Sabina Triana Duarte

Country: Colombia

Period of studies at ELTE: 2015.09.01 - 2017.07.31

"To come and study in Europe was a long pursued dream for me. Budapest is an intermediate city in size but wide in terms of culture and film production."

Why ELTE?

To come and study in Europe was a long pursued dream for me. Budapest is an intermediate city in size but wide in terms of culture and film production. I loved the idea of coming to this city and to ELTE because it is the best university in social sciences in Hungary. The film program has a practical emphasis and a theoretical one that I enjoy a lot. The staff is very helpful with the students and the classes have attendants from Hungary and different countries.

What do you like most about being a student at ELTE?

Being able to live in Budapest and having the support of the Hungarian Government for the program of my choice. The university has an ambience of closeness between the students and the teachers are experts willing to solve doubts and help the students to grow in their own fields of interest.

What are the challenges in your study program?

For my field of interest, which is Roma people’s representation in Hungarian cinema, it was difficult to access to some of the bibliography and documentaries that were not translated into English.But I found it interesting to make an effort to learn Hungarian and become familiar with the way of expressing academic ideas in the Hungarian language.

How do you think your degree will help you in your life and career?

To have the international experience and the theoretical approach of social sciences has made me grow in my professional field. Also, being able to learn from the experience of the Budapest film school and its different development of technique, in comparison with hollywood filmmaking, gives me valuable insights into cinematography.

Do you have any advice for future students at ELTE?

In the case that you are applying for a master’s program, I recommend you to choose or have a previous idea of your research and communicate it from the first semesters actively to your tutor; also, try to take as many mandatory courses as you can in the first three semesters. In this way you will have more time at the end of your master’s studies to travel through Europe or to visit more places in Hungary, while you prepare your thesis.