A creative workshop for curious minds, quiet observers, and expressive souls.
Whether you're an expat living in Hungary, a visual learner, a creative professional, or someone who's never touched a camera — this workshop is for you.
You don’t need experience.
Just a story to tell (even if you don’t know it yet).
We’ll use the participatory filmmaking method — a gentle and collaborative approach where you become both storyteller and creator.
You’ll learn to express thoughts, emotions and perspectives through short, personal films — using simple tools like your phone, a pencil, and your presence.
Through a blend of playful group exercises, reflection, and hands-on creation, you'll learn how to think in images, shape meaning, and build stories that move others.
Come as you are.
Leave with something real.
foto: Andrea Nagy

💸 Fee & What's Included
The participation fee for the full-day workshop is:
39,000 HUF / 100 EUR
🗓️ Date: May 24, 2025
📍 Location: A private room at The Grund, Nagytemplom utca 30, 1082 Budapest, Hungary
Once you arrive at The Grund, just ask one of the staff members to direct you to the private room.
This includes:
  • All creative sessions and materials
  • Printed cue cards, prompts and reflection sheets
  • Lunch, snacks and soft drinks
  • Small group atmosphere (4-8 people)
  • One-on-one guidance throughout the day
  • Access to your created videos afterwards
  • A gentle, inspiring and empowering experience
To secure your place, a 50% deposit is required in advance.
This deposit is non-refundable.
You will receive payment instructions by email after registration.

🌿 Workshop Schedule: Storytelling Through Film

A day of creative exercises, visual expression and shared reflection
🕘 10:00 – Arrival & Introduction
Welcome, coffee, grounding
🎲 10:15 – Break the Ice
Playful visual games to warm up and start seeing like filmmakers.
🤖 10:45 – Mini Talk: AI & Creativity
Enemy or ally? What can AI really do – and what can only we do?
🎥 11:15 – Exercise: Visual Impressions
Groups receive abstract concepts (like “chaotic” or “peaceful”) and create short visual pieces to express them without words.
🧭 12:00 – Exercise: Storyboarding in Contrast
Two teams create parallel stories based on contrasting viewpoints and turn them into short filmed scenes.
🍽️ 13:00 – Lunch Break
(Shared meal provided)
✂️ 14:00 – Mini Talk: What is Film Editing?
What happens when we cut? What does editing really shape – rhythm, time, feeling?
🎬 14:45 – Exercise: When Two Worlds Meet
Groups draw two contrasting emotions and create a one-shot film exploring the tension or transformation between them
💭 16:00 – Mini Talk: What is Good?
Exploring personal standards, artistic truth and the courage to create.
🌀 16:30 – Closing Circle
What are you taking home? What surprised you? One word, one image, one story.
🕔 17:00 – Goodbye & Soft Ending
​Informal chatting, exchanging contacts, packing away the day.

🌸 About Me

I’m a film editor, director and storytelling educator based in Budapest.
I’ve worked on short films, documentaries, and an award-winning short of my own – from concept to cut.
My experience spans independent productions and commissioned work, both in Hungarian and international settings.
I believe in storytelling that is sensitive, grounded, and real.
That doesn’t chase perfection, but presence.
That doesn’t just show – but reveals.
Through Studio Liliom, I offer workshops, mentoring and collaborative projects rooted in visual storytelling, emotional awareness and creative courage.
My approach is strongly influenced by the participatory filmmaking method, which I studied at ELTE University under documentary filmmaker and educator Sára Haragonics.
I work in both English and Hungarian.
​
For more about my professional work as an editor and director, click here.

Selected Work

Just the tip of the iceberg — but enough to give you a feel for how I work. You can find more references here.
writer, dirctor, editor
​Wolves short film 2019
editor
Docuseries about the birth and burnout of Budapest’s ruin bar scene
director, editor
A music video born from a recipe — because lyrics are obsolete now, apparently.

✨ Who is this workshop for?

This workshop is for you if you feel drawn to stories — your own, or others’.
You don’t need to be a filmmaker. You don’t need fancy gear.
What you need is curiosity, presence, and a willingness to explore.
It’s designed for:
  • creatives and expats living in Hungary
  • storytellers, educators, coaches, helpers
  • people who want to express themselves visually — even if they’ve never held a camera before
  • those who feel something stirring when they hear the word story
Whether you're shy or bold, introverted or expressive, there is space for you here.
We’ll learn through playing, watching, making and sharing.
You don’t need to be perfect.
Just open.
foto: Éva Pelčák 

🎒 What to Bring

You don’t need professional tools — just bring yourself, and a few simple things:
  • Your phone (with a working camera)
  • Headphones (for listening back to your footage)
  • A notebook or sketchbook – for ideas, storyboards, reflections
  • A pen or pencil
  • Comfortable clothes and an open mind
That’s it.
We’ll provide everything else: paper, prompts, printed materials — and lunch.

🌱 What You’ll Take With You

This workshop is more than a creative experience — it’s a space to reconnect with how you see, feel and express.
You’ll leave with:
  • A deeper understanding of visual storytelling
  • Confidence in your own creative instincts
  • New tools for structuring stories and emotions
  • A stronger connection to your inner voice
  • Collaborative experience in team-based creation
  • A short film (or two!) you helped bring to life
  • Reflection prompts and creative materials to continue exploring on your own
Whether you pursue film, journaling, coaching, content creation or just want to express more of yourself --
you’ll leave with clarity, inspiration and a sense of creative belonging.

What previous students have said

“I started from zero — just curiosity and a sense that film was calling me. Emese didn’t just teach me the tools — she helped me discover where my creativity truly belongs.”
Gabi

“With Emese, I never felt like just a student. Her presence held space for both my learning and my humanness — and that made all the difference.”
Lilla

What is Participatory Filmmaking?

And why does it matter?
Participatory filmmaking is a creative method that invites people — not just professionals — to become active storytellers using the medium of film.
It’s not about teaching camera technique.
It’s not about making polished productions.
It’s about giving voice.
It’s about seeing and being seen.
It’s about shaping personal experience into visual expression.

What makes this approach unique?

This method, as developed and applied in Hungary by artists and educators such as Kriszta Bódis, goes beyond documentation.
It is grounded in emotional awareness, inner exploration, and shared authorship.
Participants are not passive subjects.
They are creators. They are decision-makers.
They reflect, frame, and build meaning — together.

Why use film?

Because images bypass defense.
Because movement, silence, rhythm, and light can express what words often cannot.
Because the act of filming — even with a phone — can reconnect us with our voice, our vision, and our place in the world.

Who is it for?

  • Youth, expats, communities in transition

  • Artists, educators, social workers

  • Anyone seeking to reconnect with their creative self

  • Those who want to understand not just how stories work — but how we work, through story

How I use it

In my workshops, I use participatory filmmaking as a gentle yet powerful tool for:
  • building trust and group connection
  • exploring emotional and cultural identity
  • making space for multiple truths to co-exist
  • turning raw, real experiences into small cinematic forms
It’s not about being perfect.
It’s about being present.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

💬 Do I need any filmmaking experience?

Nope. This workshop is designed for beginners and curious minds. You don’t need to be a filmmaker, just someone who wants to explore storytelling through images.

📱 Do I need special equipment?

No. All you need is a phone with a working camera. That’s it.
We’ll provide everything else — prompts, materials, and inspiration.

🌍 What language is the workshop in?

The workshop is held in English, with clear and simple communication.
If you speak English confidently — even if it’s not perfect — you’ll be fine.

😅 I’m introverted / shy. Will I be comfortable?

Absolutely.
We work in small groups, gently and supportively. You won’t be pushed to perform — but you’re welcome to express yourself as much as you like.
Silence is welcome, too.

👥 How many people will be there?

This is a small group workshop — intimate, cozy and personal.
Maximum 8-10 participants.

🧾 What’s included in the fee?

  • All materials and creative prompts

  • Printed handouts, cue cards, and workshop exercises

  • A shared lunch

  • A safe and inspiring atmosphere

  • And your own short creative film(s)!

🎟️ How do I sign up?

To secure your spot, we ask for a 50% deposit in advance.
Your registration is confirmed once the deposit is received.
This fee is non-refundable.

🤔 Still have questions?

    Feel free to reach out!

© 2025 Studio Liliom – Cuts and Stories Created with intention. Grown through stories.