Can Togay (Turkish: [ˈdʒan ˈtoɡaj]; born August 27, 1955), also known as János Can Togay, is a Hungarian film director, screenwriter, actor, poet, producer, cultural manager and cultural diplomat.

Can Togay
Born (1955-08-27) August 27, 1955 (age 69)
Budapest, Hungary
Years active1973–2007

Biography

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Can Togay was born the son of Turkish parents. He spent his childhood in Germany. In 1969, he joined the Péter Halász troupe. Between 1973 and 1978, he studied on the German and English faculty of Eötvös Loránd University, followed by two years of post-graduate work on German-French comparative linguistics under Jean-Marie Zemb of the Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris. He finished in 1980. In 1984, he graduated from the faculty of direction of the Színház- és Filmművészeti Főiskola (College of Theatrical and Video Arts) in Budapest as the student of Zoltán Fábri. In 1991 he moved to Finland for four years.

His 1992 film A nyaraló was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.[1]

In 1978, he had poems published in the Mozgó Világ (Moving World). In 2004, his first collection of poems was released by the publisher Aranykor Kiadó (Golden Age Publisher). He conceived the idea of the Holocaust Memorial Cipők a Duna-parton (Shoes on the Danube Promenade) in Budapest, and was also a co-maker of it with Gyula Pauer.

Since January 1, 2008, he is the head of the Collegium Hungaricum Berlin, the Hungarian Institute for Science and Culture in the German capital and the cultural attaché of the Hungarian Embassy.

Works

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Director
Year Original title English title Genre
1981 Grand Hotel a Szakadékhoz Grand Hotel to the Abyss Short, documentary
1982 Tangó – a változások kora Tango – The Age of Changes Short feature film
1983 Ember az égből A Man from the Sky Short feature film
1984 Az ördög napja The Day of the Devil 40 minutes, short feature film
1985 Volga Volga Documentary with Gábor Ferenczi
1991 A nyaraló The Summer Guest Feature film
1999 Egy tél az Isten háta mögött A Winter in The Back of Beyond Long feature film
Screenplays
Year Original title English title Details
1993 A sziget The Island Finnish short
1996 Napfogyatkozás 2000 Solar Eclipse 2000 Feature film
1997 Glamour Glamour Feature film
2000 A Hídember The Bridgeman Feature film with Géza Bereményi
2003 Szerelemtől sújtva Stricken by Love Feature film with Tamás Sas
2004 Történetek az Elveszett Birodalomból Stories from the Lost Empire TV, based on Árpád Ajtony's writings with Frigyes Gödrös
2007 A barátkozás lehetőségei The Possibilities of Making Friends TV, based on Ádám Bodor's friends with Gábor Ferenczi
Actor
Original title Title in English Genre Role Directed by
Petőfi '73 (Hungarian) Petőfi '73 Feature film Protagonist Ferenc Kardos
Mozart és Salieri (Hungarian) Mozart and Salieri Feature film Title character András Surányi
Le dernier métro (French) The Last Metro Feature film Episode actor François Truffaut
Redl ezredes (Hungarian) Colonel Redl Feature film Episode actor István Szabó
Erőltetett menet (American-Hungarian) Forced March Feature film Episode actor Nick Rice
Eszterkönyv (Hungarian) Eszter-book Feature film Episode actor Krisztina Deák
Malina (Ger.-Aus.-Fr.) Malina Feature film Protagonist Werner Schröter
Zsötem (Hungarian) Zsötem Feature film Episode actor András Salamon
The Blue Exile (Ger.-Tur.-Greek) Blue Exile Feature film Protagonist Kiral Erden
Bir Sonbahar Hikayesi (Turkish) An Autumn Story Feature film Protagonist Yavuz Özkan
Franciska vasárnapjai (Hungarian) The Sundays of Franciska Feature film Episode actor Sándor Simó
Fosforlu Cevriye (Turkish) Fosforlu Cevriye TV film Protagonist Mustafa Altioklar
A Hídember (Hungarian) The Bridgeman Feature film Episode actor Géza Bereményi
Sniper 2 (American) Sniper 2 Feature film Episode actor Craig R. Baxley
Rózsadomb (Ger.-Hun) Rosemound Feature film Episode actor Mari Cantu

Awards

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  • Balázs Béla-award
  • München, High School Film Festival, Award for Best High School Program, Special Mention – The Day of the Devil
  • Manuscrit de Vercorin screenplay award 95 – A Winter in The Back of Beyond
  • Budapesti Filmszemle 1999, Award for Best Actor (Eperjes Károly) – A Winter in The Back of Beyond
  • Szocsi 00 international competition – Surcharge of the Jury – A Winter in The Back of Beyond
  • Alexandria Filmfesztivál 1994, Best Male Actor – An Autumn Story
  • Movie Actor of the Year – Award of the Turkish Movie Actors' Association – An Autumn Story

References

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  1. ^ "Festival de Cannes: The Summer Guest". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
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