Ferenc Dienes

Ferenc Dienes (1929-2013) was a film producer.

Biography

Ferenc Dienes was born in Mezökövesd in Northern Hungary on 28 April 1929 and as a teenager had a small role in Negyedíziglen, a feature film by Zoltán Farkas. He also directed a short drama called Az Igazi Égszinkek (The Real Blue Sky) from a story by Béla Balázs at the Pannonia Film Studio. However, after the Soviet invasion of Hungary in October 1956, he was one of thousands of Hungarians who left their homeland. Dienes crossed the border into neighbouring Austria, landed in a resettlement camp in Eisenstadt and soon afterwards left for France. It is not known exactly when he came to South Africa, but by the mid-sixties he had established himself as a producer at the National Film Board in Pretoria, where a fellow-Hungarian, Mihaly Brunda, also found employment. Little is known about his movements after the National Film Board was closed down in December 1979, but in 1981 he took part in an exhibition of Hungarian art at the Pretoria Art Museum. He died on 12 October 2013.

Film Credits

There is no complete list of all the documentaries he produced while he was at the NFB, but the following titles have been confirmed: 1964 – Bilharzia: the Dragon in the Water /Bilharzia: die Draak in die Water (Director: Terry Elderfield), 1965 – Boys at the Wheel / Kêrels aan die Stuur (Director: Ralph Loubser), 1965 – The Lilies of the Field / Die Lelies van die Veld (Director: David Shreeve), 1965 – Operation Wildfire / Operasie Voorbrand (Director: Terry Elderfield), 1965 – Taming the Pongola / Die Pongola Word Getem (Director: René van de Weerdt), 1968 – Discover South Africa / Ontdek Suid-Afrika (Director: Felix Meyburgh), 1968 – Keep Our Country Clean / Hou Ons Land Skoon (Director: Mihaly Brunda), 1968 – Our Heritage – Clear Skies / Die Helder Hemel – Ons Erfenis (Director: Mihaly Brunda), 1969 – The Silt Menace / Die Slikgevaar (Director: Montie Botes), 1970 – Fruits of the Northwest / Vrugte van die Noordweste (Director: Retief Koch), 1971 – The Memory of a Nation / Die Geheue van ‘n Volk (Director: not credited), 1971 – Jean Welz (Director: Retief Koch), 1971 – The Blesbok / Die Blesbok (Director: Wim van der Mark), 1971 – Water Bring Voorspoed (Director: Retief Koch), 1973 – A Positive Step / Kyk Waar Jy Loop (producer) (Director: Peter Vaughan), 1974 – Productivity / Produktiwiteit (producer) (Director: Terry Elderfield).

Sources

Catalogue of the Western Cape Provincial Library Service

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4099535/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

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