Tarr Béla's film company closes down
Bela Tarr to shutter production company. Helmer laments 'crisis' in art cinema (John Nadler; Variety; 24 May 2012)
BUDAPEST -- Hungarian auteur Bela Tarr has decided to shutter his production house T.T. Filmmuhely at the end of this month.:(
According to Tarr, the demise of the shingle, which produced pics like Tarr's "The Man from London" and "The Turin Horse," reflects the crisis besetting art cinema in Hungary and Central and Eastern Europe.
"We have no choice but to acknowledge that despite our efforts our situation has become untenable," Tarr and partner Gabor Teni said in a joint statement.
Tarr has been a critic of reforms to Hungary's film-funding system, which he says discourages art film production in favor of mainstream entertainment pics. In February, Tarr helped organize a film festival to protest against Hungary's new film funding system.
But proponents of the new system, devised by Hungarian-born Hollywood producer Andrew Vajna, state it is trying to strike a balance between art and storytelling in a bid to make the local industry more viable.
In their statement, Tarr and Teni called T.T. Filmmuhely a cinematic voice for society's downtrodden. "We have always stood by the side of humiliated and crippled people, and we have defended them by using our own means."
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