Groó Diana

Following her prize winning shorts and documentaries (aired by HBO, Arte, YLE, DRTV), she debuted her feature film, A Miracle in Cracow, a Polish-Hungarian co-production with Krzisztof Zanussi. Her second feature film, Vespa (2010), was awarded by UNICEF, won the Dialogue Prize for Intercultural Communication in Cottbus, and the Best Director’s Award in Geneva and Los Angeles.  Between 2001- 2008 she directed the experimental computer animation art history TV series Wild Imagination representing the masterpieces of painters: Renoir, Rousseau, Bruegel, Chagall. The multi awarded series opened the contemporary art exhibition „Dialogue with the Classics” of Herzliya Museum, Israel in 2005. The "Inter-visual Media Program between Painting & Cinema" at Haifa University, has integrated the series as learning material into its courses along with the works of Peter Greenaway, Derek Jarman and others. In 2008 her documentary What Lies Ahead was awarded by Audience Award by  IV. VERZIÓ Human Rights Film Festival, In that year, Diana presented for the first time in Hungary the stage adaptation of Kathrine Kressmann Taylor’s prophetic novel warning about the dangers of Nazism, Address Unknown, which subsequently remained on the repertoire of the Budapest Spinoza Theater stage for eight years. She also staged it at the Theatro Hebraica- SaoPaulo in 2011.  Since 2011, like many of her colleagues, she has been effectively shut out of Hungary’s public film funding system: nearly a dozen of her documentary and fiction projects were rejected by state officials within the country’s film policy institutions, despite several of her projects receiving Creative Media Development support, including the film plans Recordings (documentary) and The Great Trial (fiction), which remain in an uncertain, standby state. Defying these constraints, she completed her experimental  documentary  Regina as her first production financed entirely from independent sources,  developed within Nipkow Program Berlin,  voiced by Academy awarded actresses: Rachel Weisz and Martina Gedeck. This UK- German - Hungarian co-production was based on one single photograph recreating the forgotten life story of the world’s first female rabbi , constructed entirely from rare historical archive footage. Among many film festival awards, it won the Lia Award of 30th Jerusalem Film Festival. Broadcasted by BBCFour and UK Netflix, screened widely, including the International Holocaust Remembrance Day at UNESCO Palais (2014) and in the Library of Congress (2014), The documentary Regina is deposited in the Visual Center Collection at Yad Vashem Jerusalem. Diana' s current independent project  "Dear Helen- I 'm already Them" an experimental docu-diary on trans-generational holocaust trauma - is in post-production of Éclipse Film – Katapult Film co-production along with Julianna Ugrin producer.

Membership:

HDA- Hungarian Documentary Association,  AHD- Association of Hungarian Directors , FilmJus, Co-founder- DunaDOCK Forum,, Katapult Film Studio, Association of Hungarian Film- makers

RESEARCH FIELD: - ARCHIVE FOOTAGE – LINES BETWEEN DOCUMENTARY AND FICTION - HOLOCAUST AND AFTERMATH REPRESENTATION IN FILM - ISRAELI AND JEWISH HISTORY IN CINEMA- WOMEN AND IDENTITY IN DOCUMENTARY- ARCHIVE-BASED FILMMAKING

Language skills:English, French, Russian, Hebrew, German, Portuguese

Other Activities: (2010- selection) : Tutor, invited lecturer, Special screenings, Masterclasses, Head of workshops:  Universität Der Künste (Udk Berlin), DunaDock Masterclass, Hungarian Documentary Association Masterclass, Association of Hungarian Directors Masterclass, Torino Film Lab Ext (Documentary), Generation Summer Forum Ravensbrück - Art & Film Workshop, Wiener Library London, Verzio Human Rights Film Festival, Jerusalem Film Festival, Sarajevo Film Festival, University of Potsdam, Berlin , Hebrew Union College Jerusalem, JW3 London, Royal Holloway University London, UNESCO Paris, Library of Congress, Lincoln Center NY, Werk Akademia, Budapest, Massachusetts-UMass Film Media Department MA USA,Central European University (CEU Budapest- Wien), Co-Pro Tel-Aviv, KineDok International, Metu-Doc Lab,

Awards & nomination / Selection / only Documentaries

2015. Jury Award Mjff, Moscow (Regina)
      2014. Hungarian Film Critic's Award(Regina)
      2013. Lia Award 30. Jerusalem Film Festival (Regina)
      2014. Warsaw Phoenix Jury Award Warsaw Jewish Motifs (Regina)
      2013. Best Director & Best Film, Szolnok Art Film Festival(Regina)
      Selected Nominations/Screenings (REGINA): BBCFour 2015, Unesco 2014, Library Of Congress 2014, Yad Vashem  Jerusalem 2013, Lincoln Center- New York Jewish Film Festival 2014, Sarajevo IFF 2013, 53rd Krakow IFF 2013, Jihlava
      2013, IDFA Docs For Sale 2014, Berlin,Washington, Warsaw,Toronto, San Francisco, Wien, Sidney, Budapest Jewish Film Festivals 2013/2014, Verzió International Human Rights FF, 20th Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival 2014
      2008. Audience Award VERZIÓ Human Rights Int. Film Festival (Előttem Az Élet/ What Lies Ahead )
      2008. In Competition JIHLAVA (Előttem Az Élet/ What Lies Ahead )
      2006. FIPA in Competition, Nomination (A Virágünnep Vége- Gulácsy Álmai/ The Garden of Magician)
      2006. GRAND PRIX, MMK 4k Nemzetközi Képzőművészeti Filmfesztivál( Tarka Képzelet: Rousseau Álmai / Wild Imagination- Rousseau' Dreams)
      2005. CAMERA HUNGARIA-  GRAND PRIX (Experimental) (Tarka Képzelet: Bruegel álmai/ Wild Imagination- Bruegel's Dreams )
      2005. GRAND PRIX Plovdiv (Tarka Képzelet: Renoir Álmai / Wild Imagination - renoir's Dreams)
      2004 SILVER REMI Award, Worldfest, HOUSTON(Renoir's Dreams )
      2003. Best Experimental ANTALYA (Wild Imagination- Renoir's Dreams)
      2003. ILLYÉS Award -Alternative Film Festival (Wild Imagination- Renoir's Dreams)
      2002. Best Experimental- EVORA International Short Film (Vityebszk Felett- Chagall Álmai/Over the Village- Chagall's Dreams)
      2001. FICC Award Art Film Fest ( Vityebszk Felett/Over the Village- Chagall's Dreams)
      2001. Best European Video MALAGA Unicaja VFF( Vityebszk Felett- Over the Village)
      2001. Nomination, DOK Leipzig ( Córesz / Ways)
      1999 The PROPELLER Award Motovun Film Festival (Ottavio)
      1999. Magyar Filmkritikusok Díja- AGFA Díj (Trapé)
      1997. Dokumentumfilm Kategória Díj, 29. Magyar Filmszemle (Trapé)
      1997. Fődíj ”ON THE ROAD” V. Art Film Fest (Trapé)
      1997. BEST YOUTH Documentary - MEDIAWAVE (Trapé)

Selected Filmography

2013 Regina, d, 65’
2012 Hegyek és tengerek között/ Picasso gyermekei- Gaya- dokumentumfilm-sorozat, epizód, 25’
2010 Vespa, nj, f, 85’
2010 Eldorado, kísérleti, experimental 15’
2006 A Virágünnep vége - Gulácsy álmai/ The Garden of the Magician, experimental, d, 25’
2006 Urlicht, kj, short 15’
2006 Előttem az élet /What Lies Ahead, d, 90’
2004 Csoda Krakkóban/ Miracle in Cracow, nj, feature 95’
2004 Ködkárpit/ A Veil of Shadows d, 90’
2001- 2004 Tarka Képzelet kísérleti művészettörténeti sorozat/ Renoir álmai, Rousseau álmai, Flamand közmondások-Bruegel álmai, Vityebszk felett- Chagall álmai 85’ /Wild Imagination / Rousseaus's Dreams
Flemish Proverbs - Bruegel's Dreams, Renoir's Dreams, Over the Village-Chagall’s Dreams - 85’ experimental /art history documentary series
2001 Córesz / Ways d, 90’
1999 Kazinczy utca/ Melody of the Street, short, 12’
1997 Ottavio, d, 20’
1996 Trapé d, 30’