Reference Letters

It is my great pleasure to write in support of Dr. Eszter Simor.

Our acquaintance dates back to 2016, when she introduced herself by email as a Film Studies graduate student seeking opportunities relevant to her interests while she was spending the summer in Houston. Noting her background and interests as a great fit for our work in the MFAH film department, I offered her the opportunity to join us as a curatorial fellow.

Eszter enthusiastically embraced the role, and quickly became a valued member of our team. Working with us in the office and at evening screenings, she took on research and writing assignments, as well as evaluating films offered to the Museum for future programming. Her knowledge of the fundamentals of filmmaking, with a specialization in contemporary world cinema, is impressive. Her writing skills are exceptional, which isn't surprising since she has worked as a professional journalist.

During her first (of three) summers with us, Eszter's contributions were valued and significant. She immersed herself in experiencing Houston's film culture, joining me for meetings with colleagues, and familiarizing herself with how a curatorial film department functions within an art museum.

Additionally, Eszter took the initiative to connect with colleagues in the local academic community. Beginning in July 2016, she was an invited guest lecturer to introduce films to students at the University of Houston's summer filmmaking course for high school students. She also met MFAH Film Committee member and University of Houston assistant professor Dr. Karen Fang. Dr. Fang's recent book Arresting Cinema: Surveillance in Hong Kong Film, on which Eszter served as assistant editor, created the opportunity for Eszter to deliver a lecture on the Aesthetics of Surveillance in European Film to Dr. Fang's class.

We remained in touch after Eszter moved to Edinburgh to begin her PhD program at the University. I was pleased when she shared plans to return to Houston the next summer and supported her successful application to receive a stipend from her university for the fellowship in the Museum's film department. Her time with us in the summer of 2017 included an expanded role, researching specific films, writing program notes, and contributing blog posts to the Museum's website. I found Eszter to be bright, personable, well-spoken and quite engaged with developments in the international film world.

A year ago I had the opportunity to spend time with Eszter when while attending the Berlin International Film Festival - she was an accredited journalist, covering films for a Hungarian film publication, and I was attending as the MFAH's film curator.

In the summer of 2018, Eszter again worked with us as a Curatorial Fellow, once again with a stipend from her University. Her involvement included the activities mentioned above, with a focus on preparing our retrospectives of films by Ingmar Bergman and Luchino Visconti. She also became involved with a special night of shorts by local filmmakers that we presented with Project Row Houses, and served as an on-stage moderator alongside one of the Museum's assistant curators. Eszter is quite comfortable as a public speaker, and fulfilled that role with great skill.

It's noteworthy that Eszter has excelled in her initiative while pursuing her doctoral studies in Edinburgh. She has served as a teaching assistant, a movie critic, a guest lecturer, and assistant film programmer, and writer while studying for her PhD.

We are fortunate that Eszter Simor will be settling in Houston after completing her PhD this spring. She has excelled in her work for the MFAH, and I know she'd be a great asset to your campus community. Her knowledge and enthusiasm for cinema are infectious, and your students will undoubtedly benefit from her expertise and passion.