The Line

Born in Budapest in 1974, Benedik Fliegauf learnt all aspects of his trade. After training as a stage designer, he worked on film sets, for instance as assistant director to Miklós Jancsó and Árpád Sopsits. He also worked as an arts journalist and made television documentaries for various Hungarian broadcasters. Even without the official sanction of the film academy, he soon convinced the trade of his talent and skills. During the preparations for HYPNOS / HYPNOSIS (2002), the short in which he addressed the taboo subject of incest, he came to the attention of the producer András Muhi. The producer invited Fliegauf along to the Inforg Stúdió, a workshop for experimental film founded in 1999. Fliegauf has completed his films there ever since. After the festival distinctions won by his lowbudget RENGETEG / FOREST were matched by a good run at Hungarian art-houses, Fliegauf’s name was established on the Hungarian film scene. He has so far made three highly distinctive full-length fiction films, one long documentary, and a handful of experimental shorts. His films have attracted attention at festivals around the world. RENGETEG / FOREST won the Wolfgang-Staudte-Preis for best debut feature at Berlin in 2003, and TEJÚT / MILKY WAY (2007), his third feature, received the Golden Leopard in the “Contemporary Filmmakers” category at Locarno. DEALER / DEALER, his best-known work so far, was celebrated on the European festival circuit and won the Best Director award at goEast in 2004.