56films documentary filmmaking

Kazár: from the Cradle to the Grave introduces the traditional and highly elaborate folk costume of Kazár, a small village in north-eastern Hungary. This region is called the Palóc region, located in and around Nográd County near the Slovak border. The film shows men and women, children and adults from the village of Kazár, each of them wearing the folk costume which is appropriate to their age – from the baby in the cradle until the woman who is dressed for her own burial (she is not dead, just demonstrating what she would be dressed in after she died).

The film unfolds somewhat like a fashion show – with a first look ‘behind the scenes’ as the women of Kazár are dressed in the multiple layers of skirts and ornate head dresses, especially the complex and breathtaking bride’s dress and veil – one of the most beautiful in Hungary. Then each one is introduced and her dress explained by Lidia Bodor, who spent over three years collecting information about exactly who wore what and when. The film is accompanied by music from Kazár, by the Kabar folk group whose members grew up in Kazár.