and ended with "The Turin Horse" in 2011. His film style focused more on the feeling of time, space, and atmosphere rather than traditional storytelling.
Tarr's films often use long, complex single-take shots that can last several minutes, giving the audience an immersive experience.
These shots are sometimes described as "temporal realism." His films mostly avoid traditional plots and instead examine themes of human existence. They center on the lives of people who are struggling or living in difficult, post-communist environments in Hungary.
Though his films were not big box office hits, they had a major influence on art house cinema.
His 1994 film "Sátántangó," based on a novel by László Krasznahorkai, is seen as a key film in the slow cinema movement. Van Sant has mentioned Tarr as a big influence on his "Death Trilogy," which includes "Gerry," "Elephant," and "Last Days." Jarmusch's films also show a similar style, with their calm, observational approach.
Bela Tarr was born in 1955 in Pécs, Hungary.
He started his career at a young age, working at Balázs Béla Studio, a place known for experimental Hungarian cinema. His first film, "Family Nest," won the Grand Prix at the Mannheim Film Festival, leading him to study at the Academy of Theatre and Film in Budapest.
After graduating in 1982, Tarr started his own studio, Társulás Filmstúdió, which he ran until it was closed down in 1985 due to political reasons.
His second film, "Damnation," premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and was nominated for best young film at the 1988 European Film Awards.
Tarr was known for his strong political views.
He described himself as a "leftist anarchist" and criticized nationalism and right-wing populism. He publicly criticized leaders like Viktor Orbán, Marine Le Pen, and Donald Trump. In 2023, he joined other filmmakers in writing an open letter calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, protecting civilians, allowing humanitarian aid, and releasing hostages.
After releasing "The Turin Horse," which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize, Tarr said his work was complete.
He told The Hollywood Reporter, "I don’t want to be a stupid filmmaker who is just repeating himself and doing the same shit just to bore the people."
He spent the rest of his time developing new filmmaking methods through educational programs.
In 2012, he founded the film.factory in Sarajevo, which brought together artists like Gus Van Sant, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Carlos Reygadas, Tilda Swinton, and Juliette Binoche. They worked in a non-traditional, open teaching environment. He also taught at film schools around the world and held workshops for young filmmakers.
In 2023, he was honored by the European Film Academy for his contributions to cinema.
No comments:
Post a Comment