JANOS EDELENYI
Graduating from the Academy of Films in Budapest, JANOS EDELENYI rejoined the staff of the Hungarian Television, where he had worked prior to film school. His early works have been widely accepted as groundbreaking and redefining the medium by the daring use of extreme close ups, and were awarded twice The Grand Prize, Best Photography and Best TV Adaptation Prize.
Despite praise and success, several other works, among others, documentaries, a television movie based upon Shakespeare’s Richard II and a poetry program were banned and both premiered only three decades later.
Thus in 1976 Janos was forced into exile. In 1977 he immigrated to Israel where he lives ever since. He directed and photographed industrial films and documentaries for American broadcasters.
In 1991 he produced the first Israeli-Hungarian feature co-production, THE LONG SHADOW, starring Michael York and Liv Ullmann, directed by Oscar winning Vilmos Zsigmond.
In 2009 he co-wrote and directed the multi-award winner PRIMA PRIMAVERA, a Hungarian-Bulgarian-Dutch-UK feature film co-production.
THE CARER, a UK-Hungarian co-production, starring BRIAN COX and introducing COCO KONIG premiered to critical acclaim in Palm Springs in 2016 and received the AUDIENCE PRIZE and had its European premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival where it was Best of the Fest.
EVA BODNAR
While working as production manager at the Hungarian Television and attending the Academy of Films, EVA BODNAR rejoined her fiancé, Janos Edelenyi in Israel – following a hazardous escape from Hungary.
She joined the staff of the Educational Television and soon became the Senior Producer of Israel’s legendary children’s program-cum-entertainment weekly, ZEHUZE! After running the show for 25 years, she began producing one-offs, among them award-winning “YES” – AN ISRAELI SUITE.
Another musical documentary she originated and produced: GHOST MACHINE was awarded the coveted Prix Jeunesse.
After resigning her post at the IETV, she joined PROLITERA and co-produced films for the private market, among them THEODORE HERZL a feature documentary about the Hungarian born visionary, the “dreamer” of the future Jewish State.
For her efforts fostering Israeli-Hungarian cultural ties Eva received the PRO CULTURA HUNGARIA prize.
