Márta Mészáros

Márta Mészáros born 19 September 1931 is a Hungarian screenwriter and film director The daughter of László Mészáros a sculptor Mészáros began her career working in documentary film having made 25 documentary shorts over the span of ten years Her fulllength directorial debut Eltavozott napThe Girl 1968 was the first Hungarian film to have been directed by a woman and won the Special Prize of the Jury at the Valladolid International Film Festival Mészáros work often combines autobiographical details with documentary footage Prominent themes include characters denials of their pasts the consequences of dishonesty and the problematics of gender Her films often feature heroines from fragmented families such as young girls seeking their missing parents The Girl or middleaged women looking to adopt children Adoption Although Mészáros has made over fifteen feature films she is arguably best known for Diary for My Children 1984 which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival It was the first entry in a trilogy of autobiographical films which also includes Diary for my Lovers 1987 and Diary for my Father and Mother 1990 Throughout her career Mészáros has won the Golden Bear and the Silver Bear awards at the Berlinale the Golden Medal at the Chicago International Film Festival the Silver Shell at the San Sebastian International Film Festival and the FIPRESCI Prize at the Cannes Film Festival In 1991 she was a member of the jury at the 17th Moscow International Film Festival