Name Krisztina Goda

Born Budapest, 1970

Background Having grown up in Budapest, where both her parents were doctors, Goda studied directing and editing at the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield, and then won a scholarship to study screenwriting at UCLA in the States. Her debut directorial feature, romantic comedy Just Sex and Nothing Else, which she co-wrote with Reka Divinyi, was a significant hit at the Hungarian box office.

What’s she up to now? Goda’s second film Children of Glory, just released in the UK, was very successful in Hungary, attracting half a million viewers. Based on a story by Basic Instinct writer Joe Eszterhas, it recounts the failed Hungarian uprising of 1956 against Soviet rule, focusing on the experiences of a star water polo player (Ivan Fenyo) and his student revolutionary lover (Kata Dobo). Goda is currently preparing to shoot another film in Hungary entitled Chameleon, a drama about a compulsive liar cheating women out of their money.

What she says about 1956 ‘In every family in Hungary, there is a story about 1956. What is unimaginable today is to grasp how people lived in the 1950s. It’s unbelievable the amount of freedom the regime could take away from its citizens. You had to be an enthusiastic Communist in order to be able to advance in your career. If you said anything critical, you risked not just your life but that of your relatives.’

What she says about water polo ‘I didn’t know anything about it before Children of Glory, not even the rules, although it’s a really popular sport in Hungary. Some of the actors in the pool sequences are actually national players, and they helped me construct the games.’

Interesting Fact Goda’s favourite directors include the Coen brothers, the late Anthony Minghella and Woody Allen.

Children of Glory is out now on selected release.