Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr pays a 5-day visit to FTII

New Delhi: The ‘ultimate auteurist’s auteur’ and one of the most revered figures in world cinema today, Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr has arrived at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune to conduct a 5-day long Masterclass in Film Direction for the Final Year Diploma students of the Direction and Screenplay Writing Department. His films, among them Werckmeister Harmonies (2000), The Turin Horse (2011) and the monumental Satantango (1994) in soul-rending black and white, have inspired a cult following everywhere.

The extended long takes, choreographed delicately across stretches of space and time, impart an intense sense of the ‘real’ to his characters and the world they inhabit, invoking philosophical and poetic questions on life, especially in the present times. The master’s presence at FTII, with the Institute’s rich legacy of experimentation in cinematic expression and a deep commitment to meaningful cinema, will help illuminate and guide the quest of the present students of the Direction and Screenplay Writing Department as well as all other specializations.

Mr Bela Tarr will also hold a session on Sunday (ie Dec 18, 2022) for the student community on FTII campus where he will share his unique explorations in cinematic form, in turn helping nurture the cinematic aspirations of the larger student community. The students of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata will join this open session online.

Bela Tarr was in India to receive the prestigious International Film Festival of Kerala Lifetime achievement award (2022). FTII Director Prof. Sandeep Shahare congratulated the Department of Direction and Screenplay Writing for organising this Masterclass.