The Academy of Drama and Film in Budapest (, SZFE) is an educational institution founded in 1865 in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

. It became a university in 2000 and the name was changed to University of Theatre and Film Arts.

History

On 31 August 2020, the university's management resigned in protest at the imposition of a government-appointed

board of trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

which they saw as limiting the university's autonomous status. A group of students took over the school building in protest and barricaded themselves inside. Several artists signed an open letter in defense of the autonomy of the school. In 2021, the University announced that its film institute would operate under the name Zsigmond Vilmos Institute for Motion Picture, housed in a building on Szentkirályi Street within the former Duna Television headquarters in Buda. Its theater institute, renamed the Sinkovits Imre Institute for the Theatrical Arts, and theoretical studies institute, renamed the

Antal Németh Institute of Drama Theory The Academy of Drama and Film in Budapest (, SZFE) is an educational institution founded in 1865 in Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary (1526–1867), Hungary. It became a university in 2000 and the name was changed to University of Theatre and Film Arts ...

, are housed in the former

Károlyi Palace Károlyi Palace () refers to a number of palaces in Hungary, particularly Budapest, which were owned by members of the Károlyi, Károlyi family History The Károlyi family is one of the ancient Hungarian nobility, Hungarian noble families. Desce ...

on Szentkirályi Street and Rákóczi Street.

Notable alumni

Directors

István Szabó István Szabó (; born 18 February 1938) is a Hungarian film director, screenwriter, and opera director. Szabó is one of the most notable Hungary, Hungarian filmmakers and one who has been best known outside the Hungarian language, Hungarian- ...

–

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-winning (1981) ''(also nominated in 1963, 1980, 1985 and 1988)'',

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...

–winning (1985) and

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

–nominee ''(1985 and 1988)'' director *

Miklós Jancsó Miklós Jancsó (; 27 September 192131 January 2014) was a Hungarian people, Hungarian film director and screenwriter. Jancsó achieved international prominence starting in the mid-1960s with works including ''Szegénylegények, The Round-Up'' ...

– Cannes Film Festival Award-winning (1972) and

Kossuth Prize The Kossuth Prize (, ) is a state-sponsored award in Hungary, named after the Hungarian politician and revolutionist Lajos Kossuth. The Prize was established in 1936, by the Hungarian National Assembly, to acknowledge outstanding personal and grou ...

–winning director (1973, 2006) *

Béla Tarr Béla Tarr (born 21 July 1955) is a Hungarian filmmaker. Debuting with the film '' Family Nest'' (1979), Tarr began his directorial career with a brief period of what he refers to as "social cinema", aimed at telling everyday stories about ordi ...

–

(2003) and

Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize The Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize (also Jury Grand Prix, Grand Prize of the Jury) is an award given by the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival to one of the feature films in competition. It is the runner-up to the Golden Bear prize an ...

–winning director (2011) *

Kristóf Deák Kristóf Deák (; born June 7, 1982) is a Hungarian film director, screenwriter, film producer and editor who is best known for his work on ''Sing'', which earned him critical appraisal and recognition including the Academy Award for Best Live ...

–

–winning director (2016) *

Ildikó Enyedi Ildikó Enyedi (; born 15 November 1955) is a Hungarian film director and screenwriter. She is best known for directing ''On Body and Soul'', which won the top prize at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival among other awards, and was nom ...

–

–nominee (2017) and

Golden Bear The Golden Bear () is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival and is, along with the Palme d'Or and the Golden Lion, the most important international film festival award. The bear is the heraldic an ...

-winning director (2017) *

Dénes Nagy Dénes Nagy (Budapest, 1980) is a Hungarian film director, editor and screenwriter. His first feature film, '' Natural Light'' was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Director in 2021. Life and career He graduated from the University of Theatr ...

–

Silver Bear The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

–winning director (2021) *

Kornél Mundruczó Kornél Mundruczó (; born 3 April 1975) is a Hungarian film and theatre director. His 2014 film '' White God'' won the Prize at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. While '' Tender Son: The Frankenstein Project'' (2010) and '' Jupiter's Moon'' (2 ...

–

Prix Un Certain Regard (; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews ...

–winner director (2014) *

László Lugossy László Lugossy (born 23 October 1939) is a Hungarian film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and a ...

–

–winning director (1985) *

Károly Makk Károly Makk (December 22, 1925 – August 30, 2017) was a Hungarian film director and screenwriter. Five of his films were nominated for the ''Palme d'Or'' at the Cannes Film Festival; however, he won lesser awards at Cannes and elsewhere. He w ...

–

–winning director (1973) *

Nimród Antal Nimród E. Antal (; born November 30, 1973) is a Hungarian Americans, Hungarian-American film director, screenwriter and actor. Life and career Antal was born in Los Angeles, California, to parents of Hungarian people, Hungarian descent. In 199 ...

– director *

Gábor Bódy Gábor Bódy (30 August 1946 – 24 October 1985) was a Hungarian film director, screenwriter, theoretic, and occasional actor. A pioneer of experimental filmmaking and film language, Bódy is one of the most important figures of Hungarian cinem ...

– director

Cinematographers

Vilmos Zsigmond Vilmos Zsigmond (; June 16, 1930 – January 1, 2016) was a Hungarian-American cinematographer. His work in cinematography helped shape the look of American movies in the 1970s, making him one of the leading figures in the American New Wave ...

–

–winning (1977) ''(also nominated in 1978, 1984 and 2006)'',

-winning (1979) ''(also nominated in 1972 for three different films and 1978)'' and

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

–winning (1993) ''(also nominated in 2002)'' cinematographer; Pierre Angénieux Excellens in Cinematography (2014) * László Kovács – cinematographer *

József Mikó József S. Mikó (Joseph S. Miko) Joseph Miko was a cinematographer in Hungary when the 1956 revolution against the Russian occupation broke out. Miko grabbed the opportunity to film the revolution in hopes of getting the films out of Hungary s ...

– cinematographer *

Lajos Koltai Lajos Koltai, ASC, HSC, (born 2 April 1946) is a Hungarian cinematographer and film director, best known for his work with directors István Szabó and Giuseppe Tornatore. His work in '' Malèna'' earned him a nomination for the Academy Awa ...

–

–winning and

-nominee (2001) cinematographer *

Mátyás Erdély Mátyás Erdély (born 17 September 1976) is a Hungarian cinematographer. Filmography Feature film Television Awards and nominations References External links * 1976 births Living people Hungarian cinematographers

–

–winning cinematographer (2016) *

Marcell Rév Marcell Rév (born December 30, 1984) is a Hungarian cinematographer. He is best known for his collaborations with directors Kornél Mundruczó in the films '' White God'' (2014) and '' Jupiter's Moon'' (2017) and Sam Levinson in the HBO series ...

–

–winning (2022) ''(also nominated in 2021)'' cinematographer

Actors

Mari Törőcsik Mari Törőcsik (born Marián Törőcsik; 23 November 1935 – 16 April 2021) was a Hungarian stage and film actress. She appeared in more than 170 films from 1956 to 2020. She won the award for Best Actress at the 1976 Cannes Film Festiva ...

–

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

(1976) and three–time

–winning actress (1973, 1999 and 2019) * Alexandra Borbély –

European Film Award The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the most ...

-winning actress (2017) * Géza Röhrig –

–winning actor (2016) *

Hilda Gobbi Hilda Emília Gizella Gobbi (6 June 1913 – 13 July 1988) was an award-winning Hungarian actress, known for her portrayals of elderly women. One of her most beloved performances was as Aunt Szabo in the radio soap opera ''The Szabo Family''. A ...

–

–winning actress (1949) *

Károly Eperjes Károly Eperjes (born 17 February 1954 in Hegykő) is a Kossuth Prize winner Hungarian stage and film actor, member of the National Theatre in Budapest. Eperjes appeared in more than fifty films since 1982. Selected filmography Awards * J� ...

–

–winning actor (1999) *

Cecília Esztergályos Cecília Esztergályos (born 26 January 1943) is a Hungarian actress. She appeared in more than seventy films since 1962. Selected filmography References External links * 1943 births Living people Hungarian film actresses Actresses ...

–

–winning actress (2018) *

Miklós Benedek Miklós Benedek (28 September 1946 – 9 January 2024) was a Hungarian actor and writer. He is most noted for his role of Mr. Fritz Teufel in the 1986 movie ''Cat City''. Early life Miklós Benedek was born on 28 September 1946. His father, Ti ...

- actor *

Imre Sinkovits Imre Sinkovits (21 September 1928 in Budapest – 18 January 2001 in Budapest) was a Hungarian actor. Career After a year in Downtown Theatre and another in Youth Theatre, in 1949 he got a job in National Theatre, where he stayed until ...

- Kossuth Prize-winning actor who was named an "Actor of the Nation"

Editor

Dávid Jancsó Dávid Jancsó is a Hungarian film editor. He is known for his frequent collaboration with filmmaker Brady Corbet and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for ''The Brutalist'' (2024). Selected filmography * '' White God'' ...

-nominated (2024) editor

Playwright

* Miklós László – playwright

References

External links

Official website in English
Universities and colleges established in 1865 Universities in Budapest Art schools in Hungary Arts organizations established in 1865 1865 establishments in the Austrian Empire {{Hungary-university-stub