Diana Groó is a Hungarian film director and screenwriter.

Diana Groó
Born
Budapest, Hungary
Occupation(s)Film director
Screenwriter
Years active1992–present

Education

edit

In 1992 Groó attended JATE BTK and ELTE BTK where she studied French language and Hebrew studies. Beside her university studies she worked as assistant director of Judit Elek and Pál Schiffer at Hunnia Filmstúdió. From 1995 till 2000, she did her BA and MA from Academy of Drama and Film in Budapest. In 2018, she completed her Doctor of Liberal Arts from University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest.[1]

Career

edit

Groó's first success came with the short documentary Trapé (1996), which was her first year exam work at the Film Academy. The film tells the story of Erwino, a 70 year old Hungarian trapeze artist of a travelling circus, who decided to perform his show again after a long break. Groó followed her protagonist and lived with the travelling circus for 6 months which was made her possible to film not only the eagerly awaited moment of the premiere but also to reveal the secret Nazi past of the old artist. Groó received her first festival recognition for this documentary at Art Film Fest in 1997. The Award for the Best Newcomer was given by Geraldine Chaplin and Krzysztoff Zanussi. During her film studies she directed the award-winning short documentary Ottavio (together with Attila Kékesi) and the short film Melody of the street (1999).[2][3] Groó earned her MA in film directing in 2000. After graduation she co-founded Katapult Film Production company along with her director fellows (Ferenc Török, György Pálfi, Szabolcs Hajdu, Bence Miklauzic, Dániel Erdélyi, Gábor Fischer, Csaba Fazekas).[4] Between 2001-2006 she turned to making experimental animation and she directed Wild Imagination, an experimental art-history series about Marc Chagall, P. Auguste Renoir, Henrie Rousseau, Pieter Bruegel and Lajos Gulácsy.[5][6] In 2005 the first four episodes of the series opened the contemporary art exhibition of Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art. The series was selected into the InterMedia courses of Haifa University along with the works of Peter Greenaway, Derek Jarman and others.[7]

Her feature debut, Miracle in Cracow (2004), a piece of Jewish magical realism (starring Jerzy Trela, Franciszek Pieczka, Stanisława Celińska , Itala Békés, Eszter Bíró, Maceiej Adamczyk) was co-produced by Krzysztof Zanussi.[8][9][10] Her second feature film, Vespa (2010), a Hungarian-Serbian road movie featuring a Romani teenager won the Unicef Award of Terra di Siena Film Festival, and the Prix du Reflet d’Or for best direction at the Geneva International Film Festival Cinema Tous Ecrans.[11][12][13][14] Groó's poetic documentary Regina (2013) based on a single photograph tells the story of Regina Jonas, the world's first woman rabbi.[15][16] Winner of the Lia Award at 30th Jerusalem Film Festival, the Warsaw Phoenix Award of Jewish Motifs International Film Festival (2014), Jury Award of 1.st Moscow Jewish Film Festival and featuring Rachel Weisz (English voiceover) and Martina Gedeck (German voiceover) as the voice of Regina Jonas.[17][18][19] George Weisz the father of actress Rachel Weisz was the film's executive producer. Screened at the International Holocaust Remembrance Day at UNESCO (2014), at the Library of Congress (2014) and deposited in the Visual Center Collection at Yad Vashem.[20][21]

In 2013, she co-founded DunaDock Master Class International Documentary Forum, along with Julianna Ugrin producer, Klára Trencsényi director and Ágnes Böjte executive producer.[22] In 2018, she became the Head of the Film and Media Specialization at Budapest Metropolitan University.[1][23]

Theatre

edit

In 2008 Diana directed Kathrine Kressmann Taylor's prophetic epistolary novel Address Unknown in Spinóza Theatre Budapest, which was staged first time in Hungary.[24] The play ran for more than 8 years starring with János Kulka, Zsolt László and Kata Pető.

Filmography

edit
Year Title Genre Awards / Notes
2013 Regina documentary
  • Lia Award 30. - Jerusalem Film Festival 2013[25]
  • Best Film - Art Film Festival Szolnok, Hungary 2013
  • Hungarian Filmcritic's Award 2014
  • Warsaw Phoenix Award - Warsaw Jewish Motifs Film Festival 2014
  • Jury Award - 1.st Moscow Jewish Film Festival
2012 Between Mountains and Seas / Child of Picasso: " Gaya" documentary
2010 Vespa feature
  • Best Actor - Hungarian Film Festival 2010
  • Best Music - Hungarian Film Festival 2010
  • UNICEF Special Award -Terra di Siena International Filmfestival 2010
  • Reflet d'Or, Best director - Cinéma Tous Écrans, 2010
  • Dialogue Prix - Cottbus International Film Festival, 2010
  • Best Film - 10th.Hungarian Film Festival, Los Angeles, 2010
  • Best Youth Actor - Olympia Film Festival, Greece 2011[12]
2010 Eldorado short
2006 Wild Imagination /

The Garden of the Magician

experimental
  • FIPA - Biarritz 2007, in competition
2006 Urlicht short
2006 What Lies Ahead documentary
  • Audience Award -Versio Human Rights Film Festival, Budapest 2007
2004 Miracle in Cracow feature
  • Best Producer Award for Gábor Garami- Hungarian Film Festival 2005
  • Golden Remi Award - Houston Worldfest 2005
2004 Wild Imagination / Rousseaus's Dreams experimental
  • Golden Chest - Plovdiv International TV Film Festival 2004
2004 Wild Imagination / Flemish Proverbs - Bruegel's Dreams experimental
  • Best Experimental - Camera Hungaria 2005
2003 Wild Imagination / Renoir's Dreams experimental
  • Best Experimental - Antalya Golden Orange International Film Festival 2003
  • Silver Remi-Award - Houston Worldfest 2004
2001 Over the Village - Chagall's Dreams experimental
  • FICC Award - Kosice International Art Film Festival 2001[26]
  • Best European Video - Malaga Unicaja Video Festival 2001
  • Best Experimental - Evora International Short Film Festival 2002[27]
2001 Córesz / Ways documentary
  • Doc Leipzig 2002
1999 Melody of the Street short
  • Best Film "On the Road" - Art Film Festival 1999[28]
  • OCIC Special Mention - Molodist International Film Festival 1999[29]
  • Grand Prix - 1st Hungarian Ecumenical Film Festival 1999
1998 Blue Eyes TV
1997 Ottavio documentary
  • The Propeller Award - Motovun Film Festival 1999[30]
1996 Trapé documentary
  • Best Short Documentary - Hungarian Film Festival 1997
  • Best Film "On the Road" - Kosice International Art Film Festival 1997[31]
  • Best Youth Documentary - Mediawave 1997[32]
  • Best Youth Documentary - Hungarian Filmcritics' Award 2000[33]
1995 Oncle Zsiga documentary
1992 Annuska short

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Dr. Groó Diana DLA". Budapest Metropolitan University (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  2. ^ poslovanje, Effectiva studio :: Web dizajn, izrada internet stranica i aplikacija za bolje. "Ottavio / All Films / Films and Authors / Factum". factum.com.hr. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Eshkolotnew (4 November 2011), Melody of the Street, archived from the original on 17 March 2024, retrieved 28 November 2017
  4. ^ "Katapultfilm". www.katapultfilm.hu (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on 1 January 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  5. ^ "Diana Groó". artincinema.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  6. ^ "Diana Groó - Hungarian National Film Fund". Hungarian National Film Fund. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  7. ^ "Diana Groó - Hungarian National Film Fund". Hungarian National Film Fund. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  8. ^ "A Miracle in Cracow - Hungarian National Film Fund". Hungarian National Film Fund. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  9. ^ Portuges, Catherine. Cinematic Memory of the Holocaust in: Bringing the Dark Past to Light: The Reception of the Holocaust in Postcommunist Europe. U of Nebraska Press. p. 295.
  10. ^ Gro, Diana (26 September 2006), A Miracle in Cracow (in Hungarian), Vanguard Cinema, archived from the original on 13 December 2023, retrieved 26 November 2017
  11. ^ Hoeij, Boyd van (10 February 2010). "Vespa". Variety. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  12. ^ a b "Vespa - Hungarian National Film Fund". Hungarian National Film Fund. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  13. ^ "Vespa". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  14. ^ "Cinema Tous Ecrans 2010 / Vespa: Compétition Longs Métrages". www.tous-ecrans.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  15. ^ Joseph, Anne (26 May 2014). "'Regina' depicts world's first woman rabbi, killed in Holocaust". The Times Of Israel. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  16. ^ "Regina: The First Woman Rabbi - BBC Four". BBC. Archived from the original on 27 July 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  17. ^ "rachel-weisz-s-father-makes-his-movie-debut". www.thejc.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  18. ^ "Regina". ViewLondon. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  19. ^ "A heroine almost lost to history: Exclusive interview with Rachel Weisz – Published in Metro". Etan Smallman. 21 May 2014. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  20. ^ "Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust 2014 | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  21. ^ "The Visual Center - Online Film Database - Query Results". db.yadvashem.org. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  22. ^ "DunaDOCK - idén először" [DunaDOCK - for the first time this year]. Index (in Hungarian). 4 September 2013.
  23. ^ "Chinese delegation at METU Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries". metubudapest.hu. Budapest Metropolitan University. 5 November 2019. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  24. ^ "Színház - Szomorú győzelem - Kressman Taylor: Címzett ismeretlen". magyarnarancs.hu (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  25. ^ "פסטיבל 2013". Jerusalem Film Festival. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  26. ^ "Ročník 2001 • Art Film Fest". Art Film Fest (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  27. ^ "Over the Village - Chagall's Dreams - Hungarian National Film Fund". Hungarian National Film Fund. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  28. ^ "Ročník 1999 • Art Film Fest". Art Film Fest (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  29. ^ "The Winners of the Molodist-1999 Festival - MOLODIST international film festival". 9 March 2016. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  30. ^ "Motovun Film Festival". www.redirekt.net. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  31. ^ "Ročník 1997 • Art Film Fest". Art Film Fest (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  32. ^ "MEDIAWAVE 1997 AWARDS". mediawavefestival. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  33. ^ "filmkritikusidijak". filmkultura. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
edit