{"id":4005,"date":"2026-09-29T13:40:57","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T13:40:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/?p=4005"},"modified":"2026-10-01T10:28:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T10:28:18","slug":"szilveszter-mak-the-hungarian-photographer-with-a-cinematic-touch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/?p=4005","title":{"rendered":"Szilveszter Mak\u00f3: The Hungarian Photographer With a Cinematic Touch"},"content":{"rendered":"

Learn more about the Hungarian-born photographer and Art Director A-listers like Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Rihanna, Bad Bunny and Elle Fanning are lining up to be photographed by.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

A face peeking out from an intricate cardboard house. Pairs of little red boots adorning the legs of a table. A human-sized fish. These might sound like things you\u2019d find inside a Lewis Carroll story; they\u2019re actually part of visionary photographer Szilveszter Mak\u00f3\u2019s creative repertoire.<\/p>\n

Szilveszter Mak\u00f3 and his distinctive style have taken the fashion and celebrity-photography scene by storm. The environment he creates for his photo shoots seem less to do with providing a backdrop for his subjects and more about providing a surreal, cinematic experience. Clearly heavily influenced by Mak\u00f3\u2019s upbringing, and with roots deeply set in Hungarian culture, this world feels old-fashioned yet other-worldly. It\u2019s Kafkaesque in tone yet visually reminiscent of Dali.<\/p>\n

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Szilveszter Mak\u00f3. Picture via Facebook.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From Lillaf\u00fcred to the World Stage<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Born in Miskolc in northeast Hungary, Mak\u00f3 was raised in the town of Lillaf\u00fcred, best-known for its proximity to the enchanting forests of the B\u00fckk Mountains and its picture-book palace hotel. Having experimented with various artistic forms like painting, Mak\u00f3 eventually pursued photography, first studying at MOME in Budapest before completing his studies in Florence. He\u2019s now based in Milan from where he has built his international career.<\/p>\n

In various interviews, Mak\u00f3 has spoken of how being raised by his grandparents in rural Hungary in a strict household influenced his work. The distinctive visual language he uses to evoke fairytale-like images\u2013with an edge\u2013has been forged from Mak\u00f3\u2019s childhood and his Hungarian cultural background.<\/p>\n

Hungarian literature has also been an inspiration. Mak\u00f3 has cited J\u00e1nos Arany’s nineteenth-century ballad\u00a0\u201c\u00c1gnes asszony\u201d as a particular influence; a dark story about a woman whose lover murders her husband in his sleep and her compulsive washing of the bloodied bedsheets. It again highlights Mako\u2019s fascination with ritual and everyday objects that are heavy with dramatic subtext and intent<\/p>\n

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Constructing a Unique World<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Rather than relying on digital tools, Mak\u00f3 uses cardboard, textiles, wood and recycled materials to construct his sets and props by hand. Eschewing digital tools, he noted in his interview with Claire Marie Healy two years ago that the technique he uses to process his photos are done by very few people today, simply because it\u2019s incredibly time-consuming.<\/p>\n

Mak\u00f3 endeavours to keep everything as natural as possible\u2013even his light sources. This, together with his merging of photography, theatre and painting, is what makes his work in the fashion and celebrity space stand out. There\u2019s a cinematic quality that invites the viewer to imagine the story behind the photo.<\/p>\n

The Bauhaus Ballet: An Exhibition<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Looking at the photographs, the audience is tempted to more fully experience the world they evoke. That was made possible this September during New York Fashion Week, where Mak\u00f3 designed a solo exhibition of his work.<\/p>\n

This wasn\u2019t just a display of photographs, but an immersive recreation of his sets across six rooms that allowed visitors to physically enter the space within the frames. To heighten the experience, traditional Hungarian folk pieces were lent from the S\u00e1rk\u00f6z region in Hungary and the Kalotaszeg region in Transylvania.<\/p>\n

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Mak\u00f3\u2019s artistry lies in the blur between reality and fiction. Familiar household objects are skewed in scale and perspectives are challenged. A seemingly wholesome scene takes on new meaning, suggesting there\u2019s a larger story just outside the frame.<\/p>\n

We can\u2019t wait to see what Mak\u00f3 gets up to next. It seems inevitable that his vision will somehow eventually spill into the world of film. Let\u2019s hope so.<\/p>\n

Sources & further information<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n

Harpers Bazaar<\/a><\/p>\n

Aperture<\/a><\/p>\n

We Present<\/a><\/p>\n

Flatpack Films<\/strong> has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.<\/p>\n

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Learn more about the Hungarian-born photographer and Art Director A-listers like Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Rihanna, Bad Bunny and Elle Fanning are lining up to be photographed by. A face peeking out from an intricate cardboard house. Pairs of little red boots adorning the legs of a table. A human-sized fish. These might sound like […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4006,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4005"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4005\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4048,"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4005\/revisions\/4048"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatpackfilms.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}