Reykjavik International Film Festival

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BELA TARR receives Lifetime Achievement Award at RIFF, 2011 

The legendary, exemplary, unconventional and inspiring filmmaker Bela Tarr traveled from his native Hungary to Reykjavik, Iceland last week during the 8th annual Reykjavik International Film Festival (RIFF) to receive the honorary award for Lifetime Achievement for greatness in filmmaking. The president of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, awarded a statue of the nation's symbolic puffin to an emotionally touched Bela. The ceremony took place inside the president's house where a group of filmmakers, film professionals, press, civilians and politicians gathered to witness the unique event.

During the RIFF festival, Bela Tarr's latest film THE TURIN HORSE (2011), which held its world premier at Berlinale 2011, screened to audiences, followed by a Q and A with the director. A masterclass and dinners with Bela Tarr took place during the week as well (a very special feature to this year's RIFF) where Bela shared his views on filmmaking from his experience after 34 years of directing.

Bela announced that THE TURIN HORSE would be his last feature and that his next goal in life is to open up a non-school cinema school in Hungary where he would teach (and not teach) young budding filmmakers who would otherwise not have the chance to learn filmmaking.

**STAY TUNED FOR MY INTERVIEW WITH BELA. COMING UP!

Bela Tarr's 34 years of filmmaking include this impressive resume of film and TV credits:

FILM: 

The Turin Horse - Director, Writer (screenplay) 2011 5,644 Delta - Special Thanks 2008 31,163 The Gamblers - Special Thanks 2007 148,229 The Man from London - Director, Writer (screenplay), Associate Producer 2007 15,445 Töredék - Producer 2007 245,474 Herminamezö - Szellemjárás - Special Thanks 2006 278,559 Johanna - Producer 2005 44,610 Death Rode Out of Persia - Producer 2005 290,927 Visions of Europe - Director (segment "Prologue") 2004 27,869 Dealer - Special Thanks 2004 52,304 Gerry - Special Thanks 2002 6,779 $3.5M $26.3K $236KWerckmeister Harmonies - Director, Writer (screenplay), Associate Producer 2000 8,084 Château de sable (short) - Artistic Supervisor 2000 434,584 Szenvedély - Writer (writer) 1998 127,037 Journey on the Plain (short) - Director 1995 110,734 Satantango - Director, Writer (screenplay) 1994 7,480 Szürkület - Consultant 1990 115,180 City Life (documentary) - Director 1990 72,417 Utolsó hajó (short) - Director, Writer 1990 136,500 Damnation - Director, Writer (writer) 1988 21,310 Season of Monsters - Jesus as Mental Patient 1987 102,785 Öszi almanach - Director, Writer 1984 54,199 Kutya éji dala - Director in bar (uncredited) 1983 181,877 The Prefab People - Director, Writer 1982 56,329 The Outsider - Director, Writer 1981 63,591 Harcmodor - Assistant To Directors 1980 334,640 Családi tüzfészek - Director, Writer (writer) 1979 43,953 Hotel Magnezit (short) - Director 1978 124,884

TV:

(2 titles)Year MOVIEMeter UserRating UserVotesMacbeth (TV movie) - Director, Writer (screenplay) 1982 101,567 6.6 69Iván Iljics halála (TV movie) - Actor 1965 315,110

photos by Vanessa McMahon