Biography Fred Kelemen
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Fred Kelemen was born in West Berlin/Germany.
He studied painting, music, philosophy, religious science and drama studies and worked in various theatres as a director’s assistant before beginning his studies in directing and cinematography at the German Film & TV Academy Berlin (dffb) from 1989 to 1994. He graduated from the dffb with a diploma as a director and as a cinematographer.
For his diploma film “Fate” he received the German National Film Award in 1995.
Since then, he has made a number of films and videos as director and collaborated as cinematographer with several film directors like Joseph Pitchhadze (“Sweets”, Israel 2012/13), Béla Tarr (“Journey to the Plain”, Hungary 1995, “The Man from London”, Hungary/France/Germany 2005-07, “The Turin Horse”, Hungary/France/USA/Germany 2009-11, “Muhamed”, 2017, "Missing People", Austria 2019), Rudolf Thome (“The Visible and the Invisible”, Germany 2006), Gariné Torossian (“Stone, Time, Touch”, Canada/Armenia 2005) a.o.
In 2016/17 Fred Kelemen performed as an actor in the film "Suspiria" by Luca Guadagnino with Tilda Swinton, Ingrid Caven, Angela Winkler, Dakota Johnson, Mia Goth besides others.
Since 1995 he has worked as an associate professor and has given master classes and lectures at the following institutions: Centre of Cinematographical Studies of Catalania (C.E.C.C.) in Barcelona/Spain, College of Fine Arts (ESBAG) in Geneva/Switzerland, Harvard University / USA, Kidderminster College / England, Latvian Cultural Academy (LKA) in Riga, University of Santiago de Chile - Department of the Arts and Sciences of Visual Medias, Thammasat University Bangkok/Thailand, German Film and TV Academy Berlin (dffb)/Germany, Tel Aviv University – Department of Film and Television/Israel, National School of Fine Arts (ENBA) Lyon/France, Film Factory Sarajevo/Bosnia-Hercegovina and at the HBK Saar in Saarbrücken, Germany.
Since 2000 he has directed several plays at different theatres in Germany.
Retrospectives of his work have been presented at places like the Anthology Film Archives New York, the Tate Modern London, the Hungarian National Film Theatre Budapest and at cinematheques, film museums and film festivals worldwide.
With his film production company Kino Kombat Filmmanufactur he produced his film “Krisana”/”Fallen” (co-producer: Laima Freimane/Screen Vision, Latvia, 2005) and he produced or co-produced the films “Moskatchka” by Annett Schütze (co-producer: Laima Freimane/Screen Vision, Latvia, 2005) and “Fragment” by Gyula Maár (producer: Béla Tarr/TTFilmmühely, Hungary, 2007) and “Roku Roka” (“Hand in Hand”) by Jana Marsik (co-producer: Laima Freimane/Screen Visison, Latvia - Jana Marsik Gemany 2008).
Fred Kelemen is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) /USA, the European Film Academy (EFA), the German Film Academy and of the European Cultural Parliament (ECP).

Films as Director and Cinematographer & Awards
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1991/93 KALYI (73') (Student film)
(Germany, Hungary) | Director and cinematographer: Fred Kelemen
- German Camera Award - Nomination
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1994 VERHÄNGNIS / FATE (80') (Diploma Film)
(Germany) | Director and cinematographer: Fred Kelemen
- Prix FIPRESCI (International Film Critics Award for the best film) Special Mention – Toronto International Film Festival/Canada 1994
- Audience’s Award – Film Festival »Max-Ophüls-Preis« Saarbrücken/Germany 1995
- German National Film Award (Silver Ribbon) – Germany 1995
- Precolumbian Gold Circle Award for the Best Director – Bogota International Film Festival/Colombia 1995
- Award for the Best Film – Molodist International Film Festival Kiev/Ukraine 1995
- »Arsenáls Magic Crystal« – »Arsenáls Film Forum« Riga International Film Festival/Latvia 1996
- German Film Music Award 1997 - Nomination
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1995 UTAZÁS AZ ÁLFÖLDÖN / JOURNEY TO THE PLAIN (45')
(Hungary) | Cinematographer: Fred Kelemen, Director: Béla Tarr
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1997/98 FROST / FROST (200')
(Germany) | Director and cinematographer: Fred Kelemen
- Innovation Award (Best Innovative Film) – Festival Internacional de Cine de Figueira da Foz/Portugal 1997
- Prix FIPRESCI (International Film Critics Award for the best film) – Rotterdam International Film Festival/The Netherlands 1998
- Cariddi D’Argento Alla Migliore Regia (Best Director Award) – Taormina International Film Festival/Italy 1998
- »Prix Georges Sadoul«/France 1998 - Nomination
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1998/99 ABENDLAND/ NIGHTFALL (140')
(Germany, Portugal) | Director and cinematographer: Fred Kelemen
- Prix FIPRESCI (International Film Critics Award for the best film) – Thessaloniki International Film Festival/ Greece 1999
- Premio »Principado de Asturias« al mejor largometraje (Best Film Award) – Gijón International Film Festival/Spain 1999
- « Pix Aurora » – Tromsö International Film Festival/Norway 1999
- »Prix L’ Age D’ Or« – Brussels/Belgium - Nomination
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2000 TATAO SAMOA (90')
(Germany, Switzerland) | Cinematographer: Fred Kelemen, Director: Gisa Schleelein
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2004/05 KRIŠANA / FALLEN (90')
(Latvia, Germany) | Director, Visual design/Director of photography: Fred Kelemen, Cinematographer: Baiba Lagzdina
- Prix FIPRESCI (International Film Critics Award for the best film) – Festival of European Cinema Lecce/Italy 2005
- Special Jury Award for the best director – Festival of European Cinema Lecce/Italy 2005
- Best Cinematography Award – Festival of European Cinema Lecce/Italy 2005
- Latvian National Film Award »Lielais Kristaps«, Latvia 2005
- German Art Film Award, Germany 2005 - Nomination
- German Film Critics Award 2005 - Nomination
- “Sergo-Parajanov-Prize” for the best film – Tbilisi International Film Festival/Georgia 2006
- “Silver Prometheus” for the best director – Tbilisi International Film Festival/Georgia 2006
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2004/05 STONE, TIME, TOUCH (70')
(Canada, Armenia) | Cinematographer: Fred Kelemen, Director: Gariné Torossian
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2006 DAS SICHTBARE UND DAS UNSICHTBARE / THE VISIBLE AND THE INVISIBLE (140')
(Germany) | Cinematographer: Fred Kelemen, Director: Rudolf Thome
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2005/07 A LONDONI FÉRFI / THE MAN FROM LONDON (132')
(Hungary, France, Switzerland, Germany) | Cinematographer: Fred Kelemen, Director: Béla Tarr
- German Camera Award 2008 - Nomination
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2009/11 A TORINÓI LÓ / THE TURIN HORSE (146')
(Hungary, USA, France, Switzerland, Germany) | Cinematographer: Fred Kelemen, Director: Béla Tarr
- "Golden Camera 300” – Best Cinematographer - International Cinematographers’ Film Festival Manaki Brothers/Bitola – Macedonia 2011
- Carlo Di Palma Best European Cinematographer Award 2011 - Nomination
- Hungarian Film Award "Magyar Filmkitiikusok Dija" – Best Cinematographer – 2012 / Hungary
- German Camera Award 2012 – Nomination
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2012/13 SUKARYOT / SWEETS (132')
(Israel) | Cinematographer: Fred Kelemen, Director: Joseph Pitchhadze
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2013 - GERMAN FILM CRITICS AWARD 2012 - INNOVATION AWARD
for outstanding visual design and complete artistic works
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2016 SARAJEVO SONGS OF WOE
- I. Blue Ballad for Lovers / II. Blue Psalm for Wolves / III. Blue Rondo for Survivors - (140')
(Bosnia and Herzegovina - Germany) | Director and Director of Photography: Fred Kelemen, Cinematographers: Andreea Dobre, Irfan Brković, Dario Sekulowski, Orlin Stanchew, Radu Voinea, Naum Doksevski, Ana-Maria Draghici, Flóra Fecske, Claudia Kovács, Lev Predan Kowarski, Fred Kelemen
- Nominated for the Free Spirit Award; Warsaw Film Festival, Poland
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2016 - "Special Prize MASTER"
- Golden Apricot International Film Festival Yerevan / Armenia
- Golden Medal of St. Gregory of Narek of the Cultural Ministry of the Republic of Armenia, Yerevan / Armenia
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2017 MUHAMED (13')
Cinematographer: Fred Kelemen, Director: Béla Tarr
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2019 (2018) ESAU (Parts 1 - 4: 180' / The film: 100')
(Russia/Israel) | Cinematographer: Fred Kelemen, Director: Pavel Lungin
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2019 MISSING PEOPLE (98')
(Austria) | Cinematographer: Fred Kelemen, Director: Béla Tarr
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2018/20 MIND THE BRAIN / ME AND MY BRAIN - VR (Virtual Reality) Project
(Germany) | Director / Director of Image and Sound Design: Fred Kelemen, Producers: Oliver Czeslik, Kathrin Brunner (Myndstorm Productions)
- Lumière Award 2020
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2021/22 ACTS OF LOVE
(Faroe Islands, Denmark) | Cinematographer: Fred Kelemen, Director: Anton Petersen
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Film Scripts
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1990/91 KALYI
1993 FATE (Verhängnis)
1994 FROST
1997/98 NIGHTFALL (Abendland)
2003/05 ESCAPE
2004 FALLEN (KrisanaT)
2005/07 FOREIGN SKIES
2007/08 ESPERANZA (Hope / Hoffnung)
FORBIDDEN FRUIT (in preparation)

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Retrospectives
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1997 Lisbon / Portugal
2000 Belgrade / Yugoslavia
2000 Cambridge / U.S.A.
2000 Athens / Greece
2001 Brussels / Belgium
2001 Oslo / Norway
2001 Brussels / Belgium
2001 Oslo / Norway
2002 Hannover / Germany
2003 New York City / U.S.A.
2003 Buenos Aires / Argentina
2004 Berlin / Germany
2005 Barcelona / Spain
2005 Bern / Switzerland
2006 Ankara / Turkey
2006 London / England
2007 Berlin / Germany
2007 Potsdam / Germany
2007 Valdivia / Chile
2007 Bangkok / Thailand
2008 Cologne / Germany
2008 Budapest / Hungary
2009/2010 Hamburg / Germany
2010/2011 Berlin / Germany
2011 Mexico City / Mexico
2012 Newcastle / England
2012 Copenhagen / Denmark
2013 Saarbrücken / Deutschland
2014 Tel Aviv / Israel
2014 Jerusalem / Israel
2014 Haifa / Israel
2016 Yerevan International Film Festival "Golden Apricot" / Armenien
2017 Madrid / Spain
2017 Wrocław / Poland
2021 Hamburg / Germany

Jury Member
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1994 International Film Festival Cancún, Mexico
1994 International Short Film Festival Granada, Spain
2000 International Film Festival Thessaloniki, Greece
2001 International Film Festival Istanbul, Turkey
2002 Panorama / Short Film Festival of the Berlin Film Festival, Germany
2003 International Forum of Young Cinema of the Berlin Film Festival, Germany
2004 Film Festival Cottbus / Festival of East European Cinema, Germany
2005 FILMeX Tokyo,Japan
2007 Valdivia International Film Festival, Chile
2007 World Film Festival of Bangkok, Thailand
2008 Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival, Argentina
2008 Moveast International Film Festival Pécs, Hungary
2008 International Film Festival “Festival on Wheels” Kars, Turkey
2010 International Student Film Festival “Sehsüchte” Potsdam, Germany
2011 National German Art Film Award of the National Gallery Berlin 2011, Germany
2011 Vilnius International Film Festival, Lithuania
2012 International Cinematographers’ Film Festival Manaki Brothers, Macedonia
2013 National German Art Film Award of the National Gallery Berlin 2013, Germany
2013​ "Förderpreis für Filmkunst" of the National Gallery Berlin 2013, Germany / Short List jury
2013 ​International Film Festival Basel, Switzerland
2014​ Turin International Film Festival, Italy
2015 "Preis der Nationalgalerie" Berlin / Short List jury
2015 "Förderpreis für Filmkunst" of the National Gallery Berlin / Main jury 2015
2016 Yerevan International Film Festival "Golden Apricot" / Armenia
2020 Andrey Tarkovsky Zerkalo International Film Festival, Ivanovo / Russia
2022 Beach Film Festival Ohrid / North Macedonia