László Nemes was born on February 18th, 1977, in Budapest, Hungary, where he spent his early years before relocating to Paris, France, with his mother at the age of 12. He grew up in the City of Light, where he pursued a degree in History, International Relations, and Political Science at the renowned Institut d'Études Politiques, a path he chose due to his inability to attend film school.
Nemes began his career in the film industry as an assistant director on short films, a role he took on at a young age. By the time he was 26, he had relocated back to Budapest, where he worked on short films and collaborated with future collaborators Mátyás Erdély and Tamás Zányi. Together, they completed his 35mm short film, With a Little Patience, in 2006.
Nemes's next move was to enroll in a post-graduate program in Film Directing at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, commencing in September 2006. However, he left the program after less than a year, citing dissatisfaction, but this period did yield a significant encounter – that with poet Géza Röhrig.
Feeling disillusioned with film school, Nemes reached out to renowned director Béla Tarr, offering his services due to his proficiency in French and English. For two years, he worked as Tarr's assistant director, primarily on The Man from London (2007).
In September 2007, Nemes's first short film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, competing in the main competition, and by December 2008, it had received a nomination for 'Best Short Film' at the European Film Awards. His subsequent short films, The Counterpart (2008) and The Gentleman Takes His Leave (2010),were shot in Romania and Hungary, respectively, and completed in January 2010. These three short films have collectively garnered over 30 awards at more than 100 international film festivals.
Nemes's feature film project, "S.K.," was selected for the Résidence program overseen by the Cannes Cinéfondation, resulting in the production of Son of Saul (2015),starring Géza Röhrig in the lead role. This feature film made a surprise appearance in the main competition at the 68th Cannes International Film Festival in 2015, where it won the 'Grand Prix.' Since then, the film has become an international art house sensation and served as Hungary's official submission for the 'Best Foreign Language Film' category at the 88th Academy Awards.
