Béatrice Picon-Vallin: Théâtre du Soleil – Ariane Mnouchkine Napszínházának első fél évszázada (Théâtre du Soleil – The first half century of Ariane Mnouchkine’s Theatre of the Sun)
Béatrice Picon-Vallin’s beautifully illustrated book presents the work of the Théâtre du Soleil (The Theatre of the Sun), founded more than five decades ago by Ariane Mnouchkine and still active today, hallmarked by the long history and global impact of its company, and the unique artistic quality of its productions. The book was first published by Actes Sud in November 2014 and won the “best book on theatre” award in France in 2015. Now Hungarian readers interested in the subject can also hold in their hands the album-monograph published by the University of Theatre and Film Arts, translated by Zsófia Rideg.
Ariane Mnouchkine’s company, founded in 1964, redefined the concept of collective theatre, establishing a horizontal structure in which creation and community functioning form an inseparable unit. The volume provides a detailed analysis of the artistic and social aspects of this democratic model: joint decision-making and long community rehearsal processes that define Soleil’s unique creative language. Mnouchkine’s ars poetica becomes the theatre’s moral and artistic axis: “I believe that theatre exists to tell the story of the world, to illuminate it for us, and to empower us to understand it—and thereby to change it. I can’t imagine this art without such a connection to the world.”
The Hungarian edition, published in autumn, is, in the words of series editor Enikő Sepsi, “a milestone in theatre history,” as it makes the essence of Mnouchkine’s collective theatre practice available to the Hungarian public. The special value of the book lies in the fact that it is also a reflection based on personal experiences: Béatrice Picon-Vallin also incorporated testimonies from Soleil artists into her text, thus allowing the work to reflect both the researcher’s and the artist’s perspectives.
Translated by: Zsófia Rideg
Edited by: Judit Helfrich
A summary of the sold-out premiere, with the participation of the author, Béatrice Picon-Vallin, and two actors from Soleil, Judit Jancsó and Duccio Bellugi-Vannuccini, is available here:
https://szfe.hu/hirek/konyvbemutato-napszinhaz
The book is available for purchase at the L’Harmattan Publishing House webshop:
https://www.harmattan.hu/theatre-du-soleil-3473?keyword=soleil
Médialexikon (Media Encyclopaedia)
Two decades after the first edition, in October 2025, the University of Theatre and Film Arts published Médialexikon in a renewed form, as a webbook. The aim of this electronic publication is to present the knowledge and contexts that are essential for conscious media use and critical thinking. The 2025 edition, which is a continuation of the previous printed versions from 2005 and 2016, has been expanded by the authors to include the perspectives of the age of online knowledge sharing and artificial intelligence, thus combining human expertise with the possibilities offered by AI in a unique way—while firmly maintaining the idea that the foundation of good media literacy remains knowledge, experience and critical acumen. Without knowledge and awareness, the use of artificial intelligence may easily lead to a trap situation where there is an increased risk of misinterpreting information and becoming a victim of manipulation.
This is precisely where Médialexikon aims to help: by revealing connections, defining precise concepts, and offering a systematic approach, it contributes to conscious use of media and an understanding of the new technological environment.
“We believe it is important that Médialexikon should not only provide guidance for media researchers, communication professionals, journalists and decision-makers, but also become a comprehensive handbook for the media profession. We want to provide readers with a reference work that will serve as a compass in the rapidly changing media world. We have also sought to make the content of the volume accessible to a wider audience: we recommend it primarily to students participating in media education, university and college students, teachers, researchers, communication and political experts, as well as parents, who play a key role in the digital age in educating their children to be conscious, critical media consumers,” wrote editor Zsolt Antal in the foreword to Médialexikon.
The encyclopedia will be expanded and updated annually, and its content will be reviewed by a wide range of national and international experts to ensure that it is always up-to-date and reliable for students, teachers, parents, media professionals, and all conscious media users.
Authors of the 2025 edition: Zsolt Antal, Géza Balázs, Nándor Birher, György Cserey, Eszter Ozsváth, Loretta Tóth
This volume was compiled using entries from the following publications and authors:
2005 edition: Zsolt Antal, Tibor Gazsó, Tamás Kubínyi
2015 edition: Zsolt Antal, Tibor Gazsó, Tamás Kubínyi, Veronika Pelle
Photos: Barbara Baska, Eszter Ozsváth, János Vecsernyés
Edited by: Zsolt Antal
News on the launch of Médialexikon on 15 October 2025 can be read here:
https://szfe.hu/hirek/paros-konyvbemutato-az-uraniaban-az-szfe-konyvek-sorozat-uj-kotetei
How to access Médialexikon: https://medialexikon.szfe.hu
Patrick Nash: Rövidfilmesek kézikönyve – Forgatókönyvírás lépésről lépésre (Short Films – Writing the Screenplay)
Multi-award-winning film and short film screenwriter and film specialist Patrick Nash has put his experience as a member of the selection panel for the Oscar-qualifying Foyle Film Festival in Derry City, Northern Ireland, into this long-needed volume, which is also well suited for use in education and provides useful advice for novice, aspiring, and advanced screenwriters alike.
“Although Patrick Nash’s book was published in 2012, it is more relevant today than ever. On the one hand, thanks to online platforms, short feature films are more accessible, which has led to a significant increase in their popularity. On the other hand, technological advances over the past decade or so have made filmmaking much easier. Not only have cameras become cheaper, but their sensitivity has also increased, meaning that high-quality moving images can be recorded even in poor lighting conditions, without the need for large lighting equipment or a large crew as was previously the case. The price of sound recording equipment has also fallen, and these devices have become smaller and lighter. The post-production process has also undergone significant changes, as the supporting software has become accessible to almost everyone. So it’s no wonder that more and more people are getting involved in making low-budget short feature films. However, the modest budget still does not allow for the creation of large-scale spectacles, so works of this type must focus on the story.
Although a good screenplay is no guarantee of a good film, it is a prerequisite for one. And therein lies the secret of the timeliness of this long-needed volume: the author provides advice on how to write a screenplay of the right quality in a professional manner. It provides assistance in how to find a topic, develop a story structure, decide on the format of the screenplay, write good dialogue, bring characters to life, avoid clichés, and evoke emotions in the viewer with our short feature film. In other words, he shares with us the proven recipe for a successful short film script,” wrote writer, director, and professional reviewer János Vecsernyés in the book’s blurb, adding that the book is not only a guide for short film productions.
Nash’s fundamental belief is that short films are the best learning ground for filmmaking, which is why he uses practical examples to explain the writing process from idea to screenplay, emphasizing every element. In addition to one of the author’s own works, the volume also includes the screenplays of two Oscar-nominated short films, The Door (Juanita Wilson) and The Crush (Michael Creagh), which help readers gain a better understanding of the structure of screenplays.
Translated by: János Regős and Eszter Ozsváth
Edited by: Judit Helfrich
News on the launch of the manual on 15 October 2025 can be read here:
https://szfe.hu/hirek/paros-konyvbemutato-az-uraniaban-az-szfe-konyvek-sorozat-uj-kotetei
The book is available for purchase at the L’Harmattan Publishing House webshop:
https://www.harmattan.hu/rovidfilmesek-kezikonyve-3429?keyword=r%C3%B6vidfil
