George Paul Csicsery (born March 17, 1948) is a Hungarian-American writer and independent filmmaker who has directed 35 films including performance films, dramatic shorts and documentaries. He is best known for his documentaries about mathematicians and mathematical communities.[
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Life and career
George Csicsery was born in Regensburg, Germany to Hungarian parents who had fled their native country after WWII (his father was a monarchist army officer).[ Zala Films Official site for films by George Csicsery] In 1951, the family emigrated to Cleveland, Ohio. After a series of menial jobs his father became a successful stained glass and enamel artist and his mother became head of the slide library at the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA), and assistant to renowned Asian art historian, Sherman Lee.
George obtained a BA in Comparative Religion from UC Berkeley (1969), and an MFA in Film Production from San Francisco State University (1972).[
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He taught film editing at Film Arts Foundation in San Francisco from 1982 to 1997, and general cinema courses to undergraduates at San Francisco State University in 1996 and at UC Davis in 1998.[ Math Films, Yes - But So Much More by Doniphan Blair, Cinesource Magazine, Oct 31, 2020]
He once said, "I am interested in people who can find happiness in creating their own world. That is true of mathematicians and romance writers. These people are creating universes different from where they live."[ In 2009 he received the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics (JPBM) Communications Award for his work showing the process of mathematical thinking through the medium of film.][ 2009 Communications Award JPBM]
Csicsery has written about the difficulties of being a displaced person after WWII, and about his two brothers−one of whom fought in the Hungarian Revolution.[ George Csicsery, Displaced Person Vimeo interview in 2015]
Reception
Writing in Nature magazine Davide Castelvecchi said, "Csicsery has carved a niche as a maker of compelling films about mathematicians".[ Upcoming catalog American Public Television (APT)]
Filmography
Films about mathematicians and mathematics
Much of Csicsery's work since the early 1990s has been about eminent mathematicians or the mathematics community in general. These include:
He worked with Scott Kim and Karl Schaffer to produce a series of films about string polyhedra and other recreational math topics.[ A series of short films by George Csicsery on string polyhedra and related work mathdance.org]
External links
