Bálint Kenyeres
Hungarian film director and screenwriter
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Bálint Kenyeres (born 1976) is a Hungarian film director and screenwriter. His short film Before Dawn won the European Film Award for Best Short Film in 2006 and received a Special Mention from the Short Film Jury at the Sundance Film Festival.[3][4] His films have been selected three times in Cannes Film Festival programmes: Before Dawn screened in the Cannes Short Film Palme d'Or competition in 2005,[5][6] The History of Aviation screened in the Directors' Fortnight section in 2009,[7][8] and The Spectacle was selected for the Cannes Short Film Palme d'Or competition in 2025.[9]
Bálint Kenyeres | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976 (age 49–50)[1] Budapest, Hungary[1] |
| Alma mater | University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest |
| Occupations | Director, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1999–present[2] |
Kenyeres is a founding member of the London-based production company Assembly Collective.
Early life and education
Kenyeres was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1976.[1][2] He studied philosophy, film history and film theory before graduating from the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest in 2006 with a degree in film directing.[1][2][10] Following his graduation he became a member of the European Film Academy.[1][2]
Career
Short films
Kenyeres began directing short films in the late 1990s. His film Closing Time (Hungarian: Zárás, 1999) premiered at the Venice Film Festival.[2][1]
His short film Before Dawn (2005) premiered in the short film competition at the Cannes Film Festival.[5][6] The film depicts, in a single continuous 35mm shot, people rising from a field of wheat to be collected by a van before a Special Forces ambush takes place.[11] It won the European Film Award for Best Short Film in 2006 and received a Special Mention from the Short Film Jury at the Sundance Film Festival.[3][4]
Kenyeres returned to Cannes in 2009 with the short film The History of Aviation, which screened in the Directors’ Fortnight programme.[7][8] The film follows a young girl walking along seaside cliffs while, in the sky above, a forgotten moment from aviation history unfolds.[12]
In 2025, his short film The Spectacle, about a boy with supernatural abilities who lives in a small village just outside Budapest, was selected for the Cannes short film competition.[9]
Feature films
Kenyeres directed his first feature film, Hier, starring Vlad Ivanov, which premiered at the Locarno Film Festival in 2018.[13][14] The film was an international co-production involving companies from Hungary, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and Morocco.[15] The film follows a man pursuing a hallucinatory obsession through Morocco.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Description | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Producer | ||||
| 1999 | Closing Time (Zárás) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film | Premiered at the Venice Film Festival[2][1] |
| 2000 | Teleplay (Tévéjáték) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film | Early short film project[10] |
| 2005 | Before Dawn | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film | European Film Award – Best Short Film; Cannes Film Festival Short Film Palme d'Or Competition; Sundance Film Festival Short Film Jury Award Honorable Mention[5][3][4] |
| 2009 | The History of Aviation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film | Directors' Fortnight selection at the Cannes Film Festival[7][12] |
| 2018 | Hier | Yes | Yes | Yes | Feature film | Premiered at the Locarno Film Festival[15][13] |
| 2025 | The Spectacle | Yes | Yes | Short film | Cannes Film Festival Short Film Palme d'Or Competition selection[9] | |
Selected awards and recognition
- Venice Film Festival – Premiere – Closing Time (1999)[2]
- Cannes Film Festival – Short Film Palme d'Or Nomination – Before Dawn (2005)[5]
- European Film Award for Best Short Film – Before Dawn (2006)[3]
- Sundance Film Festival – Short Film Jury Award (Honorable Mention) – Before Dawn (2006)[4]
- Sarajevo Film Festival – Heart of Sarajevo for Best Short Film – Before Dawn (2006)[16]
- Directors' Fortnight – Official Selection – The History of Aviation (2009)[7]
- Locarno Film Festival – Premiere – Hier (2018)[14]
- Cannes Film Festival – Short Film Palme d'Or Nomination – The Spectacle (2025)[9]