Watching Movies Like Art Work

updated: December 21, 2009

I graduated in art history, and I have turned my attention towards films during the last year of my university, when with my friends I started a Ciné-club, and we edited a small review for every screening. I continued my studies in Paris where I listened to courses in film history and film criticism. Meanwhile, the team of the Ciné-club has developed the review into a professional monthly film magazine, which is still the only one of its kind in Romania. I have been a critic for Filmtett since its beginnings in 2000. I publish film reviews, interviews with film professionals, and articles about film festivals. In 2003 I started a PhD program in film theory.

I am especially interested in art films, but I have somehow a larger conception of this notion, as I like to include in it, all movies with some kind of originality, or with a personal touch of its author. I always try to watch a movie like an art work, and – when possible – only write reviews about films which I liked. I consider that one who has enjoyed a movie has understood much more of it than those who didn’t like it. It is much more difficult and interesting to articulate why a film is important, beautiful, touching, etc. than to enumerate its weaknesses.

The biggest problem of film criticism in Romania is that it exists only in the culture segments of daily newspapers or in weekly cultural magazines. Even if there were some short-lived attempts to found film magazines, they all disappeared after a few issues, and this is why our journal is the only one of its kind. Besides this, our position is a little bit special as – being part of the Hungarian minority – we write and publish in Hungarian, and we have strong connections with the more developed cinema culture of Hungary.

My expectation towards every film festival is to find a lot of good and a few great movies. This year’s Berlinale will be of course very special for me, as I hope that by being part of the Talent Press programme I will be able to know the festival more intimately. The Talent Press programme will give me the possibility to know other traditions of film criticism and by this, further develop my writing style. I would also like to meet interesting people – members of the Press and filmmakers participating at the festival.

Zsolt Gyenge (Hungary)