A simple Google search reveals a daring director who has had a good share of industry awards and critics’ attention. But that’s not the whole story about Gyula Nemes.
A few films into his career, and Nemes is positioning himself as a rebel child of Hungarian cinema. In terms of his films, but also in terms of his views and statements.
He is no stranger to choosing hot issues to focus on. His short film The Lost World (was awarded at Karlovy Vart, Hamburg and Navarra) is a documentary about people living in houseboats and wooden houses, in danger of being evicted by investors. Nemes shot the 20 minutes doco over 10 years.
His latest film, Zero, released in 2015, imagines a near future where the imminent extinction of bees brings havoc among humans. It is an explosive experimental film, with a clear political agenda. As such, some scenes offended one of the funding bodies, the Hungarian Film Fund. Nemes had to concede to deleting them, but not without making it all public.
The incident, he confessed in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, paired with recent political developments, are making him reconsider his future as a filmmaker in Hungary.
‘I don’t want to live in a country where there is an Iron Curtain. I want to live in a free country,’ said Nemes to the Hollywood Reporter interviewer.
But you can hear straight from the horse’s mouth this Sunday when we’re screening his latest film Zero. As the time different didn’t allow for a live interview, Sabi Paisa is preparing a Skype interview with Gyula Nemes which we will play for you.
So book your tickets for Zero through Sustainable Living Festival now, or buy a EuRaw Stories pass.
Its great to see Euraw will be showcasing movies that tackle some of the difficult issues we face, not just issues affecting us locally but those that are small in scale but global in their impact.