their experimentation with flashbacks, dream sequences, and unconventional narrative structures built on these techniques. Szabó emphasizes iconography in his films, insofar as he tends to invest certain objects and places with symbolic meaning. Tram cars play this role in many of his films, and one becomes the central image in Budapest Tales. Budapest itself plays an important role in many of his films, including scenes of the Danube and of buildings Szabó lived in when he was a child. Acting also plays a key role in Szabó's films, as he values psychological complexity in his central characters. In his first several features, he tended to use the same lead actors over and over—first András Bálint, then Klaus Maria Brandauer. Consistent with this focus on acting, he frequently employs long close-up shots to emphasize the play of emotions on the faces of his characters. Other work In addition to writing and directing films, Szabó has also served in a variety of other capacities in the film industry, including writing and directing television movies and episodes, short films, and documentaries, as well as serving as assistant director, screenwriter, producer, and actor in films directed by others. In 1969, he was a member of the jury at the 6th Moscow International Film Festival. Szabó has directed several operas, including Tannhäuser in Paris, Boris Godunov in Leipzig, Il Trovatore in Vienna, and [[Three sisters (opera)|Three Sisters]]'' in Budapest. He has taught at film schools in Budapest, London, Berlin, and Vienna. In 1989, he was one of the founding members of the European Film Academy, and, in 1992, of the Széchenyi Academy of Literature and Arts. Filmography Television Appearances in documentaries See also Cinema of Hungary Culture of Hungary Jacob Sager Weinstein References 1938 births Directors of Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award winners European Film Award for Best Screenwriter winners Filmmakers who won the Best Foreign Language Film BAFTA Award German-language film directors Hungarian film directors Hungarian Jews Hungarian male film actors Hungarian spies Male actors from Budapest Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin Recipients of the Medal of Pushkin Silver Bear for Best Director recipients Living people Male screenwriters 20th-century screenwriters Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay winners Members of the Széchenyi Academy of Literature and Arts