Meet Dora Endre | Writer-Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dora Endre and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dora, how do you define success?
I think every little step is a success in itself. Some days it is all going smoothly, I feel energized and massively driven but I believe it is alright to feel the opposite. It is perfectly fine to give way to tiredness, sadness or any other negative emotion. I enjoy spending some days low on energy, watching something dumb on TV and eating pasta with pizza and pizza with pasta. However, once I had some time off, took a step back and let myself recharge and relax, I start taking little steps again.

There is a book called Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, which I love. It was inspired by Anne’s brother. He had months to do a school project about birds but procrastinated for too long, waited for the perfect moment up until the very last one. Eventually, overwhelmed by the size of the task and the fact that he had no more time to work on the project, he asked their father to help. His advice was “Just take it bird by bird buddy, bird by bird”. I really like that parable. Stopping, taking a breath and getting from A to B in a focused and calm manner, even if time is running out…That is something to be practised and to me, that is real success. As much consistency as possible, even if some days it only means sending a few emails, working out or having one meeting.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I guess, there are many challenges you have to face and overcome in any profession. Creative industries might come with a bit more hurdles than the average. However, I have been fortunate to have some incredibly supportive people rooting for me along the way, both cheering for my accomplishments and providing me with sympathy and shelter in the midst of difficulties.

I am really grateful to have met a number of amazing collaborators so far. Utterly inspiring, professional and humble people. In the recent months, I have worked on projects with meticulous and driven producers from the U.S. and Canada, well-known filmmakers such as Philippe Lesage or Mike Leigh, the Formula One Media Team, Silver Media Publishing or most recently a really dedicated indie rock band called Nincs Ott Semmi. It is a Hungarian band coming through the ranks. We had a wonderful time brainstorming and inspiring each other to do differently, do more, do a notch braver. I loved creating the visuals and directing their new music video for a song called Andalgó or Going About Dreamily.

Another exciting “story” unfolding these days is about my first children’s book, Magical Meadows, which is coming out this September. My aim with writing this book was to give children a comforting, nurturing yet entertaining book buddy that can support them at times of anxiety, deconcentration and worries. It is filled with old school rhymes, playful illustrations, mindfulness practices and games. I hope Magical Meadows will empower children and their carers by opening a door to the beautiful garden we all have within us and which deserves to be taken good care of.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If we were in New York City, we would hang out on the Upper West Side. I love that area. There are loads of chill but elegant restaurants there. Not to mention, FilmLinc and the nearby IFC. After watching a movie and having some tasty food, I would take my friend up to West Harlem to party around 125th Street then we would stroll across the area during the night. My mom always says, each city shows its most beautiful face at night. I also love to visit parks such as the Jackie Robinson Park post-sunset. I am weird and might like danger, can’t do much about it. (Laughs)

In Budapest, we could visit one of the many exciting art galleries, grab a meal around St. Stephen’s Basilica then recharge at one of the small spa-s or hike in the mountains of Buda. Post-sunset creepy walk destination would probably be the Városliget. It is a city park with a mesmerizing castle, little churches and an incredible atmosphere. Many of my foreign friends who have already been to Budapest claim the city has a noble, proud and rebellious vibe. There is something to it. The most exciting, eclectic and bold place I have ever been to.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am always deeply inspired by both individuals and organizations looking for ways to give to others, whether it is a single community or our global society. People who try to make this world a bit better by being compassionate and conscious. Therefore, I would like to use this opportunity and give a shoutout to two outstanding organizations, Plant-for-the-Planet and The Pole Pole Foundation.

Plant-for-the-Planet is a Germany based, global movement supported by the UN. It aims to restore forest ecosystems to tackle the climate crisis and biodiversity loss. They focus on youth training, education and planting trees. An estimated 18 million acres of forest we lose each year, making their work immensely important. Another wonderful NGO is the grassroots organization, The Pole Pole Foundation from Congo. They work with local communities to protect the critically-endangered eastern lowland (grauer’s) gorillas. Since the 1970s, we have wiped out 60% of animal populations on the planet. These numbers are insane. Gladly, there is always a way to turn things around, grow more conscious in our everyday choices and support the tireless work of such NGOs.

Website: https://www.doraendre.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dora_endre/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dora-endre/

Other: Magical Meadows: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BCX44RFQ Author Page: amazon.com/author/doraendre Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user79413201 Link.tree: https://linktr.ee/doraendre

Image Credits
Plant-for-the-Planet Nincs Ott Semmi / ARTISJUS