Peter Forgacs
Encyclopedia
Péter Forgács is a media artist and independent filmmaker based in Budapest
, Hungary
. He is best known for his "Private Hungary" series of award winning films based on home movies from the 1930s and 1960s, which document ordinary lives that were soon to be ruptured by an extraordinary historical trauma that occurs off screen.
Group 180, at the same time he started to worke in the Balázs Béla Film Studio. Forgács established the Private Photo & Film Archives Foundation (PPFA, 1983) in Budapest, a unique collection of amateur film footage from the '920, and has made this material "the raw data" for his unique postmodern re-orchestrations of history.
In 2002 The Getty Research Institute
held an exhibit The Danube Exodus: Rippling Currents of the River. His international debut came with the Bartos Family (1988)http://vimeo.com/1463061, which was awarded the Grand Prix at the World Wide Video Festival in The Hague
(1990). Since then Forgács has received several international festival awards in Budapest, Lisbon
, Marseilles, [San Francisco International Film Festival] Golden Gate Award 1998, Tribeca Film Festival/New York, 2005 and Berlin, Prix Europa 1997. Forgács won the 2007 Erasmus Prize
, which is "awarded to a person or institution which has made an exceptionally important contribution to culture in Europe."
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. He is best known for his "Private Hungary" series of award winning films based on home movies from the 1930s and 1960s, which document ordinary lives that were soon to be ruptured by an extraordinary historical trauma that occurs off screen.
Biography
Since 1976 Péter Forgács is active in the Hungarian art scene as media artist/filmmaker. In the late 1970s and '80s he collaborated with the contemporary music ensemble Group 180Group 180
Group 180 was a Hungarian ensemble dedicated to the performance of new music, active from 1978 until 1990. The group achieved recognition for their performances and recordings of contemporary music in the minimal style...
Group 180, at the same time he started to worke in the Balázs Béla Film Studio. Forgács established the Private Photo & Film Archives Foundation (PPFA, 1983) in Budapest, a unique collection of amateur film footage from the '920, and has made this material "the raw data" for his unique postmodern re-orchestrations of history.
In 2002 The Getty Research Institute
Getty Research Institute
The Getty Research Institute , located at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, is "dedicated to furthering knowledge and advancing understanding of the visual arts". A program of the J...
held an exhibit The Danube Exodus: Rippling Currents of the River. His international debut came with the Bartos Family (1988)http://vimeo.com/1463061, which was awarded the Grand Prix at the World Wide Video Festival in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
(1990). Since then Forgács has received several international festival awards in Budapest, Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Marseilles, [San Francisco International Film Festival] Golden Gate Award 1998, Tribeca Film Festival/New York, 2005 and Berlin, Prix Europa 1997. Forgács won the 2007 Erasmus Prize
Erasmus Prize
The Erasmus Prize is an annual prize awarded by the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation, a Dutch non-profit organization, to individuals or institutions that have made notable contributions to European culture, society, or social science. The Praemium Erasmianum Foundation was founded on 23 June 1958 by...
, which is "awarded to a person or institution which has made an exceptionally important contribution to culture in Europe."
Filmography
- 2011 - GermanUnity@Balaton - Honeyland - produced by Lumen Film Amsterdam / Uj Budapest Film / for zdf/arte - HDCAM video 79 min.
- 2009 - Video Active - documentary - for Video Active EU TV online archive promo - web version 10 min.
- 2009 - Hunky Blues - The American Dream - produced by Filmpartners Ltd. - HD CAM 100 min.
- 2008 - I am Von Höfler - Private Hungary 15 (video 160min)
- 2007 - Own Death - fiction film - novel by Péter Nádas (video - 118min)
- 2006 - Miss Universe 1929 - Lisl Goldarbeiter - a Queen in Wien (video - 70min) http://vimeo.com/1463170
- 2005 - El Perro Negro - Stories from the Spanish Civil War (video - 84min and 52min)
- 2004 - Do You Really Love Me? (video - 33 min)
- 2004 - Mutual Analysis (video - 12min)
- 2003 - Der Kaiser auf dem Spaziergang - light & image project (DVD - 15'30min)
- 2002 - The Bishop’s Garden - Private Hungary 14 (video - 56'30min)
- 2001 - A Bibó Reader - Private Hungary 13 (35mm film and video - 69min)
- 1999 - Angelos’ Film (video - 60min)
- 1998 - The Danube Exodus (video - 60min) http://vimeo.com/1463290
- 1997 - The Maelstrom - A Family Chronic (video - 60’05min) http://vimeo.com/1605719
- 1997 - Kádár’s Kiss - Private Hungary 12 (video - 52min)
- 1997 - Class Lot - Private Hungary 11 (video - 52min)
- 1996 - Free Fall - Private Hungary 10 (video - 75min)
- 1996 - The Land of Nothing - Private Hungary 9 (video - 62min)
- 1994 - Meanwhile Somewhere 1940-43... (video - 52min)
- 1994 - The Notes of a Lady - Private Hungary 8 (video - 48min)
- 1994 - Hungarian Totem (video - 26min)
- 1993 - Conversations on Psychoanalysis - documentary series 5/5
- 1993 - Simply Happy - with Albert Wulffers (35mm film and video - 52min)
- 1993 - Culture Shavings (video - 43min)
- 1992 - Bourgeoisie Dictionary - Private Hungary 7 (video - 49min)
- 1992 - Wittgenstein Tractatus - INTERLUDE series (video - 35min) http://vimeo.com/1607404
- 1991 - Arizona diary - with poet György Petri (video - 53min)
- 1991 - Photographed by László Dudás - Private Hungary 6 (video - 45min)
- 1991 - D-FILM - Private Hungary 5 (video - 45min)
- 1991 - Márai Herbal - INTERLUDE series (video - 30min)
- 1990 - The Diary of Mr. N. - Private Hungary 4 (video - 51min)
- 1989 - Either - Or - Private Hungary 3 (video - 43min)
- 1989 - Dusi & Jenő - Private Hungary 2 (video - 45min)
- 1988 - The Bartos Family - Private Hungary 1 (video - 60min)
- 1987 - Episodes from the Life of Professor M.F. (video - 110min)
- 1986 - The Portrait of Leopold Szondi (video - 60min)
- 1985 - Spinoza Rückwertz (35mm film - 5min)
- 1978 - I See That I Look (video - 25min)
Installations and Performances
- German Unity @ Balaton - Deutsche Einheit am Balaton – Die private Geschichte der deutsch-deutschen Einheit http://vimeo.com/10232540• media installation with Gusztav Hamos • Collegium Hungaricum Berlin • 2009 • Dortmund • 2010 • Vaszary Villa - Balatonfüred/Hungary • 2010 http://vimeo.com/10231990
- Col Tempo - The W. Project • installation • 53rd Venice Biennale • Hungarian Pavilion • curator András Rényi • http://www.coltempo.hu • 2009 •
- Black Hole • Performance, with Tamás Tóth bass guitar • 1984
- Case of My Room, The • video installation • 1994
- Chlorophyll • performance with L. Lugo Lugosi • 1986
- Danube Exodus, The • installation • 2002 http://www.vimeo.com/1644101
- Der Kaiser auf dem Spaziergang • video installation • Light and Image • Aegina • 1996
- Dixi & Pixi • video performance with Dixi, Group 180Group 180Group 180 was a Hungarian ensemble dedicated to the performance of new music, active from 1978 until 1990. The group achieved recognition for their performances and recordings of contemporary music in the minimal style...
, L. Lugo Lugosi • 1982 - Dream Inventory • installation • 1995
- Free Fall • Oratorio • 1997
- Educational Cinema • installation • 2005
- Hung Aryan, The • Video Installation • 1997
- Hungarian Totem • installation • 1995 http://vimeo.com/1637193
- Hungarian Video Kitchen Art • video installation • 1991
- INAUGURATION • video performance • 1978
- Monomotapa & The Game (the "Kempelen" installation video - with György Jovánovics • 2007) Kunsthalle BudapestKunsthalle BudapestKunsthalle Budapest is a contemporary art museum in Budapest, located in Heroes' Square, facing the Museum of Fine Arts....
, ZKM-Karlsruhe - New York - BUDAPEST • paintings-photos with L.Lugó Lugosi • 1984
- Paintings & photographs • One man show - Fotohof Salzburg • 1987
- Pig paintings • paintings • 1985
- Pre Morgue • video installation • 1993
- Private Exits • performance with Szemzõ • 1985
- Rembrandt Morphs • installation • 2006
- Saloon, and Then! • installation • 1997
- SIGHT • photo installation • 2004
- Snapshot from the Island • performance with Tibor Szemző • 1984
- Stanley & Livingston • performance • 1979
- Thee á' El Greco • video Installation • 1991
- Two Nests and Other Things • video installation • 1991
- Visit, The • installation • 2004
- Work Desk • video performance and installation with Tibor Szemzõ • 1985
Awards
- 2009 I am von Höfler • Hungarian Film Critics Special Award
- 2008 Own Death • Best Experimental Film Prize, 39th Hungarian Film Festival, Budapest
- 2008 I am von Höfler • Creative Documentary Film Prize, 39th Hungarian Film Festival, Budapest
- 2007 Erasmus PrizeErasmus PrizeThe Erasmus Prize is an annual prize awarded by the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation, a Dutch non-profit organization, to individuals or institutions that have made notable contributions to European culture, society, or social science. The Praemium Erasmianum Foundation was founded on 23 June 1958 by...
• Praemium Erasmianum Foundation, AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population... - 2006 El perro negro • Documentary Film Grand Prize, 37th Hungarian Film Festival, Budapest
- 2005 El perro negro • The Maysles Brothers Documentary Film Grand Prize, Denver International Film Festival, USA
- 2005 El perro negro • Feature Length Documentary, Grand Prize, Tribeca International Film Festival, New York
- 2001 A Bibó Reader • Official selection Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, Cannes Film FestivalCannes Film FestivalThe Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... - 2001 A Bibó Reader • Best Director Prize of Short & Experimental Film, 33rd Hungarian Film Festival, Budapest
- 2000 Angelos' Film • Documentário Longa Grand Prize, XI Encotros Internacionalis De Cinema Documental, PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
- 1999 The Maelstrom • Grand Prize, Out of That Darkness International Film Competition, London
- 1999 Angelos' Film • Documentary Golden Gate Award, the Golden Spire, San Francisco International Film FestivalSan Francisco International Film FestivalSan Francisco International Film Festival is the oldest continuously running film festival in the Americas. Organized by the San Francisco Film Society, the International is held each spring for two weeks, presenting an average of 150 films from over 50 countries...
, USA - 1999 The Maelstrom • The Best Documentary Film Award, Jerusalem International Film Festival, IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
- 1999 The Danube Exodus • Silver Dragon prix and FIPRESCI prize, Kraków Int. Doc. & Short Film Festival, PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
- 1999 The Danube Exodus • Documentary Film Grand Prize, 30th Hungarian Film Festival, Budapest
- 1998 The Balázs Béla Film Award, Hungarian Republic, Budapest
- 1999 Free Fall • The Best Documentary-Fiction and the Best Film Music Prize, Hungarian Film Critics Prize, Budapest
- 1997 Free Fall • PRIX EUROPA, Best Non-Fiction Program of the Year, Berlin http://www.prix-europa.de/en/archive/archiv/1997/
- 1997 Free Fall • Grand Prize & CNC “Image de la culture” special award, Marseilles International Document Film Festival, France
- 1997 Free Fall • Short & Experimental Film, Grand Prize, Budapest 28th Hungarian Film Festival, Budapest
- 1995 Meanwhile Somewhere • "Lattücht" Prize Dokument, ART 95 Festival, NeubrandenburgNeubrandenburgNeubrandenburg is a city in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is located in the southeastern part of the state, on the shore of a lake called the Tollensesee ....
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... - 1994 Wittgenstein Tractatus • Grand Prize, Montecattini, TermeTermeTerme is a district of Samsun Province of Turkey. The mayor is Ahmet Hamdi Yirmibeşoğlu ....
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... - 1993 Culture Shavings • St. Germaine de Geneva Prize, 5th Semaine Internationale de Video, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
- 1993 Wittgenstein Tractatus • Video Grand Prize, VIPER Film & Video Festival, LucerneLucerneLucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
, Switzerland - 1993 Wittgenstein Tractatus • Sound Base Arts Video Festival, Grand Prize, WroclawWroclawWrocław , situated on the River Oder , is the main city of southwestern Poland.Wrocław was the historical capital of Silesia and is today the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. Over the centuries, the city has been part of either Poland, Bohemia, Austria, Prussia, or Germany, but since 1945...
, Poland - 1992 The Private Hungary series • Best Hungarian Documentary Film Prize, Hungarian Film Critics, Budapest
- 1991 Dusi and Jenő • Grand Prix, European Document Film Biennial, Marseilles, France
- 1990 The Bartos Family • Grand Prize, World Wide Video Festival, The HagueThe HagueThe Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, Holland
Works in Public Collections
- Museum of Fine Art Budapest · Modern Collection·
- Australian Center for the Moving Image (ACMI) CINEMEDIA, MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
- C3 Media Art Center, Budapest
- Centre National du Cinématographe, ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
- Centre Pompidou & Musée d'Art Moderne, Paris
- Getty Museum, Special Collection, Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
- Harvard College Library, Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge, MassachusettsCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
USA - Haus der Dokumentarfilm collection, StuttgartStuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
- Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest
- KIASMA Contemporary Art Museum, HelsinkiHelsinkiHelsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
- Ludwig Contemporary Art Museum, LUMU, Budapest
- Moffitt Library UC Berkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
USA - MOMA, Film and Video collection, New York
- Montreal Cinematheque, Permanent Collection
- Museum of Fine Arts, 20th century Collection, Budapest
- Nederland Filmmuseum, AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
- New York UniversityNew York UniversityNew York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, Bobst Library NYU N.Y. USA - Open Society Archive, CEU, Budapest
- Pacific Film Archives, Berkeley CA USA
- Samlung Oppenheim, BonnBonnBonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
- Stanford UniversityStanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
Library, Green Library, USA - UIAH Helsinki University Art Department collection
- University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern CaliforniaThe University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
Film School - Annenberg Center for Communications, Los Angeles - Yad Vashem, The Visual Center, Jerusalem
- Zentrum für Medien Kunst, ZKM collection, Karlsruhe
External links
- Official website of Peter Forgacs
- http://www.hunkyblues.com Hunky Blues - The American Dream film website
- http://www.coltempo.hu Péter Forgács' exhibition at the 53rd Venice Biennale - Hungarian Pavilion
- http://www.coltempo.hu/catalog.html the Col Tempo exhibition catalog
- http://www.vimeo.com/1644101 The Danube Exodus - The Rippling Currents of the River - Installation video
- http://www.danube-exodus.hu/ The Danube Exodus website
- http://www.vimeo.com/peterforgacs/videos videos of Peter Forgacs
- http://www.prix-europa.de/en/archive/archiv/1997/ Prix Europa 1997 FREE FALL awarded
- Group 180