Documentary, 98′, 2016 International Five Lakes Festival 2016 – Best Documentary János Orsós is of Romani descent, a teacher, and a Buddhist. Inspired by the history of the Dalits or “untouchables” in India, birthplace of both Romani culture and Buddhism, he founded a school in a small Hungarian village with the goal of enabling teenagers […]
Documentary, 73′, 2010 First Steps Award “Best documentary” Knocking on doors and asking for donations at private homes – this is the job of professional fundraisers. They get paid according to their success. The documentary follows a young fundraising team of the Malteser Relief Organization through a summer full of ups and downs. KameraSeven young […]
Short fiction, 20′, 2007 Award of the Bavarian Film Board, Regensburg Short Film Festival An industrial location in danger of being closed, somewhere in southern Germany. Ex-foreman Xaver has been twiddling his thumbs for some months – he is in early retirement. His wife Karin still works at “his” former plant, a household appliances factory. […]
Documentary, 63′, 2006 Zelig Award, Borderland Festival Bolzano Two love-stories. A film about love in a world of globalization. A film about people on the phone. Cynthia comes from Ghana and Luis from Peru. They both live in Munich and love somebody living far away – back in their home country. As well as the […]
Short Documentary, 15′, 2004 Avid Award, International Documentary Film Festival Munich München Hansi is number three in his soccer team and the third of four children. He is thirteen years old, and he often has to fight: When his classmates beat each other, when he argues with his three sisters, when teachers demand. Hansi loves […]
The white haired man at the next table observes me for a while. Then he grabs his beer and walks up to me. He is full of wit and irony. He speaks very good English. What are you doing in our village? Are you an alien? A spy? István Kohut is a retired chemist. He […]
Shooting in places where people are poor is always a tightrope walk. For my documentary Angry Buddha I regularly visited a Roma settlement in the Hungarian village of Sajókaza during three years. It was one of the toughest and most rewarding experiences of my life. Here are 15 lessons I learned. Have time. People will […]
I spent more than three years shooting in the Romany settlement of Sajókaza. The first thing I had to learn was humility. Those people hate cameras. Permission to shoot was eventually granted by some families, albeit reluctantly, and was often withdrawn all of a sudden. I learnt to take things as they happened. I was […]