Györgyi Szalai
Szalai Györgyi (August 31, 1940 – December 17, 2024) was a Hungarian film director and screenwriter, and a significant figure in the Budapest School of documentary-fiction film making. She studied Hungarian and Russian at ELTE before entering the Academy of Theater and Film Arts in 1963. She was removed from the school after two years. At film school she met director István Dárday, who became her long-term life and artistic partner. Their collaboration lasted for decades and was central to both of their careers. She was member of the Hungarian Film Production Company "Társulás" ("Association") and founding member of Motion Picture Innovation Company. She was an influential creator of the experimental, documentary film style with Budapest School. Her work includes Nyugodtan meghalni (1970), Miheztartás végett (1971), Jutalomutazás (1975), Átváltozás (1983), Nyugattól keletre, avagy a média diszkrét bája (1994), Tükröződések (1998), and Az emigráns – Minden másképp van (2007). She received the Balázs Béla Award in 1998 and was named Artist of Merit of Hungary in 2014. She became a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Arts in 2013 and a full member in 2017.