Born in Budapest in 1955. Between 1975 and 1978 she studied at the University of Economics and from 1979 at the Academy of Theatre and Film Art Budapest. She graduated as a film director in 1984. From 1978 to 1984 she was a member of the fine arts group INDIGO.

After short feature films produced by the Balázs Béla Studio, she won a Caméra d’Or in Cannes for her first full-lenght feature film My 20th Century.  In 1991 she was awarded the Balázs Béla Award.

filmography

1979: Flirt/Flirt (experimental)

1981: The Spectator/A néző (s)

1984: Der Rosenkavalier/Rózsalovag (s)

1985: New Books/Új könyvek (s)

1985: Mole/Vakond (s)

1986: Invasion/Invázió (s)

1988: Goblins/Lidércek (s)

1988: My 20th Century/Az én XX. századom
- Budapest, 20th Hungarian Film Week, 1989 : Creative Prize of the Social Jury, Professional Jury’s Director’s Prize and Cinematographer’s Prize to Tibor Máthé, Special Acknowledgment of the Student Jury to Tibor Máthé, International Critics’ Gene Moskowitz Prize
- Cannes IFF, 1989 : Caméra d’Or Prize
- Edinburgh IFF, 1989 :  Special Prize of the Jury
- Las Vegas IFF, 1989 : Special Prize of the Jury, Best Photography Prize to Tibor Máthé
- Budapest, 1990, Hungarian Film- and TV-Critics' Best Director Prize, Best Photographer Prize to Tibor Máthé, Best Composer Prize to László Vidovszky and Best Actress Prize to Dorota Segda

1991: Winter Campaign (Interlude)/Téli hadjárat (Közjáték) (TV)
- Győr, Mediawave Festival 1991 : Main Prize
- Berlin Video Festival, 1992 : Main Prize
- Potsdam IFF, 1992 : Main Prize

1994: The Magic Hunter/Bűvös vadász
- Sundance Institute, 1993 : Best Eastern-European Script
- Budapest, 26th Hungarian Film Week, 1995 : Best Director Prize
- Budapest, 1995, Hungarian Film- and TV-Critics' Best Photographer Prize to Tibor Máthé

1997: Tamás and Juli/Tamás és Juli
- Belfort IFF, 1997 : Main Prize

1998: Simon the Magician/Simon mágus
- Budapest, 30th Hungarian Film Week, 1999 : Best Director Prize, Best Photographer Prize to Tibor Máthé, Best Actor Prize to Péter Andorai
- Locarno IFF, 1999 : Special Prize of FICC
- Arcachon IFF, 1999 : Best Actor Prize to Péter Andorai
- Corato IFF, 2000 : Main Prize, Best Actor Prize to Péter Andorai
- Salerno IFF, 2000 : Best Script Prize
- Teheran IFF, 2000 : Best Actress Prize to Julie Delarme
- Tromso IFF, 2000 : Aurora Prize

2003: From Europe into Europe/Európából Európába (sketch film)
 
2008: First Love/Első szerelem (s)