My name is Klaudia Kovács. I'm a multi-award-winning American and European Film & Theater Director, a previous Oscar contender, and—according to the National Film Fund's database—Hungary’s most successful documentarian.

As a dual citizen, I bring together European sensibilities and American business savvy. So far I have garnered a total of 37 awards/accolades.

I’m also an immigrant and a former foster child who grew up in a military occupation, dictatorship, and country surrounded by barbed wires. Currently, I reside in Hollywood, California and Hungary, and work worldwide.

I'm the proud daughter of Olympic Swimmer, Museologist, and Educator, Éva Erdélyi, and a distant relative of the "Hungarian Laurence Olivier," Zoltán Latinovits.

My fascination with film and theater started quite early: at age three I was determined to become a clown. Due to my absent father, my childhood was difficult, and I found my escape in the world of colorful characters and beautiful realities starring magical dreamers, artists, and musicians.

My outstanding single mother encouraged my interest in the arts but after her death in a sudden gas explosion in our home when I was six years old, I had to focus on survival. My maternal grandmother—who became my foster mother—was ill and eventually passed away when I was fourteen. My father and his wife sent me to an orphanage, and I endured many other troubling situations including paternal abuse and homelessness because I had nowhere to go. (Marie Claire magazine published a 7-page article about my life story.)

However, the drive to succeed, that my champion mother instilled in me, never left me and I started to build my life from there. By age sixteen, I was acting at Budapest's most respected alternative theater, the Cellar Theater (Pinceszinhaz), and found work as an extra in movie productions.

After moving to Hollywood at age nineteen, to break out of the poverty line, I learned English and worked as a babysitter, filing clerk, camp counselor, waitress, and limo driver. Eventually, to establish myself as a director, I created and executed a large crowdfunding campaign and directed, produced, and wrote the story of Torn from the Flag, the most accomplished documentary in Hungarian film history.

The movie was invited by five Academy Award-qualifying festivals, received a theatrical distribution by ArcLight Cinemas, and participate in the Oscar competition in the "Best Documentary" category. It also received an invite to the United States Congress. 

The eight-time-award-winning, sociopolitical picture is about the Cold War, the international decline of Communism, and the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. I made my film with Oscar-winning Cinematographer, Vilmos Zsigmond, and legendary cinematographer, Laszlo Kovacs. The following political notables appear in the documentary: Mikhail Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan, and Henry Kissinger.

According to several critics (The Hollywood Reporter) and historians (Columbia University), Torn from the Flag is “the best documentary ever made” about this topic. The film was also entered into the Congressional Record. 

My work and I have been awarded with the Hero of the Freedom Fight Award by the President of the Republic of Hungary, a Certificate of Celebration for Contribution to Cinema, Art and Culture by the City of Los Angeles, and a project of mine was also selected for the American Film Institute, AFI FEST Milestone Selection – described as "celebrating the best of the best"– along with films by Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni. 
Other critics described my work as follows:

“Superb." – Chuck Wilson, LA Weekly

“The most powerful and important film experience of my life.” – Barry Farber, Talk Radio Network

“A quality production satisfying the highest expectations and demands.” – Leslie Eloed, American Hungarian Journal

After Torn from the Flag, I co-produced the five-time-award-winning feature-length documentary, Panic Nation. The film examines state sponsored immigration laws vs. federal immigration laws.

It features former White House cabinet member Henry Cisneros, two-time Harvard graduate and syndicated CNN columnist Ruben Navarrette Jr., multi-award-winning writer of "Sesame Street" Luis Santeiro, and multi-award-winning actor Esai Morales.

My next project was a one-woman theater show, entitled CALLING AMERICA: DON'T HANG UP!! that featured 50 characters. We received an invitation to the United Solo Theater Festival that took place in New York's Broadway District at Theater Row where we got standing ovation. 

During my international career I have worked on over 40 film, theater, television and radio projects. As a Writer and Journalist, I authored close to 200 articles for American Hungarian Panorama magazine, and co-authored 3 Hungarian language books. One of them was ordered by 400 libraries around the globe.

Here is a complete list of my and my projects' awards and accolades:

1. Cannes International Cell Phone Cinema Showcase - Best Director (Brown Paper Bag)

2. City of Los Angeles - Certificate of Celebration for Contribution to Cinema, Art and Culture (Panic Nation)

3. Republic of Hungary - Hero of the Freedom Fight Award (Torn from the Flag)

4. AFI (American Film Institute) FEST Milestone Selection (Torn from the Flag)

5. Panavision’s Young Filmmaker's Program (Torn from the Flag)

6. Technicolor Sponsorship (Torn from the Flag)

7. Alliance of Women Directors’ Television Shadowing Program

8. CINE Eagle Award - Best Independent Documentary (Torn from the Flag)

9. CINE Eagle Award - Best Independent Documentary (Panic Nation)

10. Beverly Hills Hi-Def Film Festival - First place (Torn from the Flag)

11. Broadway International Film Festival - Best Documentary (Panic Nation)

12. Madrid International Film Festival - Best Documentary Short (Touche: A Blind Fencer’s Story)

13. Mexico International Film Festival - Golden Palm Award for Feature-Length Documentary (Panic Nation)

14. Nevada Film Festival - Gold Reel Award - Docu Film Competition (Touche: A Blind Fencer’s Story)

15. Tiburon International Film Festival - Golden Reel Award (Torn from the Flag)

16. Minneapolis/ St. Paul International Film Festival - Best of the Fest Award (Torn from the Flag)

17. Seattle True Independent Film Festival - Best Documentary Feature - 2nd Place (Touche: A Blind Fencer’s Story)

18. Artisan Festival International Peace Initiative Cannes - Jury’s Special Mention (Brown Paper Bag)

19. Noches de Oklahoma - Special Recognition by the Latino Community (Panic Nation)

20. New York Spotlight On Festival Award - Best Ensemble Cast (The Insanity of Mary Girard)

21. Ventura County Reporter - REP Award for Excellence in Production (The Comedy of Errors)

22. Indianapolis International Film Festival - Audience Award - Best Documentary - 3rd Place (Torn from the Flag)

23. Valley Collegiate Players - Outstanding Achievement in Acting by a Male Actor (A Lie of the Mind)

24. Valley Collegiate Players - Outstanding Achievement in Acting by a Female Actor (Naomi in the Living Room)

25. Valley Collegiate Players - Outstanding Achievement in Lighting (A Lie of the Mind)

26. Valley Collegiate Players - Outstanding Achievement in Sound (A Lie of the Mind)

27. DocUtah International Documentary Film Festival - Audience Favorite Top Ten Award (Panic Nation)

28. BeeKay Theater Annual Playwright's Festival - Golden Apple Award (Bill & Coo)

29. Slow Film International Film Festival - Special Prize of the City of Eger (Torn from the Flag)

30. Slow Film International Film Festival - Special Prize of Agria Television (Torn from the Flag)

31. Slow Film International Film Festival - Festival’s Special Award (Torn from the Flag)

32. Hungarian Freedom Fighters World Federation - Certificate of Recognition (Torn from the Flag)

33. International Technology Institute - Memorial Medal (Torn from the Flag)

34. Corvina Cultural Circle - Certificate of Recognition

35. Thalia Studios - Certificate of Recognition - 20 Year Anniversary (Gloria Victis)

36. Thalia Studios - Certificate of Recognition - 10 Year Anniversary (Gloria Victis)

37. Torrance Cable Television - Best Short Nomination (Gems)

I believe in the powerful social influence of art, and that it elevates and beautifies the spirit of viewers and creators alike. Thank you being interested in my work and please click on any of the words below if you’d like to become a:

• Facebook Friend

• Donor of a project

• Investor of a documentary, or

• Executive Producer of my next movie.

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