With deep sorrow and grief, Cairo International Film Festival management, headed by artist Hussein Fahmy, mourns the great Hungarian director Béla Tarr, who passed away today in Hungary at the age of 70, leaving behind an immortal cinematic legacy that changed the concepts of time and image in the Seventh Art.
Cairo International Film Festival affirms that Tarr’s passing represents a grave loss to world cinema. The late director was one of the most prominent innovators who sided with humanity and its pain, presenting unique visual experiences that will remain long in the memory of cinema lovers, through masterpieces such as « Sátántangó » and « The Turin Horse ».
Cairo International Film Festival cherishes that historic moment when it had the honor of hosting the great director in its 44th edition (November 2022), where the festival awarded him the « Golden Pyramid Award for Lifetime Achievement, » in appreciation of his eventful artistic career and his inspiring role in educating new generations of filmmakers through the workshops he led with passion.
In his eulogy for the late director, artist Hussein Fahmy, President of the Festival, recalled the words of appreciation he addressed to him at the moment of his honoring on the Cairo Opera House stage, saying:
« Today we have lost an exceptional cinematic stature and a thinker who carried the concerns of human existence in every frame he created. It was a great honor for Cairo to celebrate Béla Tarr during his lifetime, and to grant him the appreciation he deserves. As I told him on the day of his honoring: ‘You are not just a director, you are the master of a school and a special philosophy followed by many around the world,’ and his name will always remain linked to our festival’s memory.
