Marcell Jankovics (21 October 1941 – 29 May 2021) was a Hungarian graphic artist, film director, animator and author. He is best known for the animated films '' Johnny Corncob'' (1973; the first animated feature of his native country) and '' Son of the White Mare'' (1981; cited as one of the best animated films ever made).

Life and career

Jankovics was born on 21 October 1941 in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

, Hungary. From 1955 he attended the

Pannonhalma Pannonhalma (german: Martinsberg; sk, Rábsky Svätý Martin) is a town in Győr-Moson-Sopron County, western Hungary, with approximately 4,000 inhabitants. It is about from Győr. Archduke Otto Habsburg's heart is kept at the Pannonhalma Archa ...

Benedictine Secondary School. He started working at Pannónia in 1960. His fourth feature film ''

The Tragedy of Man ''The Tragedy of Man'' ( hu, Az ember tragédiája) is a play (theatre), play written by the Hungary, Hungarian author Imre Madách. It was first published in 1861. The play is considered to be one of the major works of Hungarian literature and ...

'' was in production from 1988 until its release in 2011. He died on 29 May 2021.

Accolades and legacy

He received his Oscar nomination for the 1974 animated short film ''

Sisyphus In Greek mythology, Sisyphus or Sisyphos (; Ancient Greek: Σίσυφος ''Sísyphos'') was the founder and king of Ephyra (now known as Corinth). Hades punished him for cheating death twice by forcing him to roll an immense boulder up a hill ...

.'' That film was used for a GMC Yukon Hybrid ad during the 2008 Super Bowl based on an agreement between the Hungarian film studio Pannónia and GM. He also received a

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

for the short film '' The Struggle'' at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival. He has been presented multiple awards at the Kecskemét Animation Film Festival since 1985. In 2009, he was presented with the

Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts The Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts has been established by the World Cultural Council (Mexico) to acknowledge those who offer a positive message to mankind through different expressions of art. It is conferred upon "artist, sculptor, write ...

. In 2021, he received the posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award from the CineFest Miskolc International Film Festival. ''Son of the White Mare'' was placed #49 on the Olympiad of Animation in 1984. Animation historian Charles Solomon listed ''The White Mare's Son'' as one of the best animated films of the 1980s.

Filmography

His filmography includes: *'' Johnny Corncob'' (''János vitéz'') (1973) *''

'' (1974) *'' The Struggle'' (''Küzdők'') (1977) *'' Son of the White Mare'' (''Fehérlófia'') (1981) *''A Székely asszony és az ördög'' ("The Transylvanian Woman and the Devil") (1985) - Winner of the 1st KAFF Prize for Best Series. *''Hol volt, hol nem volt'' ("

A Hungarian Fairy Tale ''A Hungarian Fairy Tale'' (original title: ''Hol volt, hol nem volt'') is a 1987 Hungarian film directed by Gyula Gazdag. Plot Andris is a child living in Budapest. He is conceived when his mother Maria is attracted to a mysterious stranger ...

") (1987) * ''Tangram'' (1988) - Winner of the KAFF Award for Best Animation.
2. Kecskeméti Animációs Filmfesztivál
'. Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 1988. *''

Magyar népmesék ''Hungarian Folk TalesAz egyes epizódok főcíme, és stáblistája alapján.'' ( hu, Magyar népmesék) is a Hungarian animated series and one of the first and biggest successes of Pannonia Film Studio, based on studio head Ferenc Mikulás' orig ...

'' ("Hungarian Folk Tales") (1988-1996) - Jankovics was awarded the KAFF Prize for Best Film Series together with Zsuzsanna Kricskovics for their work on the episode entitled "Mindent járó malmocska" ("Mill Film"). He would go on to win the KAFF Prize for Best TV Series with Mária Horvát in 1996 for their work on the episode entitled "A pityke és a kökény" ("The Han and the Wild Plum") *''Jankula'' (1993) - Winner of the KAFF Award for the Category of Cultural History *'' Ének a Csodaszarvasról'' ("Song of the Miraculous Hind") (2002) - Winner of the KAFF-Sponsored Award of the National Radio and Television Commission. *'' Az ember tragédiája'' ("The Tragedy of Man") (2011) - Jankovics was awarded the KAFF Prize for Best Visual Language for the sequence entitled "Egy jottányit sem!" ("Not an iota!") from ''Az ember tragédiája VII. szín'' ("The Tragedy of Man Part 7), and the Jury's Special Mention at the 8th

Festival of European Animated Feature Films and TV Specials A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival con ...

for this work.
11. Kecskeméti Animációs Filmfesztivál 8. Európai Animációs Játékfilm Fesztivál
'. Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 2013.

References

External links

*
''Jankovics Marcell''
* *
''Son of the White Mare''trailers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jankovics, Marcell 1941 births 2021 deaths Hungarian film directors Hungarian screenwriters Male screenwriters Hungarian male writers People from Budapest People educated at the Benedictine High School of Pannonhalma Hungarian animators Hungarian animated film directors