Judit Elek

Directing·Nov 10, 1937·Budapest, Hungary

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Judit Elek (10 November 1937 - 1 October 2025) was a Hungarian film director and screenwriter. She has directed 16 films between 1962 and 2006. Her film Mária-nap was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival. She graduated in 1961 from the Academy of Drama and Film in Budapest (now the University of Theatre and Film Arts Budapest), and joined Mafilm as an assistant director. She is one of the founders of the Béla Balász Studio for young filmmakers. Between 1962 and 2011, she made multiple short films, documentaries and features. The renowned film Mária-nap (1984) screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival. She was also one of the participants in the IFFR jubilee project 25 Encounters. Elek’s films are the subject of a focus programme at IFFR 2023, featuring titles such as Találkozás (1963), Kastélyok lakói (1966) and Istenmezején, 1972-73-ban (1974).

Film	Credit
After All the Dead Sing Again...2018 · Director	Director
Retrace2011 · Director	Director
Negative history of Hungarian cinema2010 · Self	Self
TThe Eighth Day of the Week2006 · Director, Writer, Producer	Director, Writer, Producer
Elie Wiesel Goes Home1997 · Director, Producer	Director, Producer
A Free Man – The Life of Ernő Fisch1996 · Director	Director
Awakening1995 · Screenplay, Director	Screenplay, Director
Memories of a River1990 · Writer, Director	Writer, Director
Maria's Day1984 · Director	Director
Maybe Tomorrow1980 · Director	Director
The Trial of Martinovics and the Hungarian Jacobins1980 · Director	Director
A Commonplace Story1976 · Director	Director
Nobody's Daughter1976 · Writer	Writer
On the Field of God in 1972-731974 · Director	Director
Tamás Cseh: The First Photo1974 · Director	Director
We Will Meet in 1972 – In Dark and in Light1970 · Director	Director
The Lady from Constantinople1969 · Director	Director
How Long Does Man Live?1967 · Director	Director
Castle Dwellers1966 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Encounter1963 · Director, Screenplay	Director, Screenplay