Márta Mészáros (born 19 September 1931) is a Hungarian screenwriter and film director. The daughter of László Mészáros, a sculptor, Mészáros began her career working in documentary film, having made 25 documentary shorts over the span of ten years. Her full-length directorial debut, Eltavozott nap/The Girl (1968), was the first Hungarian film to have been directed by a woman, and won the Special Prize of the Jury at the Valladolid International Film Festival. Mészáros' work often combines autobiographical details with documentary footage. Prominent themes include characters' denials of their pasts, the consequences of dishonesty, and the problematics of gender. Her films often feature heroines from fragmented families, such as young girls seeking their missing parents (The Girl) or middle-aged women looking to adopt children (Adoption). Although Mészáros has made over fifteen feature films, she is arguably best known for Diary for My Children (1984), which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. It was the first entry in a trilogy of autobiographical films which also includes Diary for my Lovers (1987) and Diary for my Father and Mother (1990). Throughout her career, Mészáros has won the Golden Bear and the Silver Bear awards at the Berlinale; the Golden Medal at the Chicago International Film Festival; the Silver Shell at the San Sebastian International Film Festival; and the FIPRESCI Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1991 she was a member of the jury at the 17th Moscow International Film Festival.
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Biography from TMDB.
- September 19, 1931 (95)
- Budapest, Hungary
- Director and writer
- 4 on MovieCove · 42 credits in all
What are Márta Mészáros' films like?
Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 4
Light 0 · Serious 2 · Dark 2
A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 1
Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 1
Steady 2 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0
Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 0 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 0 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 3
A split, not a type: Resolved 3 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Márta Mészáros' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 4 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Márta Mészáros' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
42 credits, 4 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
No Country for the Poor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
My Mother's Letters to Stalin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Hungary 2011 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Last Report on Anna (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
The Unburied Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Notes in Lifestyle Margins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
The Miraculous Mandarin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Little Vilma: The Last Diary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Daughters of Fortune (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
The Seventh Room (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Fetus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Edith and Marlene (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Diary for My Father and My Mother (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Bye Bye, Red Riding Hood(1989)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Diary for My Lovers(1987)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all filmsVieras (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Diary for My Children (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
The Land of Mirage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
A Mother, a Daughter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
The Inheritance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
On the Move (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Just Like at Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
The Two of Them(1977)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Nine Months (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Adoption (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
At the End of September (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Riddance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
At the Lőrinc Spinnery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Don’t Cry, Pretty Girls! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Binding Sentiments (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
The Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
In Memoriam László Mészáros (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Blow-Ball (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Szentendre And Its Painters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Care and Affection (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Heartbeat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Salesmanship (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Tomorrow's Shift (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Women of Today (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Let All Children Smile (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Everyday Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Career shape
A full career of 42 titles from 1955 to 2017.
How do Márta Mészáros' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 70th percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 73rd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th1
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
None of their 4 titles divides audiences: 3 are Crowd Pleasers.
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Mixed1
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Márta Mészáros work with?
People who share at least 2 of Márta Mészáros' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Éva Pataki shares the most, 3.
Writers
- Éva PatakiShared titles: Aurora Borealis: Northern Light (2017), Bye Bye, Red Riding Hood (1989), Diary for My Lovers (1987)See all 3 shared titles with Éva Pataki
Actors
- Jan NowickiShared titles: Bye Bye, Red Riding Hood (1989), Diary for My Lovers (1987), The Two of Them (1977)See all 3 shared titles with Jan Nowicki
- Zsuzsa CzinkócziShared titles: Diary for My Lovers (1987), The Two of Them (1977)See all 2 shared titles with Zsuzsa Czinkóczi
Composers and editors
- Zsolt DömeShared titles: Bye Bye, Red Riding Hood (1989), Diary for My Lovers (1987)See all 2 shared titles with Zsolt Döme
- Éva KármentőShared titles: Diary for My Lovers (1987), The Two of Them (1977)See all 2 shared titles with Éva Kármentő
Producers
- Gábor HanákShared titles: Bye Bye, Red Riding Hood (1989), Diary for My Lovers (1987)See all 2 shared titles with Gábor Hanák