Studies

Hungarian National Television 1989 Television Director Assistant, 1990 Television Director, 1991 Cameraman, 1992 Television Technical program maker (Live Vision mixer, Editor, and sound engineer.)

Members

MADOKE, Hungarian Documentary Association
FILMJUS, Film Authors and Film Makers Legal Defence Association.

Languages

Hungarian, English

CV

I have spent the last 36 years working continuously in the television and film industries.
I was the founding member of the city’s television station in 1985, and the local Image Radio station in 1993. in Hódmezővásárhely. In fact I was not only the founder, but the originator of the concept of the radio sation in my town, Hódmezővásárhely.
I have worked four years at the state-owned and state-run Magyar Televiziówhere, in specialized internal courses, I have completed my education as a telecast director, a camera operator, a technical program director. This is how I have learned the profession. In 1992 I have traveled to Hollywood where I have lived as the reporter to the Magyar Televizió and concurrently I have advanced my professional education at the Warner Bros. and Paramount studios. I have extensive practice in the use of practically every type of film camera available in the world, (including Panavision by special license), as well as digital cameras. In addition, I am operating my own editing studio.
During the course of the years past, I have been engaged by international entities, such as the UIPM, the International Decathlon Association, and thye Hungarian Decathlon Association, to make promotional films for them. Over the years of my practice I have created more than seventy films of advertissment in a large variety of countrieas and cities around the World.
In the last ten years I have created four documentum films, every one of which won awards and all of them were played to the public in the United States.
I have received the greatest honor in 2017, in Los Angeles, from the Korvina Cultural Circle. The Diploma isa recognition and appretiation for the 52 minutes long documentum film that I have made about the Kárpátok Dance Assembly of Los Angeles. This dance group was founded by the refugies of the 1956 revolution and my film documented and presented the group’s history offifty years. I also created two biographical films. One is presenting a story of 82 years, the other 89 years.

Awards

2019. X. Bujtor István Filmfesztivál, A Születés Jogán! Legjobb Portré Dokumentumfilm Különdíj. (Producer, Rendező, Operatőr, Vágó.)
2017. Los Angeles, Arany János Kultúrkör Díszoklevele.
Los Angeles, Korvina Kultúrkör Oklevele.
2016. A XII Göcsej Filmszemle, A Los Angeles-i Kárpátok története, Dokumentumfilm 3. Díj (Producer, Rendező, Operatőr, Vágó.)
2015. X+1 (11.) Göcsej Filmszemle, Control (of death) a Filmetűd kategória 1. Díj (Producer, Rendező, Operatőr, Vágó.)
X+1 (11.) Göcsej Filmszemle, A Tábori levelezőlapok Erdővárosból, dokumentumfilm Különdíj (Producer, Rendező, Operatőr, Vágó.)
A II. Savaria Filmszemle, Sorsunk Van Burleszk változat, Némafilm kategóriában Különdíj (Producer, Rendező, Operatőr, Vágó.)
2014. X. Göcsej Filmszemle, Máriás Ferenc erdész: Életem, dokumentumfilm, a filmszemle Fődíja (Producer, Rendező, Operatőr, Vágó.)
1986. Országos Amatőr Filmszemle, Introverzió, Kisjátékfilm, III. Díj. (Producer, Rendező, Operatőr, Vágó.)
1985. Országos Amatőr filmszemle, Walkman, Kisjátékfilm II. Díj (Producer, Rendező, Operatőr, Vágó.)

Selected Filmography

Ferenc Marias forester: My Life (2014) (52 min)

Ferenc Máriás – the forester – shares with us – using his own words – his life story in this documentary film. Zsolt Árpád Varga – the director – accompanies the forester utilizing his unique picturesque dramaturgy and a rich selection of archived photo-material. The film comprises practically the entire XX. century of the Hungarian Puszta, through the life-work of an honest,  sincere and exemplary man. Ferenc Máriás’s straight character, his common-sense thinking calls out to the audience, as he recalls for instance, how he rode his bycicle at the age of twelve from Mindszent to Budapest – about a 100 miles each way – to work as an earth mover.

Postcards from the Labour-Camp of Erdovaros (2015.) (40 min.)

Seventy years after the tragic events in the now renamed Erdőkertes, — 20 Km from Budapest — two civilian activists decide to raise a monument in memory of the victims of the labor camp that was established in the local brick-factory during 1944. This is the first time residents of the town are facing their own but heretofore unknown history since before the end of the Second World War.

My Birthright! -Biographical documentary film: (2019.) 108 min.

This full length documentary film was made over eight years. Its subject, Ferenc Czene, was born in Kunágota, and as a consequence of the events of the 1956 revolution, emigrated to Los Angeles, then just before the first free election, in 1990, on the same route he left, returned and on the outscirts of the city of Gyula he built the ”Home of Free Thoughts.” At a wide variety of different locations he himself tells the story of his life, in his own words, enhanced by heretofore never seen archive pictures of his 82 years, including the 60  years spent in emigration. His life is a demonstration of how an ”every day person” can also accomplish great deeds.    

The Story of Los Angeles Karpatok (The first 50 years of a Hungarian folk dance group in America.) (2016) (52 min.)

The Los Angeles Karpatok Hungarian Folk Ensemble was founded in 1965 by the Hungarian refugees of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution & Freedomfight, as the folk dance group of the Hungarian Student Association. The documentary is the history of the dance group’s past 50 years. With 22 interviews and never-before seen original footages this film beautifully mirrors the hearts and souls of the Hungarian immigrants. 
Árpád Zsolt Varga’s documentary film is dedicated to the memory of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and Freedomfight on its 60th anniversary and to the first 50 years of the Karpatok Folkdance Ensemble of Los Angeles.