The Polgár Variant

U.S. Premiere

Q&A with Yossi Aviram on January 15 and Salomea’s Nose director Susan Korda on January 22

Motivated by his firm belief that “geniuses are made, not born,” László Polgár spent his meager earnings in 1970s communist Budapest grooming his three daughters to become chess champions. Despite no schooling and near-total isolation from the outside world, his hard-nosed training paid dividends, and the young heroines would become a worldwide media sensation. The Polgár Variant follows the travels of the three sisters, from their birthplace to their current homes in Hungary, the U.S., and Canada, where the family’s extreme tale continues to make shock waves in the press.

Screening with:

Salomea’s Nose
Susan Korda, USA/Germany, 2014, 22m
German and English with English subtitles
Salomea remembers the day her beloved brothers, Max and Karl, disfigured her and themselves for life with one clumsy act. Their mother calls it “The Day of the Tragedy,” but in Salomea’s Nose the circumstances surrounding the event are spun into tragicomedy about sibling rivalry. At just under 23 minutes, this slice-of-life drama offers a delightfully ambiguous thesis about fate and family dynamics.