András Sipos Legacy Donated to the Archivum
The legacy of documentary filmmaker András Sipos has arrived at the Blinken OSA Archivum. The records of the Béla Balázs Prize-winning director, whose films reveal 20th-century traumas, present the past and present of the Jewry, or capture portraits of acclaimed colleagues, will be available at the Archivum's Research Room. The latest book by Pál Závada is based on Sipos' film Statárium, which will be screened at the CEU in the company of the writer.
András Sipos (1936–2015) graduated from the Academy of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest. During his half-century career, he was staffer at the Hungarian Television, the Mafilm Studio, and Duna Television; also, he worked with Miklós Jancsó for more than 10 years.
In his documentary films, he "regarded the people thrown into the hell of history," be it kulaks (Statárium, 1989), deported Slovaks (Hazátlanok, sorakozó!, 1998), women forced laborers deported to Germany (Viszontlátás, 1990), Holocaust survivors and their descendants (Röppentyű, 1991), Soviet Jews (Alija, 1994). At the same time, Sipos portrayed influential cultural figures of 20th-century Hungary, such as film directors Miklós Jancsó and István Szabó, painters László Lakner and László Fehér, architect József Finta, and writer Iván Bächer. His work was recognized in 2000 with the Béla Balázs Prize.
The legacy, donated by Sipos' heir to the Blinken OSA Archivum, contains the final versions of his films, accompanied by rich preparatory materials. The collection will provide researchers with, on the one hand, raw footage, film scripts, and diaries, shedding light on the production of the films, including the above-mentioned documentaries, and, on the other, interview transcripts, studies, and notes, revealing the thorough sociological-historical research Sipos undertook preceding shootings.
Once digitized and cataloged, András Sipos' legacy will be available for research. The Archivum's Research Room is open to everyone, with free registration!
STATÁRIUM. Kulak Trials in Film and Fiction
film screening | February 13, 2025, Thursday, 6:00 p.m. | CEU 1051 Budapest, Nádor utca 15. Auditorium
The documentaries made around 1989 have attracted audiences of hundreds of thousands. These films offered the public a revealing insight into the lawlessness of the 1950s, shedding light on its victims and perpetrators. The documentary Statárium examines the statutory trials of three landowners—referred to as “kulaks” in the terminology of the time—who were accused of deliberate arson in 1949–50. How did Sándor Molnár of Köröstarcsa end up innocently on the gallows? Why did Károly Gyáni flee from testifying and ultimately commit suicide? How did János Dancsó from Fábiánsebestyén narrowly escape death? And how did Pál Lehoczky from Tótkomlós become an informer for the secret police?
The screening of Statárium will be followed by a Q&A session. The author Pál Závada and film director Gyula Gazdag will talk with historian András Mink.
