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Martin Helstáb

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Martin Helstáb
Helstáb in 2018
Born (1995-03-23) March 23, 1995 (age 29)
Pécs, Hungary
EducationUniversity of Kaposvár (BA)
University of Pécs (MFA, MA, HND)
Occupations
  • Filmmaker
  • screenwriter
  • visual artist
  • composer
Years active2014–present

Martin Helstáb (born March 23, 1995) is a Hungarian film director, visual artist, and composer. His animated short films gained international recognition, followed by his 2021 experimental feature film Zazongpari for which he won the Luis Buñuel Memorial Award.[1][2] His works usually operate with absurd humor, themed after the connection of humans and animals or monsters, presented in surreal scenes. He works mostly alone on his movies.[3]

He made his short films in Hungarian language, then he changed to English in his feature film. His films have been shown in several film festivals worldwide, Decent Hoggery (2023) was premiered at the 63rd Zlín Film Festival.[4] Helstáb's first short film The Mouse Who Wanted to Be a Mouse had been screened at the 25th Palić European Film Festival.[5]

Early life and education

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Martin Helstáb was born in Pécs, Hungary on 23 March 1995. He attended Martyn Ferenc Art School for 13 years, where he gained his interdisciplinary fine art basics.[6] The art school was founded by Ferenc Lantos painter, who developed a unique method of art education focusing on interdisciplinarity and creation related to the understanding of natural structures.[7] This established Helstáb's interest in natural science and the animal world. His goal was to become a zoologist, so from 2013 he attended biology (BSc) at the University of Pécs. He participated researches in the field of behavioral ecology, but after two semesters he dropped out due to his first screenwriting successes on environmental film contests.[8] In 2016 he graduated in Television Production (HND) from the University of Pécs,[9] and in 2020 in Film and Media Studies (BA) from the University of Kaposvár.[10] He attended the class of Sándor Csoma and David Borbás film directors.[11] In 2017 he founded his own animation studio, creating commercial and educational video and graphic works.[12] On the summer of 2018 he spent more than two months at Spain's southeastern coastline wilderness, the Costa Brava, sleeping in a tent, leading a nomadic lifestyle with the intention of „hardening his spirit“. He learnt octopus hunting from an old Catalan fisherman, and frequently cooked octopus tentacles in trashed Fanta-cans.[13] In 2022 he graduated as a Documentary Film Director (MFA) at the University of Pécs. He attended the class of Péter Lichter, experimental film director and film theorist.[14] In 2023 he gained his fourth college degree as a Teacher of Design and Visual Arts (MA) from the University of Pécs.[15]

Filmmaking career

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Helstáb awarded the Márk Tamás Prize in 2018[16]

Since 2014 after winning a national competition in screenwriting, he created several short films with various themes and techniques. He made live action experimental films like The Mouse Who Wanted to Be a Mouse (2015) or Flat Frogs (2017). He directed animated films like Bug's Breakfast (2016), Mucus (2017)[17] and Carry on Dying (2018) which was screened at the 15th Kecskemét Animation Film Festival.[18] He shot documentaries such as Much-Much Paint (2018) and My Dreams Answer (2022). Helstáb created and starred in (mixed technique) live action films like Feast of the Condor (2020) and his feature film Zazongpari (2021). In 2018 the city of Pécs awarded him the Márk Tamás Prize for his achievement in the field of filmmaking, creative culture and for his works in the underground music composing scene. The award committee highlighted his successful entertaining activity as a rapper by the stage name NagyQtya (translated: BigDog).[16]

He worked on Zazongpari for 5 years, shot it in a greenscreen studio in his parents' garage. He gained 10 kilogrammes of muscle to build the physique to play the protagonist Scavenger Monk in his movie.[1][19] The film contains several fighting sequences which roots from Martin Helstáb's training in Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū kenjutsu by grandmaster Suzuki Kimiyoshi.[20] The story follows a monk - played by Helstáb - on his quest through an enchanted forest, fighting ghosts and monsters along the way.[21] Zazongpari won the best experimental film award in Singapore at the World Film Carnival in 2021, which resulted its nomination for the Golden Merlion Awards in 2022.[22][23]

He created an animated short film from 2022 to 2023 titled Decent Hoggery in which he also plays a key role, along with his partner, Eszter Zsigrai fine artist.[24] The film resembles his earlier dialogue-based animal starred animated shorts, but in this work he used more experimental techniques, like animating scanned bacon or rotoscoping a dream sequence. Decent Hoggery was shown at the Innsbruck Nature Film Festival[25] and premiered at the Zlín Film Festival where critics praised it for the politically incorrect humor.[4] In 2023, Martin Helstáb resided at Malta, continuing his artistic work on the southern European island.[26]

Filmography

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Feature films

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  • The Combination Lock (2014) - video production
  • Zazongpari (2021)

Short films

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  • The Mouse Who Wanted to Be a Mouse (2015)
  • No More Last One (2015)
  • Bug's Breakfast (2016)
  • Mucus (2017)
  • Flat Frogs (2017)
  • Carry on Dying (2018)
  • Much-Much Paint (2018)
  • Feast of the Condor (2020)
  • My Dreams Answer (2022)
  • Decent Hoggery (2023)

Exhibitions

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Group exhibitions

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  • 2002 - Disciples of the Martyn Ferenc Art School, Library of Pécs, Pécs
  • 2007 - Connections, Basement system, Pécs[27]
  • 2009 - Lantos 80, Parti Gallery, Pécs[28]
  • 2012 - Art Residents' Exhibition, Cultural Center, Balatonberény
  • 2012 - Olympics through students' eyes, Sports Museum of Hungary, Budapest
  • 2015 - Hommage á Lantos, House of Arts, Pécs[29]
  • 2018 - The world is wide..., Knowledge Center, Pécs[30]
  • 2019 - Vad Art, Anker't, Budapest[31]
  • 2019 - Bauhaus Up!, Rippl Gallery, Kaposvár[32]
  • 2022 - #RIPPLportre, Rippl Gallery, Kaposvár[33]

References

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  1. ^ a b Pernecker, Dávid (28 April 2021). "I can only live while playing by my rules". FilmHu Magazine (in Hungarian). Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  2. ^ Grósz, Petra (23 December 2021). "Hungarian director won a Luis Buñuel Memorial Award". Index - hungarian and international news site (in Hungarian). Budapest, Hungary: INDEX.hu Zrt. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  3. ^ Györgyei Szabó, Magdolna (21 November 2021). "Friday culture-date with Martin Helstáb film director". KulturaHu Magazine (in Hungarian). Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Zlín dog´s Section: The Quality of Student Films Is Increasing Each Year". Zlín International Film Festival catalogue. 20 April 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  5. ^ "European Film Festival Palić catalogue" (PDF). SEEcult. 14 July 2018. p. 7. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Martin Helstáb Biography in Catalogue of Kecskemét International Animation Film Festival". Kecskemét International Animation Film Festival catalogue. 13 August 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  7. ^ Keserü, Katalin (2020). "About Ferenc Lantos". acb Gallery. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  8. ^ Stamler, Lili (8 January 2021). "Martin Helstáb, the independent filmmaker who even survives on ice". f21 Cultural Magazine (in Hungarian). Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  9. ^ Bertalan, Melinda (2017). "I love it when something works differently than usual - Interview with Martin Helstáb". Veszprém Portrait Journal. 6 (1). Free-Press Cultural and Youth Association: 12. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  10. ^ Góz, Lilla (24 May 2018). "After his bugs, Martin Helstáb wins an award with his mouse too". Sonline News Portal (in Hungarian). Kaposvár. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  11. ^ Góz, Lilla (30 May 2023). "Film director who graduated from Kaposvár wins Grand Prize at a film festival with Hoggery". Sonline News Portal (in Hungarian). Kaposvár. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Biography of Martin Helstáb in the ATAFF catalogue" (PDF). Alexandre Trauner International Film Festival. 2020. p. 27. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  13. ^ Pernecker, Dávid (25 July 2018). "The guy from Pécs hunts octopus with a sharpened broomstick". PécsMa News Magazine (in Hungarian). Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  14. ^ Balogh, Róbert (15 October 2021). "Success of Zazongpari". UnivPécs Magazine (in Hungarian). Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  15. ^ Németh, Tamás (3 March 2023). "Martin Helstáb, student of University of Pécs was awarded for his animated ham". PEM Online Magazine (in Hungarian). Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Martin Helstáb won the Márk Tamás Prize". BAMA - regional news site (in Hungarian). Pécs, Hungary: Mediaworks Hungary. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  17. ^ "Mucus film goes online". KULTer Cultural Magazine (in Hungarian). 30 January 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  18. ^ "Kecskemét Animation Film Festival Programme" (PDF). Kecskemét Animation Film Festival catalogue. 14 July 2018. p. 106. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  19. ^ "Martin Helstáb's award-winning film can be watched online for free". KultúraHu Cultural Magazine (in Hungarian). 1 July 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  20. ^ "Martin Helstab's experimental movie was awarded in Paris and India". FilmHu online film portal (in Hungarian). 25 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  21. ^ Talbot-Haynes, Michael (16 August 2022). "Zazongpari critic review". Film Threat. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  22. ^ "World Film Carnival Results: September 2021". WFC Portal - Singapore. Singapore. 4 January 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  23. ^ "Golden Merlion Awards Nominees 2022". World Film Carnival international platform. Singapore. 22 October 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  24. ^ Farkas, Róbert (24 May 2018). "Kaposvár alumni Martin Helstáb won Grand Prize". KaposvárMost News Magazine (in Hungarian). Kaposvár. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  25. ^ "Innsbruck International Nature Film Festival catalogue". NatureFestival. 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  26. ^ Kürthy, Judit (2 August 2023). "Each flower print preserves a memory in the works of Eszter Zsigrai". Új Szó Magazine (in Hungarian). Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  27. ^ Keresnyei, János (executive producer) (15 June 2007). Publikum cultural magazine TV program - Pécs (Television program) (in Hungarian). Pécs, Hungary: Pécs Television. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  28. ^ Szalai, Zsolt (2013). "Ficzek Ferenc jr. group exhibitions". Artportal (in Hungarian). Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  29. ^ Rónaszéki, Mónika (November 2015). "The Martyn Ferenc Art School is 30 years old" (PDF). Parlando (in Hungarian). Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  30. ^ Egle, Anita (12 December 2017). ""The world is wide..."". Martyn Ferenc Art School - Pécs (in Hungarian). Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  31. ^ "Vad Art exhibition 10". We Love Budapest (in Hungarian). 25 January 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  32. ^ "Bauhaus Up! 1919-2019" (in Hungarian). 25 November 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  33. ^ "#RIPPLportre". Art Institute - MATE University (in Hungarian). 14 March 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
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