Istenmezején 1972-73-ban

Istenmezején is a village in Hungary whose name translates as “the field of God”. Shown in rich black and white, the young, 70s-style women led by Ilonka und Marika must decide between education and working in the fields, getting married young at the village disco or a future in the city and stand up to stridently patriarchal structures along the way – as far from an earthly idyll as they are from the kingdom of heaven. After Judit Elek made her international breakthrough with her brilliant feature debut THE LADY FROM CONSTANTINOPLE at the 1968 Semaine de la Critique in Cannes following several short and medium-length films, it was more bitterly ironic coincidence than intentional contrarianism that she wasn’t able to continue with her fiction career – her politically essential film THE TRIAL OF MARTINOVICS AND THE HUNGARIAN JACOBINS was put on ice by the authorities. She turned her attention to documentary work. And thus ISTENMEZEJÉN 1972–73-BAN (A Hungarian Village) and its sequel EGYSZERÜ TÖRTENET (A Commonplace Story) became her “most important film”, as the Lady from Budapest herself confirmed. She passed away on October 1st, 2025. A 1975 Forum film! (Barbara Wurm) 

Filmmaker and screenwriter Judit Elek (1937–2025) graduated in 1961 from the Academy of Drama and Film in Budapest and joined Mafilm as an assistant director. Between 1962 and 2011, she made multiple short films, documentaries and features. In her stories she explored difficult social situations, human loneliness, and attempts to establish contact. Her films are characterized by deep social sensitivity and a documentary approach. During her career, she was invited to the Film Festivals in Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Locarno, Mannheim and Oberhausen.

Director Judit Elek. Screenplay Judit Elek. Cinematography Elemér Ragályi. Editing Júlia Trebitsch. Sound Design Gábor Erdélyi. Producer Laura Horváth. Executive Producers László Nádasi, Katalin Ávéd. Production companies MTV Documentary department (Budapest, Hungary), Mafilm (Budapest, Hungary).

World sales National Film Institute Hungary - Film Archive

Films: 1963: Találkozás / Encounter (short film). 1966: Kastélyok lakói / Inhabitants of Castles in Hungary in 1966 (short film). 1968: Meddig él az ember? I-II / How Long Does Man Live?. 1969: Sziget a szárazföldön / The Lady from Constantinople. 1972: Találkozunk 1972-ben (Sötétben-világosban) / We Will Meet in 1972 (In Dark and in Light). 1974: Istenmezején 1972–73-ban / A Hungarian Village, Az első fénykép / Tamás Cseh: The First Photo. 1975: Egyszerű történet / A Commonplace Story. 1979: Majd holnap / Maybe Tomorrow. 1981: Vizsgálat Martinnovics Ignác szászvári apát és társai ügyében / The Trial of Martinovics and the Hungarian Jacobins. 1984: Mária-nap / Maria’s Day. 1989: Tutajosok / Memories of a River. 1995: Ébredés / Awakening. 1996: Mondani a mondhatatlant – Elie Wiesel üzenete / To Speak the Unspeakable – The Message of Elie Wiesel. 1998: Egy szabad ember – Fisch Ernő élete / A Free Man – The Life of Erno Fisch. 2006: A hét nyolcadik napja / The Eighth Day of the Week. 2018: És a halottak újra énekelnek… / After All the Dead Sing Again. 2019: Visszatérés / Retrace: Digital Director’s Cut.