Béla Tarr

Directing·Jul 21, 1955·Pécs, Hungary

Rate

Béla Tarr (July 21, 1955 – January 6, 2026) was a Hungarian filmmaker. Much of his work is marked by philosophical elements and a pessimistic view of humanity. His films utilize unconventional storytelling methods, such as long takes and/or non-professional actors to achieve realism. Debuting with Family Nest in 1979, Tarr underwent a period of what he refers to as "social cinema", aimed at telling mundane stories about ordinary people, often in the style of cinema vérité. Over the next decade, the cinematography of Tarr's films gradually changed; Damnation (1988) was shot with languid camera movement aimed at establishing ambience. It marked Tarr's earliest experimentation with philosophical themes, focused mostly on bleak and desolate representations of reality. Sátántangó (1994) and Werckmeister Harmonies (2000) continued this approach; both are considered by some critics to be among the greatest films ever made. Tarr would later compete in the 2007 Cannes Film Festival with his film The Man From London. Frequent collaborators of Tarr include his wife Ágnes Hranitzky, novelist László Krasznahorkai, film composer Mihály Víg, cinematographer Fred Kelemen, and actress Erika Bók. After the release of his film The Turin Horse (2011), Tarr announced his definitive retirement from film direction. He has been teaching at the Sarajevo Film School since. Tarr died on 6 January 2026 following a long and serious illness. Description above from the Wikipedia article Béla Tarr, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Film	Credit
FUKUSHIMA with BÉLA TARR2025 · Self	Self
CCoda2023 · Producer	Producer
DDeer Bell2023 · Producer	Producer
Letters from the Ends of the World2021 · Producer	Producer
Paola Makes a Wish2019 · Producer	Producer
Missing People2019 · Director	Director
AA Country Divided2018 · Actor	Actor
MMuhamed2017 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Man in the Well2016 · Producer	Producer
About Cinema2015 · Self	Self
TTuga2014 · Producer	Producer
Tarr Béla: I Used to Be a Filmmaker2014 · Himself	Himself
Conniving2014 · Producer	Producer
Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen2012 · Producer	Producer
Hungary 20112012 · Producer	Producer
The State That I Am Fish2011 · Béla Tarr	Béla Tarr
The Turin Horse2011 · Screenplay, Director	Screenplay, Director
Béla Tarr: Mysterious Harmonies2008 · Himself	Himself
The Man from London2008 · Screenplay, Director	Screenplay, Director
365 Day Project2007 · Self	Self
Fragment2007 · Producer	Producer
Johanna2005 · Producer	Producer
Visions of Europe2004 · Director	Director
Prologue2004 · Director	Director
Werckmeister Harmonies2001 · Director	Director
György Fehér's Films According to Béla Tarr2001 · Director	Director
Passion1998 · Writer	Writer
Journey on the Plain1995 · Director	Director
Satantango1994 · Screenplay, Director	Screenplay, Director
City Life1990 · Director	Director
The Last Boat1990 · Writer, Director	Writer, Director
Damnation1988 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Season of Monsters1987 · Jesus as Mental Patient	Jesus as Mental Patient
Autumn Almanac1984 · Writer, Director	Writer, Director
The Doctor's Pupil1984 · Actor	Actor
The Prefab People1982 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Macbeth1982 · Director, Screenplay	Director, Screenplay
The Outsider1981 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Diplomafilm1981 · Director	Director
Family Nest1979 · Writer, Director	Writer, Director
Cinemarxism1979 · Director	Director
Hotel Magnezit1978 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
IIván Iljics halála1965 · Vászja (as Tar Béla)	Vászja (as Tar Béla)
IIl vento del cinemaActor	Actor
CodaProducer	Producer