FILM DIRECTOR

Béla Tarr

1955 - 2026

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Béla Tarr (21 July 1955 – 6 January 2026) was a Hungarian filmmaker. His films are distinguished by languid pacing, stark black-and-white visuals, extended long takes, and an absence of traditional plotting. They explore existential themes and often focus on marginalized, desperate characters in bleak landscapes. He became known as a founding figure of the slow cinema genre, most notably with his influential 1994 film Sátántangó. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in 39 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 38 in 2024). Béla Tarr is the 271st most popular film director (down from 238th in 2024), the 174th most popular biography from Hungary (down from 142nd in 2019) and the 4th most popular Hungarian Film Director.

Béla Tarr was most famous for his extremely long takes, slow pacing, and austere black-and-white style, most notably in films such as Satantango, Werckmeister Harmonies, and The Turin Horse. His work, including Damnation, made him a defining figure of slow cinema and philosophical arthouse filmmaking.

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Among FILM DIRECTORS

Among film directors, Béla Tarr ranks 271 out of 2,041. Before him are Claude Sautet, Rouben Mamoulian, Douglas Sirk, Jerzy Stuhr, Gojko Mitić, and Souleymane Cissé. After him are Terence Young, Nanni Moretti, Robert Siodmak, Mario Bava, Bigas Luna, and Philippe de Broca.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1955, Béla Tarr ranks 83. Before him are Valdis Zatlers, José Antonio Camacho, Billy Idol, Björn Andrésen, Toninho Cerezo, and Martin Schulz. After him are Lena Olin, Billy Milligan, Michael Schenker, Adem Jashari, Mark Hollis, and Michael Rooker.

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In Hungary

Among people born in Hungary, Béla Tarr ranks 174 out of 1,077. Before him are Géza Lakatos (1890), Peter Delyan (1009), Georg Solti (1912), Imi Lichtenfeld (1910), András Arató (1945), and Magda Szabó (1917). After him are Ladislaus Hunyadi (1431), Karl Goldmark (1830), Árpád Göncz (1922), László Csatáry (1915), Péter Medgyessy (1942), and Gyula Cseszneky (1914).

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Among FILM DIRECTORS In Hungary

Among film directors born in Hungary, Béla Tarr ranks 4. Before him are Michael Curtiz (1886), István Szabó (1938), and Miklós Jancsó (1921). After him are Adolph Zukor (1873), Márta Mészáros (1931), Ladislao Vajda (1906), Andre DeToth (1913), Ján Kadár (1918), Zoltán Fábri (1917), László Benedek (1905), and Ildikó Enyedi (1955).

Hungarian born Film Directors

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