The film, theatre and opera director Kornél Mundruczó was born in Hungary in 1975, and his works have been presented in some of the foremost international festivals. His original artistic approach sees the actors as co-creators of his works. Having studied at the Hungarian University of Theatre and Film Arts, Mundruczó began his creative work in the early 2000s. In 2009, he founded the independent theatre company Proton Theatre with producer Dóra Büki. In 2017 he was nominated for the Faust Award for his remarkably successful work Imitation of Life. Since 2003 he has also directed operas and made his debut as a film director. In 2014 his sixth film, White God, won the Un Certain Regard Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. His first film in English, Pieces of a Woman (2020), was nominated for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. In that film (a Netflix production), Mundruczó directed Shia LaBeouf and Vanessa Kirby in the lead parts. His new film, Evolution, inspired by the stage play with the same name produced by Proton Theatre, was presented at Cannes in July 2021. His theatre works combine various modes of expression, interweaving live action, music and film sequences.