Global film legend Béla Tarr to teach at FAMU throughout the autumn
Leading film director Béla Tarr will come to Prague at the end of September to teach FAMU students in master’s and doctoral programme for a full semester. This is the first time an internationally renowned filmmaker is coming to FAMU our school for such a long time as part of the school’s mentoring programme. Students of Prague’s Film and TV School will get to consult a prominent personality of global cinema on dramaturgy and script structure, narration, building dramatic situations, and various methods for presenting reality.
Prominent Hungarian director and scriptwriter Béla Tarr is one of the most influential current filmmakers. His films such as The Turin Horse (2011), The Man from London (2007, starring Miroslav Krobot) an Satantango (1994) made history of global cinema, were screened all over the world and achieved success including the Grand Prize of the Jury at the Berlinale, a nomination for the Gold Palm in Cannes, and the European Film Awards. Tarr’s work is diverse in terms of genres – he applies his approach to cinema through means of expression employed in both documentaries and singularly styled apocalyptic films that explore visions of the current world.
“Béla Tarr is one of the unique authors who have consistently conceptualised the way they use the cinematic language ever since the beginning of their career – his philosophising ponderings on cinematic time and camera work are well known. He became famed through his unmistakable visuality and poetic expression. Even though he is a singular stylist, he encouraged students to think freely and find their own film language when making films with them during our mentoring programme two years ago. I am immensely happy to have him be the first filmmaker to transform this approach to tuition over the course of a full semester,” says Dean of FAMU Andrea Slováková.
FAMU’s mentoring programme, under which Béla Tarr is working with the school, aims to connect FAMU students with the current global film scene. Under the programme, the up-and-coming generation of filmmakers can learn about the practice of respected and singular personalities of all professions, with whom students can closely cooperate in intensive practical workshops and one-on-one consulting sessions.
“We are immensely honoured by the fact that our students have won Béla Tarr’s trust and that he agreed to teach more hours. For our Faculty, this is also the next step in developing our mentoring programme and integrating into study programmes more firmly and naturally. Most importantly, we are convinced that this is one of the approaches that can foster natural talent and enhance the artistic aspects of our graduates’ films”, adds Vice Dean for International Relations David Čeněk.
On 31 October, Béla Tarr will receive honorary doctorate from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, the greatest appreciation of the life and work that our university bestows alongside being named Professor (by the president of the country). AMU bestowed its first ever honorary doctorate on Václav Havel in 1996. Over the course of 27 years, 19 internationally recognised artists received the honorary degree, many of them former AMU students, including Miloš Forman, Jan Švankmajer and Agniezska Holland.
This project is implemented with the financial support of the European Union through the National Recovery Plan and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.
Contact:
Klaudie Osičková: klaudie.osickova@famu.cz