🔹 Who is this for? (Target groups)
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foto: Andrea Nagy
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🔹 When is it especially valuable? (Use cases / situations)
- When a new team is forming, and you'd like to build trust and shared identity
- When new members join an already established team
- After a stressful period, to loosen up, recharge, and reconnect
- As a kick-off or closing for a larger retreat or professional development day
- When you want something truly memorable, energizing, and different
🎯 What’s it about?
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This workshop uses participatory filmmaking to spark creativity, foster collaboration, and build emotional awareness.
Participants work in small teams to create short films using simple tools – often just a smartphone. These mini-films explore emotions, ideas, and group dynamics in personal and surprising ways. We also reflect on the role of AI in creativity, and what it means to see, listen, and connect — with each other and with ourselves. |
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- 🎭 Emotional opposites – a short film exercise on contrast
- 🎬 Editing as storytelling – guiding the viewer’s eye and attention
- ✏️ Storyboarding around a theme (e.g. Culture Shock, Belonging)
- 🤖 AI & creativity – a short conversation or experiment
- 🎥 Filming & screening – group feedback and reflection
The content is always tailored to your group. Available in English or Hungarian.
🎥 What is Participatory Filmmaking?
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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. |
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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.
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.
✨ About Me
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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. |
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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.
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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. |
🌿 Why I facilitate these workshops
After many years working in film and education, I found participatory filmmaking to be a uniquely powerful way to foster presence, empathy, and creativity.
I guide participants with gentle structure and open curiosity — and the stories they bring always surprise me.
I guide participants with gentle structure and open curiosity — and the stories they bring always surprise me.
📍 Practical info
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🎒 What to bring? Just smartphones and open minds.
I provide all additional materials: large-format paper, prompt cards, colored markers, felt-tip pens, and anything else we may need for storyboarding or group brainstorming.
📺 What you’ll need to provide: A large screen or TV with HDMI input for sharing and watching the films together.
I provide all additional materials: large-format paper, prompt cards, colored markers, felt-tip pens, and anything else we may need for storyboarding or group brainstorming.
📺 What you’ll need to provide: A large screen or TV with HDMI input for sharing and watching the films together.
❓ FAQ – For organizers, team leaders and curious minds
➤ Do participants need any film experience?
Nope. This workshop is designed for complete beginners. We use simple, intuitive tools (like smartphones), and I guide the process step by step.
Nope. This workshop is designed for complete beginners. We use simple, intuitive tools (like smartphones), and I guide the process step by step.
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➤ What if people feel shy in front of the camera?
That’s totally normal — and part of the process. Many participants discover that being behind the camera actually helps them feel more connected and safe. No one is forced to perform. ➤ Is this therapy? No. It can be emotional, but it’s not therapy. It’s a creative and reflective space where people can express and explore. Think of it as a mix of art, teamwork and storytelling. ➤ Can we book this as a team-building day? Absolutely. The workshop is ideal for teams looking to reconnect, reflect, or explore communication in a fresh way. We can tailor the tone: from playful and energizing to more reflective. ➤ What equipment do we need? Just your phones and open minds. I bring everything else we might need — like prompt cards, large paper, markers, and props. The only thing you’ll need to provide is a large screen or TV with HDMI input so we can watch the films together. |
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What previous students have said
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“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 |
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