Ilona Kolonits

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Illona Kolonits, 1960s
Righteous
Among the Nations
By country

Ilona Kolonits (17 March 1922 in

Second World War
.

Ilona, Paulina, Paola and Margit Kolonits, Righteous Amongst the Nations Medal

Biography

Kolonits was born in 1922 in Budapest to a family of notable

Hungarian Social Democratic Party. He took an active role in organising the Buchenwald Resistance
movement and fought to liberate the prisoners from the camp.

Ilona also took part in carrying messages during the Nazi occupation between groups taking part in resistance in various parts of Budapest. During the

humanitarian affairs.[3]

As a child Ilona was interested in drama, acting and

Academy of Drama and Film in Budapest and subsequently went on to study film directing. She wrote her thesis in Documentary Cinema, and in 1954 became a Fellow of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, one of the first women to do so, alongside Dr. Elizabeth Garai and Yvette Biro.[1] In the anti-fascist movement, she befriended many young Hungarian writers, artists and poets including the poet Attila József
, and later she became a member of the Fészek Art Club in Budapest.

Career

Between 1951 and 1989 Kolonits was a film director at the

documentary
filmmaker.

Kolonits was a dedicated

minority groups in her films, and she was in particular concerned with the cause of women and children whose lives were distraught by violent conflicts. One of her cinematic achievements is the short film Eroica (1975), which depicts the tragedy of the Vietnam War on the lives of women and children in a series of images edited to the sounds of Symphony No. 3 in E flat major (Op. 55) by Ludwig van Beethoven (known as the Eroica, Italian for "heroic") played by the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra
. Eroica advocates peace over war by expressing simultaneously the great sorrow of loss and the overwhelming joy of rebirth in peace lived by a whole nation.

Kolonits' best known and most disputed film is As It Happened (1957), a documentary portraying the events of the

1956 Uprising in Hungary. The film was edited from original footages which Kolonits herself shot on the streets of Budapest as none of the Hungarian film directors nor camera crews were prepared to work under the conditions of violent conflict.[4] By risking her life while filming alone on the streets during the fights, Kolonits provided authentic documentary footages of the armed conflict. [5] The political controversy surrounding this film related to the interpretation of the events through editing in years to come overshadowed the international cinematic heritage of Kolonits' humanist documentary cinema.[6]

Kolonits' cinematic style has been characterised as lyrical and poetic. In her films she depicted the beauty and heroism in the everyday lives of people. Her kindness and compassion won hearts both in her home country and worldwide allowing Kolonits to portray intimate moments of joy and grief, traditions and customs of minority and ethnic communities, women and children.

Margit Kovacs.[7] Kolonis' 1988 film You Like Horses, Don't You? addresses animal rights. Kolonits gave a lyrical homage to the city where she was born and which she loved in her film Budapest. The films of Kolonits are filed at the Hungarian National Digital Film Archives and Film Institute and are protected by the Hungarian Society for the Protection of Audio-Visual Authors' and Producers' Rights.[6]

Personal life

Kolonits was considered by those few who knew her well to be a kind, courageous, noble yet lighthearted person. She never gave interviews, enjoying a private and modest life with her parents in a green suburb of Budapest. Kolonits spent her free time between her parents, siblings and extended family with whom she shared her love of reading and nature walks. She collected in her home a considerable library and art collection, while often giving large amounts anonymously to charity in support of children orphaned due to violent conflicts and war.

The only known romantic interest Kolonits had was a platonic fascination with the Hungarian poet

humanitarian
values throughout her life.

Kolonits died in Budapest in 2002 at the age of 80. Her ashes are resting alongside those of her parents in the historical pantheon of the

better source needed] Her last wish was for József's poem, At The Danube (1936), expressing a hope for peace and for national and international reconciliation
, to be read at her memorial service.

Selected awards

Selected filmography

  • Flowering Life Replacing The Ruins (Romok helyen viragzo elet) 1949[13]
  • They Need Peace (Nekik béke kell), 1952 - Winner of the 1954 Children's Film Festival, Paris, France
  • Matyasföld, (Matyásföld), 1953
  • Before the Decision (Választas elött...) 1953
  • Budapest, 1953
  • In the Land of 'Matyo', 1953
  • Budapest Industrial Expo (Budapesti Helyipari Vásár), 1955
  • A Journey In Szabolcs (Utazás Szabolcsban), 1955
  • Birthday (Születésnap), 1955
  • On The Embankment Of The Sajo River (Sajoparti Történet), 1955
  • Six Boys, Six Buses (Hat fiu, hat busz), 1956
  • Change of Programme (Müsorváltozás), 1957
  • Ez It Happened (Így törtent), 1957
  • Talking Fruits (Beszélö gyümölcsök), 1957
  • Nowhere Else Apart From Here (A nagyvilágon e kivul), 1957
  • May I? (Szabad?), 1958
  • We Will Meet In Vienna (Bécsben találkozunk), 1959
  • The Last Curtain (Az utolso felvonás), 1959
  • Bridges, Embankments, People, (Hidak, partok emberek)1960
  • History Lesson For Boys (Törtenelmi lecke fiuknak), 1960
  • April Greetings (Áprilisi köszöntö),1960
  • In the Footsteps Of Childhood (Gyermekévek nyomában) 1961
  • Two Harvests in Markaz (Két szuret Markazon) 1961
  • Off To Baghdad (Irány Bagdad), 1961
  • Festival In Helsinki (Fesztival Helszinkiben) 1962
  • Minutes Observed (Ellesett percek) 1962 - Winner of the 3rd Hungarian Short Film Biennale, Budapest
  • The 'Puszta' in Winter (A Puszta télen) 1963
  • The Last Stop (Végállomas) 1964
  • Thoughts About A Street's Name (Gondolatok egy utca névhez) 1964
  • Seasons, Masters, Artworks (Evszakok, mesterek, muvek) 1964
  • Five Times a Week (Hetenkent ötször) 1965 - 1st Prize of Silver Javelin OTSH Film Festival, Budapest, 1965 ,1st Prize of the Italian Film Production Companies, Cortina d'Ampezzo, 1966, CIDALC Award, Grenoble, 1968
  • Chanson (Sanzon) 1966
  • Red Signs On The Path of War (Vörös jelek a hadak utján) 1966 - Russian Historical State Award
  • This Is As Well Budapest (Ez is Budapest) 1967
  • Ode (Oda) 1967
  • To My Soldier Son (Katonafiamnak) 1968 - 1st prize of the Veszprem Army Film Festival, Hungary
  • Madonnas (Madonnak) 1968
  • …And There Will Be A Millions Of Us (Es million leszunk) 1968
  • 5 x 1 (5x1), 1969 - Winner of OTSH Film Art Festival, Silver Javelin Prize, 1970, Budapest, Hungary
  • The Train (A Vonat), 1970
  • Variations On a Theme (Valtozatok egy temara), 1970
  • On The Conveyer-belt of History (A tortenelem futoszallagan), 1970
  • Self-portrait (Onarckep), 1971
  • Two Cities, One Day (Ket varos, egy nap), 1972
  • With Abandon, (Onfeledten), 1972
  • Two Towns, (Két város), 1972
  • Red Gold (Piros Arany), 1973
  • My World (Az en vilagom), 1973
  • Sparkles (Csillagszorok), 1973
  • Those Who Are Waited For (Akiket varnak), 1973
  • A Week On A Mountain (Egy hét egy hegyen), 1973
  • Sport, Rhythm, Music (Sport, ritmus, zene), 1974
  • Together Again (Ismet egyutt), 1974
  • Eroica, 1975 - Golden Prize of the Moscow Film Festival 1975, Distinction at the Tampere Film festival, Finland 1976
  • Meeting In Peace (Talakozás békében), 1975
  • White Acacia (Fehér akác), 1976
  • Let Them Have Reverence (Adassék neki tisztelet), 1976
  • Thank You For The Clay (Köszönöm az anyagot), 1976
  • Good Morning Siberia! (Jo reggelt Sziberia!) - The Prize of the City of Leipzig, Germany
  • In Several Voices (Több szolamban), 1977
  • The Continuation of A Film (Egy film folytatása), 1978
  • Nursery Olympics (Óvis Olympia), 1979 - Award of the International Youth Committee, 1980, Award of the International Olympic Committee 1980, Award of the Russian Olympic Committee, 1980, Silver Javelin Prize, 1980, Budapest, Hungary
  • The Survivals (A tulélök), 1980
  • Thank You, We Are Well… (Koszonjuk, jol vagyunk...), 1981
  • Greeting Life (Eletköszöntö), 1982
  • House of Lace ( A csipkeház), 1982
  • Painting With Background (Festmény háttérrel), 1983
  • A Nuclear Power Station (Atomeromu), 1983
  • Goose Empire (Libabirodalom), 1983
  • The Daughters of Laos (Laosz lányai), 1984
  • The Fourth Meeting (Negyedik találkozás), 1985
  • The City Of The Golden Budda (Az arany Buddha városa), 1985
  • The Fourth Meeting (A negyedik talákozás), 1985
  • You Do Love Horses, Don't You? (A lovakat szeretik, ugye?), 1988 - Award of Montecatini, Special Prize of the Festival Of Tourism, Special Prize at the Hungarian Sport Film Festival, Budapest

References

  1. ^ a b c d Csőke József, 'Kolonits Ilona (1922–2002)', Krónika, Filmvilág folyóirat 2002/09 03. old.
  2. ^ a b Yad Vashem
  3. ^ Margit Kolonits, 'My Memoirs' ('Visszaemlékezéseim') (10 August 1976, Budapest), manuscript, in private collection
  4. ^ Elena Kaplinskaya 'The Cinema of Moscow', Profizdat 1991 pp. 124-140
  5. ^ Elena Kaplinskaya 'Illuzion', Profizdat 1991 pp. 124-140
  6. ^ a b Lóránt, Stőhr, 'Nothing is Set in Stone - Conversation with Éva Kármentő' (Semmi sincs kőbe vésve - Beszélgetés Kármentő Évával)
  7. ^ Ilona Kolonits 'Thank You For The Clay' (Köszöntöm az agyagot) (1976) (fragment) http://mandarchiv.hu/video/3817/Koszontom_az_agyagot_reszlet
  8. ^ hu:A Farkasréti temető nevezetes halottainak listája#K
  9. ^ hu:Balázs Béla-díj#1963
  10. ^ hu:SZOT-díj#1965
  11. ^ hu:Magyarország Érdemes Muvésze díj#1973
  12. ^ hu:Magyarország Kiváló Muvésze díj#1980
  13. ^ The British Film Institute, Archives, http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2ba034a8bb Archived 2015-07-02 at the Wayback Machine

Notes

  • Kolonits, Margit, 'My Memoirs' ('Visszaemlékezéseim' ) (10 August 1976, Budapest)
  • Csőke, József, 'Kolonits Ilona (1922–2002)', Krónika, Filmvilág folyóirat 3 September 2002 old.
  • Elena Kaplinskaya 'Illuzion', Profizdat 1991
  • Lóránt, Stőhr, 'Nothing is Set in Stone - Conversation with Éva Kármentő' (Semmi sincs kőbe vésve - Beszélgetés Kármentő Évával)

Bibliography

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