Mária Horváth
Biography
Mária Horváth was born in 1952. She studied as a goldsmith at the Pécs Vocational School of Arts. In 1971 she joined the Kecskemét Film Studio at the time it was founded. In 1990 she received the Balázs Béla Award. In her films she intends to create the synthesis of poetry and animation.
Illustration Features
Mária Horváth is one of the most outstanding personalities of Hungarian animated film. A specific feature of her works is a symbiosis of animation, poetry and passionate pursuit of new media of expression in animation. In 1982, she presented her first author film Miracles of the Night (1982) using the motives of a poem by Sándor Weöres, thus winning her first international recognition at a festival in Ottawa (Canada). The next success followed in 1983 due to film Door Nr. 8 (1983), which was awarded several prestigious prizes, for example Special Jury Award at a festival in Krakow (Poland). These early film attempts provided already a clue as to her artistic direction, combining emotions, fantasy, dream-like variations, intimate image associations and timeless symbols. Even her films intended for children viewers are full of poetry and playfulness. Film Greentree Street 66 (1992) was awarded not only the main prize at a prestigious festival in Espinho (Portugal), but in 1993 it was among 16 best animated films of the world. The film features an original combination of stop motion, puppet animation and pixilation as well as live actors. Her most important works include also several film collections of monumental cycle Hungarian Folk Tales, comprising 100 episodes. In 1990, Mária Horváth was awarded prestigious Béla Balázs prize for the contribution to Hungarian film culture.