Submitted Papers - 2016

BURDOSHÁZ AMERIKÁBÓL: Balogh Balázs néprajzkutató nyomában

Type of Abstract (select):

Abstract (max. 250 words):
A film a magyar emigránsok nehéz életét mutatja be egy pennsylvaniai magyar bányásztelepülésen, Vintondale-ben, az ott összegyűjtött tárgyi emlékeken és a rekonstruált burdosházon (bányász férfiaknak fenntartott személyenkénti félnapos ágybérletet nyújtó panzión) keresztül. A település egykoron jelentős lélekszámú magyar lakossága elsősorban a Bereg megyei Bátyuból származik. Bagu Balázs falutársaival az agrárnyomor elől tántorgott ki Amerikába, majd a nyugat-pennsylvaniai bányavidék világtól elzárt kis telepén éjjel-nappal az aknákban görnyedve, centet centre rakva vásárolt egy burdosházat. A világgazdasági válság következtében a bánya bezárt. A lakosság többsége nem tudott visszatérni a szülőföldre és szétszóródott. A film egy családtörténeten keresztül – mint cseppben a tengert – igyekszik bemutatni az amerikai magyarok első nemzedékének életvilágát.


Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Zsigmond Dezső, Balázs Béla-díjas rendező, a Magyar Művészeti Akadémia tagja, eddig 59 filmet készített. Dokumentumfilmjei és játékfilmjei a magyar emberi sorsot mutatják be lakhelytől függetlenül. Filmjeivel elismerést aratott, díjakat nyert Magyarországon és külföldön egyaránt.

Balogh Balázs, PhD, Magyarország egyik legjelesebb néprajzkutatója, a Magyar Tudományos Akadémia Bölcsészettudományi Kutatóközpont Néprajztudományi Intézet igazgatója. Egyik néprajzkutatási területe a magyar diaszpóra Észak Amerikában. Az amerikai közép-nyugaton, a 19-20. század fordulóján kivándorolt magyarság kultúráját kutatta. Ekkor fedezte fel a burdosházat és az alatta lévő szatócsboltot, Az ő érdeme a burdosháznak és teljes eredeti berendezésének a szentendrei Skanzenbe (Szabadtéri Néprajzi Múzeumba) szállítása és részben eredeti szerkezeti elemeket felhasználó rekonstrukciója. A film elkészítésében konzultánsként működött közre.

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Interactive Photo-History Project On Rural Hungarian Life, 20AD-1956

Type of Abstract (select):

Abstract (max. 250 words):
Proud and Torn: A History of Life in Hungary is a unique interactive timeline that visualizes Hungarian history (20 CE-1956) through archival photographs, maps, illustrations, animation, and short film clips. Combining the stylistic genres of photomontage, graphic memoir, and parallax scrolling, the timeline ultimately tells the story of immigration—the many circumstances that led a young Hungarian farmer to leave Hungary for a new life in America, and his sister (and best friend) to remain in Hungary. Told with the narrative perspective of the Hungarian immigrant’s American daughter, the project helps readers make sense of the dramatic and often horrific events that led to his immigration: two World Wars, the Holocaust, and more than a century of instability with competing regimes of capitalism, fascism, and communism. The family narrative perspective explores history from the ground up (rather than the top down), utilizes family photos and documents alongside archival findings, and challenges the dominant and narrow portrayals of Hungarian and European history by placing a greater emphasis on rural and agricultural history and using fresh visual sources from amateur and underutilized collections, both digital and archival.


Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Bettina Fabos, Ph.D., is the project director of Proud and Torn. She is Associate Professor of Visual Communication and Interactive Digital Studies at the University of Northern Iowa, where she is also engaged with the University’s public history program. Both a scholar and award-winning producer of digital content, her current work revolves around digital culture, digital visualization, digital photo archiving, and public memory. Her particular knowledge of media pedagogy and interactive digital studies is valuable to the Proud and Torn project insofar as communicating historical narrative and collective photographic identity. As a Presidential Scholar at the University of Iowa (where she received her Ph.D.), she won the University’s top dissertation award; she was also a recipient of a Spencer Fellowship. In 2013, she conducted research as a Fulbright Research Fellow in Hungary for Proud and Torn. She is the co-author of three significant textbooks: Media and Culture (the leading textbook for mass communication survey classes across the U.S.), Media Essentials, and Media IN Society, all with Bedford/St. Martin’s Press. She is also co-founder of FORTEPAN IOWA (fortepan.us), a digital archive of amateur photographs on 20th-century Iowa life based on the Hungarian FORTEPAN (fortepan.hu).

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The Politics of Exclusion: The Hungarian Theatrical Arts and Film Arts Chamber, 1939-1945

Type of Abstract (select):

Abstract (max. 250 words):
Hungarians have always been fascinated with storytelling through the art of film, the country has consistently produced generations of talented filmmakers. The first films were produced in Hungary around the turn-of-the-century and, from that point onwards, cinemas began to be built all over Budapest. By 1914, there were over 110 permanent cinemas, more than in many other major European capitals.
Each successive Hungarian government has tried to politicize, to regimentalize the film industry, in fact to mold the film industry to do the regime’s bidding. The inter-war government of Miklos Horthy tried to mold the film industry as well.
This paper will examine how the theatre and film community (both Christian and Jewish) were affected by the implementation of the Jewish laws. It will be examining the human cost of the losses within the film and theatre arts community through the prism of historical events and reactions: of the Jewish and Christian theatre and film community, of self-help organizations established to aid the unemployed, within the business of film itself, of government and institutional actions and reactions. This paper will examine the impact of the Jewish laws through examining the “micro” history of how Jewish and Christian actors, actresses, producers, directors and those involved in the film and theatre community were affected by these laws.


Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Susan M. Papp, Director/Producer, earned a Master of Arts in North American Social History at York University in Toronto in 1985. She began her career in journalism at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Radio Drama department in 1981 as a historical researcher. In 1988, Ms. Papp became a current affairs producer in the regional news department at the CBC. Susan Papp developed a profile and reputation as an on-camera current affairs reporter specializing in social issues for CBC TV. In 1991, she was chosen to work as field producer for The Journal, and its subsequent retitled version Prime Time News. While at the CBC, she was awarded two of the top journalism awards in Canada: The Michener Award and the Best Investigative Award by the Canadian Journalists Association.

In 1993, while on leave of absence from the BBC, Ms. Papp founded her own television production company, Postmodern Productions, and has since produced documentaries for CBC, BRAVO, WTN, Discovery Channel and OMNI Television. She has published extensively in the field of Hungarian immigration and settlement in North America. Presently, Ms. Papp teaches Hungarian Studies at the Munk School for Global Affairs at the University of Toronto.

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Csontváry -- The Master of Mystical Ambiguities and of Light

Type of Abstract (select):

Abstract (max. 250 words):
Csontvary's work is hard to categorize. He is a painter who followed his inner voice and left us many paintings that touch upon surrealism, symbolism, post impressionism, fauvism, and something that is uniquely his own, mysterious and strangely beautiful.
Light is the crucial element in several of his paintings. It changes the reality and transports the viewer into emotionally charged realms: some peaceful and dreamlike, others reflecting the inner turmoil of the master.
The overview of some of Csontvary's works -from the perspective of a working artist-may provide some of the insights into his unique use of light and symbolic elements that so strongly appeal to contemporary viewers.



Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Beata Szpura is a substitute full time lecturer at Queensborough Community College and Part Time Assistant Professor at Parsons the New School for Design. She is a working fine artist and an illustrator.
Artist's website: bszpura.com

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