RICHARDSON, Texas (Jan. 6, 2003) - Academy Award-winning Hungarian filmmaker István Szabó will visit The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) early next month to receive a humanitarian award and host a film festival showcasing his work. He also will lead a series of discussions about the historical perspectives of his various films and the art of filmmaking, among other topics.

The festival will begin Sunday, Feb. 2, and continue through Feb. 5 and is free and open to the public. The humanitarian award will be presented to Szabó at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 2 on behalf of UTD's Holocaust Studies Program, the Burton C. Einspruch Holocaust Lecture Series and the School of Arts and Humanities in recognition of his cinematic achievements, including his efforts to recount one of the most troubling events of modern history - the Holocaust - with great artistry and sensitivity.

Firmly established as one of the most distinguished and influential filmmakers of his generation and recognized for creating and writing almost all of his own screenplays, Szabó is best known for winning the 1981 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film for the historical drama, Mephisto. He went on to collect nearly 20 awards for the film. Throughout his career, Szabó has stayed loyal to his home country of Hungary, where he began his career at the Academy of the Art of Theatre and Film in the early 1960's. He has won more than 60 major international awards and most recently directed the film Sunshine.

"We are thrilled to have someone of Mr. Szabó's talent and stature visit our campus," said Dr. Dennis Kratz, dean of UTD's School of Art and Humanities. "We look forward to having him educate our students, faculty and staff, as well as the general public, about his work and the horrors of the Holocaust that led to the creation of some of his most important films. His work stands as an inspiration to all of us."

Following is the schedule for Szabó's visit:

• Sunday, Feb. 2
  2:30 p.m. - "A Tribute to István Szabó" - Presentation of humanitarian award, remarks by Szabó
  2:45 p.m. - Introduction and historical background to the movie Sunshine
  3:15 p.m. - Full showing of Sunshine
  6:15-7 p.m. - Reception
  
• Monday, Feb. 3
  7:30 p.m. - "The Artist and the Lure of Collaboration," brief remarks by Szabó
  8 p.m. - Full showing of Mephisto
  
• Tuesday, Feb. 4
  2:30-3:30 p.m. - "The Art of Filmmaking," panel discussion with István Szabó
  3:30-4 p.m. - Reception
  4 p.m. - Full showing of Confidence
  
• Wednesday, Feb. 5
  2:30-3:30 p.m. - "An Afternoon with Academy Award Winning Director István Szabó," open discussion
  3:30-4:30 p.m. - Reception
  4:30 p.m. - Full showing of Father

All events will take place at UTD's Conference Center Auditorium. For more information, please contact Debbie Pfister at 972-883-4440 or dhpf@utdallas.edu.

About the Holocaust Studies Program
The mission of the Holocaust Studies Program at The University of Texas at Dallas is to bring about greater historical and moral awareness of what happened when the Third Reich shattered Europe, creating shock waves that still impact contemporary consciousness. UTD's program has become a major center of study in three key ways: via its School of Arts and Humanities, which offers graduate seminars on the Shoah (a Hebrew word meaning "destruction" that is widely used by Jewish scholars who feel that "Holocaust" has lost much of its significance through overuse); UTD's Eugene McDermott Library, which houses the Arnold A. Jaffe Holocaust (book) Collection; and the Burton C. Einspruch Holocaust Lecture Series, which hosts public lectures by world-renowned scholars of the Holocaust.

About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 13,000 students. The school's freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university's web site at http://www.utdallas.edu.