Fragile in appearance but sharp as ever, Béla Tarr entered the TIFF masterclass in Cluj-Napoca leaning gently on his cane, greeted by a full room and a solid conversation with film critic Andrei Rus. In his coat pocket, he carried a piece of paper with thoughts and words – just like the ones he told us for his scripts. From that modest backpocket came a world of cinematic wisdom.

Tarr spoke candidly about his approach to filmmaking, offering insights that ranged from the poetic to the practical. He talked about his full process – from inspiration and sound to casting, location, or the vital role of his longtime “dolly guy”.

The masterclass was part of his visit to the 24th edition of TIFF, where he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award and celebrated with a full retrospective of his essential works – films that have reshaped the language of cinema with their meditative pace, moral urgency, and deep humanism.

His thoughts and stories carried such weight and clarity that we felt compelled to share them. They are lessons not just in filmmaking, but in how to see, how to feel, and how to remain responsible for the world we portray on screen.

Here are some notes from his masterclass at TIFF.

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About having social responsibility

It is easy to cheat people, that’s why you have to have social responsability when making a film.  When I made my first film, I didn’t know anything about filmmaking. I was an angry young man. I worked in a shipyard, and that was my university. Before you make films, you have to learn life.

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About inspiration

Each movie has its own reason for being. Here’s one example: in Werckmeister Harmonies, the main character is a strange, someone who seems outside of society, maybe even crazy. The story was based on a novel The Melancholy of Resistance. The writer, László Krasznahorkai, handed me the book, and I thought: “This is a great and important novel.” He gave it to me after Sátántangó, believing we could turn it into a film. But I told him, “Sorry, we can’t make the movie, because we don’t have the right person to play the main character.” Years passed. I was working in Berlin with young filmmakers, and one of the directors was doing a casting session; a video test. She had invited Lars Rudolph. He wasn’t an actor, just a street musician. I observed him, staying in one corner, and I watched him. After he finished his casting – which the female director didn’t choose him for—I invited him to a pub. We had a beer, and then I called László and said: “Now we can make the movie. I found the guy.” He was the reason I made the film. He was the inspiration.

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About how we tell the same old story

I don’t have a script. I just carry small cards in my back pocket, each with a single word written on it. For example, “eclipse” was the word for the opening scene in Werckmeister Harmonies. That’s it. One word.

When you’re writing a script, you’re sitting at home with your fucked-up laptop, trying to force yourself to be original or come up with something new. But why? Since the Old Testament, we’ve been telling the same story. We just keep repeating it. You know what’s interesting? How we tell the same old story. That’s why I find people more interesting – their faces, their eyes, how they touch each other, how they move. That’s my goal, not to tell you another boring old story.

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About that moment when the actors are naked

Casting is the most important part. I don’t care if someone is “acting” – because if an actor is clearly performing, I’ll say, “This is beautiful, thank you, but not for this film.” I want them to be present. I’m hunting about their personality – who these people are. Is like when you are cooking; you have to feel it.

When the camera is rolling, your actors are naked. You see their reactions, their emotions, their eyes. You sense what kind of people they are, how they respond to the situation when they’re truly in it. You’re hunting for a real moment. And somehow, that’s all you can really aim for – or at least, that’s what I want to achieve.

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About how „location has a face”

Think of the location as one of the main characters in the film. Location scouting is very important to me; I always did it myself. It is important because the location has a face, a meaning – it’s all the time present.

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No education, just liberation!

When I had my own film school in Sarajevo this was my slogan: No education, just liberation! I believe that when you are free you are more open to the other people.

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About sound

Almost all of my films were dubbed. Sometimes in the scenes are sounds that are too noisy, and you can’t use the original sound. But I love doing the dubbing! We go into the sound studio, and we start dubbing the foley sounds – the footsteps, the movements, all the little noises. The guys are coming – for example, one playing a character in heavy boots, the other in small shoes. They watch the picture while making the sounds in sync. And there I am, sitting behind the window, just laughing about that. It’s very funny!

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About shooting

I like very much long takes. They carry a special kind of tension because everyone, cast and crew, is fully focused. You know how I can tell when a scene is truly working? When I can feel and hear that everyone on set is breathing in the same rhythm.

Our lives unfold in space and time – but most films ignore time. The logic now in film industry is: Action! Cut! Action! Cut! I’m not interested in actions or storytelling. I want to see something about life itself.

I don’t rehearse with actors. We only rehearse for the camera. Throughout my life, I’ve worked with several different cinematographers – but since my very first film, I’ve always worked with the same dolly guy. The dolly guy has always been the same.

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About music

When you feel the music, everything is more composed. Usually, filmmakers shoot the movie first, and then – when they realize there’s not enough tension on screen – they call the musicians and have them play something just to support the film. We do the opposite. We use the music during shooting. The music exists beforehand.

I’ve worked with Mihály Víg from the very beginning. I usually explain the film to him and then he goes to the studio and records something. Sometimes, he even joins me for location scouting. When we built the house for The Turin Horse, he came just to be present, to feel the atmosphere, to listen what we are talking on the set. He understood what we wanted to do. Music isn’t just background – when you feel it, it becomes that thing that holds everything together.

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His thoughts about the future

The world is the way it is because we made it. If it’s shit or if it’s nice – that’s on us. It’s our fault. I don’t like to talk about “humanity” as some abstract idea. That word is too general, and you can take away your own responsibility. What is “humanity,” anyway? I know real, concrete people. And that’s why I believe: we are responsible for how the world looks.

Foto main & header: Tiff.ro 

Anca Vancu

Journalist. She worked for ten years at Adevărul and DoR as a reporter and for a while in communication. At Films in Frame, she coordinates the whole team with Laure, while also editing some of the articles about the film industry, trying to always find interesting angles to tell a story.