Udo Kier is one of the most important German actors of the past decades, whose oeuvre is significant also from the aspect of Hungarian film history. Born in Cologne, Kier decided on a
career in acting after a trip to London, and his film career took off with Michael Sarne’s short film Road to Saint Tropez (1966). Thanks to his striking character and looks, he soon found
more work starring in Paul Morrissey’s Flesh for Frankenstein (1973) and Blood for Dracula (1974), not to mention several other horror films. After these initial successes he became an
artist sought-out all over the world, he made appearances in films by Fassbinder (Berlin, Alexanderplatz, 1980, Lili Marleen, 1981), Dario Argento (Suspiria, 1977) and Lars von Trier (Europa, 1991, Breaking the Waves, 1996, The Empire, 1994-1997, Melancholia, 2011), while he played in many other action movies and comedies and had a role in Gus van Saint’s My Own Private Idaho (1991). He first worked in Hungary in 1979, when he came into contact with Gábor Bódy. Initially he appeared in two TV films, Katonák and Krétakör, and then he took on the part of László Tóth, the tragic scientist-poet in Psyche. Although he gave his most memorable characterizations in Gábor Bódy’s monumental film, he also featured in two Miklós Jancsó works, Magyar Rapszódia/Hungarian Rhapsody (1979) and Allegro Barbaro (1979). This year’s Film Marathon pays tribute to this magnificent actor with the screening of the  restored version of Psyche.

Meet-and-greet:

09.08. 16:00-17:30 Ódry Stage (From blockbuster to art film – the many faces of Udo Kier)
09.08. 18:00-23:00 Uránia National Film Theatre (Narcissus and Psyche – Gala screening; Guest: Udo Kier )