Asia Dér

Field of Work

Director

Country

Hungary

Biography

ASIA DÉR is a Hungarian-Slovak documentary filmmaker known for her intimate, character-driven storytelling and long-term observational approach. She was born in Bratislava, spent most of her life in Budapest, and has been based in Vienna, Austria, since 2025. She graduated from the DOCNomads international MA program and holds a PhD from the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest. Her debut feature, Her Mothers (2020), co-directed with Sári Haragonics, premiered at Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival and was screened at more than 30 international festivals, including Sarajevo, Thessaloniki, and Taipei. Among other recognitions, the film won Best Feature Documentary and Best Editing at the Moscow DOKer Festival and the Social Awareness Award at Crossing Europe. Her second feature, I Won’t Die, follows an art gallery owner confronting life after a terminal cancer diagnosis. The film premiered in 2023 at the A-category Warsaw Film Festival. Asia has participated in industry programs such as ZagrebDox Pro, East Doc Platform, Docu Rough Cut Boutique, DOCCIRCLE, and Cannes Docs. She is a founder and former presidium member of the Hungarian Documentary Association (MADOKE), a part-time lecturer at freeSZFE and DOCNomads, and an active advocate for independent filmmaking in Eastern Europe.

FILMOGRAPHY

Nem halok meg (I Won’t Die) (2023) – 92 min
A magunk módjára üvölteni (Howling Like We Do) (2022) – 90 min
Anyáim története (Her Mothers) (2020) – 75 min
Lísty od mami (Letters from Mom) (2016) – 11 min

AWARDS

Nem halok meg (I Won’t Die)

Best Director – DOKER International Film Festival (2024)
Best Cinematography – Zsigmond Vilmos International Film Festival (2024)

A magunk módjára üvölteni (Howling Like We Do)

Best Documentary Feature – Košice International Film Festival (2022)
Best Director – Berlin Art Film Festival (2022)
Special Mention – Verzió International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival (2023)

Anyáim története (Her Mothers)

CROSSING EUROPE Social Awareness Award – Best Documentary – Crossing Europe Film Festival, Linz (2021)
Grand Prix for Best Documentary Feature & Best Editing – DOKER (2021)
Jury Prize – Chéries-Chéris, Paris International LGBTQIA+ Film Festival
Special Mention – Hungarian International Documentary Festival
Audience Award & Special Mention (Grand Jury and Student Jury) – 6th Festival de Cine LGTBI (2021)

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