Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr, renowned for his somber and unique cinematic style, has passed away at the age of 70. His death was confirmed today by filmmaker Bence Fliegauf on behalf of Tarr’s family and shared by the European Film Academy, which stated that he died following a prolonged and serious illness.
Tarr was born in Pécs, Hungary, in 1955. He embarked on his filmmaking journey at Balázs Béla Stúdió, one of Hungary’s pioneering experimental film studios, where he made his directorial debut with the film *Family Nest* in 1977. The film garnered critical attention, securing the Grand Prix at the Mannheim Film Festival, and paved the way for Tarr to enroll at the Academy of Theatre and Film in Budapest, from which he graduated in 1982. He subsequently founded Társulás Filmstúdió, where he continued to work until its closure in 1985.
Tarr captured international acclaim in 1988 for his feature *Damnation*, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and earned him the Best Young Film Award at the European Film Awards. Throughout his career, he directed nine feature films, with his last being *The Turin Horse* in 2011, which received the Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival.
Among his most celebrated works is the 1994 film *Sátántangó*, a lengthy 450-minute adaptation of a novel by László Krasznahorkai that debuted at the Berlin Film Festival and gained cult status. *Sátántangó* is often regarded as a seminal work of the 1990s and serves as a cornerstone of the contemporary slow cinema movement. In 2019, a 4K restoration of the film was presented at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival, which received Tarr’s endorsement.
In recent years, Tarr shared his expertise as a visiting professor at various film academies, including Filmakademie BW Ludwigsburg, Le Fresnoy – Studio national des arts contemporains in Lille, and FreeSzfe in Budapest. His contributions to cinema were recognized in 2023 with the European Film Academy’s Honorary Award, marking a high point in a distinguished career that has left an indelible mark on the world of filmmaking.
Béla Tarr’s influence on the realm of cinema is profound, with his works continuing to inspire filmmakers and audiences alike. His legacy will persist through the powerful storytelling and artistic vision he brought to the screen.