About Extremely Hungary

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

Extremely Hungary is a yearlong festival showcasing contemporary Hungarian visual, performing, and literary arts in New York and Washington, D.C., throughout 2009. The festival reveals the roots of Hungary’s thriving contemporary culture and its impact on American society through a broad spectrum of events at leading cultural institutions in the two cities. Extremely Hungary is organized by the Hungarian Cultural Center in New York. The festival is made possible in part by funding from the Hungarian Ministry of Education and Culture, and the participation of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The festival’s chairpersons are George Soros and Kati Marton.

HUNGARIAN CULTURAL CENTER

Dedicated to enhancing knowledge and appreciation of Hungarian culture, the Hungarian Cultural Center organizes and supports a wide spectrum of events that celebrate Hungary’s past, present and future. HCC’s ultimate goal is to bring attention to the great achievements in Hungarian art and culture while encouraging collaborations between Hungarians and New Yorkers.

EXTREMELY HUNGARY BOARD

Yvette Bíró
Professor Emeritus, New York University Kanbar Institute of Film and Television Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Division.

Ágnes Heller
Hannah Arendt Professor of Philosophy in the Graduate Studies Program, New School for Social Research.

Ferenc Karvalits
Deputy Governer of the Central Bank of Hungary.

János Kornai
Allie S. Freed Professor of Economics, Emeritus, Harvard University, and Permanent Fellow, Emeritus, Collegium Budapest.

Orsolya Körösi
Cultural consultant, Managing Director of the Hungarian House of Photography.

Éva Lauter
Director of Balassi Institute in Budapest, Hungary

Zoltán Rockenbauer
Former Hungarian Minister of Culture; art historian.

Péter Siklós
International Advisor at the Hungarian Ministry of Education and Culture

András Szántó
Writer, researcher, and consultant on the arts; Senior Lecturer, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, New York; Director, NEA Arts Journalism Institute, Classical Music and Opera, Columbia University.

Festival Staff

László Jakab Orsós Director
Jakab Orsós was appointed Director of the Hungarian Cultural Center in 2005. He has had a varied career spanning literature, film, journalism and even food. In Budapest, Jakab was a columnist for Népszabadság, Hungary’s largest daily newspaper, and a host of cultural programs at Hungarian Television (MTV1). He has been a lecturer at the Budapest Academy of Film in creative writing, dramaturgy, and script writing, as well as a Visiting Scholar in Film at New York University. A member of the selection jury of the Sundance Institute’s European Screenwriting Lab, Jakab co-wrote the script for the animated feature film “The District,” which won first prize at the Annecy International Animation Festival. He received his M.A. in History, Literature and Literary Criticism from Eötvös Loránd University of Budapest.

Eszter Gyárfás Assistant Director
Eszter Gy árfás graduated at the Budapest Academy of Film as producer . She has been working extensively on Hungarian theatre and film productions as production manager and producer in different award winning Hungarian feature films, shorts and documentaries. She also holds a B.A. in Tourism and Hotel Management and worked in London’s St James’s Club. Eszter newly joined the crew of the Hungarian Cultural Institute.

Rita Horváth Director of Finance
Rita Horváth has been financial and administrative manager for the Hungarian Cultural Center for over 3 years. Previously, Rita worked in communication and advertising at McCann-Erickson and as a marketing manager for 20th Century Fox and Paramount Film distribution companies in Hungary. She received her M.A. in Economics in Hungary.

Aron Arvai Office Manager
Aron Arvai has worked with the Hungarian Cultural Center for two years, assisting with various programming and day-to-day functions of the office. He graduated from Hunter College with a B.A. in History and Sociology in 2008.

Stefany Anne Golberg Programming Associate
Stefany Anne Golberg has been working with the Hungarian Cultural Center for two and a half years, working to produce and promote their programming. An artist, writer and musician, Stefany is co-founder and Executive Director of the NYC arts collective Flux Factory. She received her M.F.A. in Music from Bard College.

Corinne Erni Project and Communications Coordinator
Corinne Erni has produced several large contemporary arts and culture festivals in New York City, including European Dream (2006) and Swiss Peaks (2003). She cofounded ARTPORT_making waves, an international arts program connecting arts, science, and politics. Corinne has edited several cultural publications and holds an M.A. in Journalism from New York University. She has also worked as a fashion designer.

Lukas Fitze Marketing & Communications
Armed with the skills gained from a career in the competitive arena of corporate advertising and marketing, Lukas has amassed extensive experience in the realm of cultural development and nation-branding. His past clients and projects include Basel Area (Switzerland), Bridge Art Fair (U.S.), Location Switzerland, Swiss Peaks Festival, Swiss Roots, and VOLTA Art Fair.

Krisztina Danka, Ph.D. Project Coordinator for Washington Programs
Krisztina Danka will coordinate and produce Extremely Hungary’s Washington, D.C., events. As a liaison for non-governmental and human rights organizations, Krisztina has carried on extensive business and cultural exchange in Europe, India, and the U.S. She is the author of several books and academic papers, and the writer and producer of 25 documentary films. Krisztina received her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Eötvös Lóránd University in Budapest.

Sarolta Nagy, Assistant Program Co-ordinator
Sarolta has been working as an assistant to Orsolya Korosi since the beginning of 2008 helping with the organization of Extremely Hungary Festival at the Budapest Office. Previously she had held an internship at CSR Services, and, since 2007 she has been working part-time as a translator. She is currently graduating from KRE University in Budapest with an M.A. in English and American Studies.

THE HUNGARIAN CULTURAL CENTER 447 BROADWAY, NYC 10013 TEL 212.750.4450