Béla Tarr, Hungarian director of Sátántangó and Werckmeister Harmonies, dies aged 70

The internationally acclaimed film-maker was renowned for beautifully shot cinematic epics

Bela Tarr, the Hungarian film-maker renowned for lengthy, challenging and beautifully shot films including Satantango, Werckmeister Harmonies and The Man from London, has died aged 70. The Hungarian Film Artists Association said in a statement that Tarr died on Tuesday after a long and serious illness" and that the grieving family asks for the understanding of the press and the public, and that they not be contacted for a statement during these difficult days".

Tarr became renowned internationally in the 90s and 00s as his films were shown more widely - partly because of their inordinate length (including the seven-and-a-half-hour Satantango), and partly because of what appeared to be his definitive expression of middle-European black and white miserablism. But in an interview with the Guardian's Peter Bradshaw in 2024, well after Tarr had retired from active film directing in 2011, he said his films had been misunderstood: My opinion is that we were doing comedies. You can laugh a lot." He added that they were not pessimistic. I only ask this - how did you feel when you came out of the movie theatre after watching my film? Did you feel stronger or weaker? That's the main question. I want you to be stronger."