László Nemes was born in Budapest in 1977. After studying history, international relations, and screenwriting in Paris, he worked as an assistant director to Béla Tarr on The Man from London (2007), and later studied directing at New York University. His talent was recognized early through his shorts alone, which won roughly 30 awards at international film festivals. His feature debut, Son of Saul (2015), swept the Grand Prix at Cannes, followed by a Golden Globe, an Academy Award, and a BAFTA, making it one of the most decorated debut features in history. His second feature, Sunset (2018), was invited to the main competition at Venice, where it won the FIPRESCI Prize. His third feature, Orphan (2025), drawn from his own father′s true story, was invited to the main competition at the 2025 Venice Film Festival. His latest film, Moulin, his French-language directorial debut, portrays the final days of Resistance leader Jean Moulin and stars Gilles Lellouche and Lars Eidinger. The film competed in the main competition for the Palme d′Or at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. Capturing the scars of modern Hungarian history with dense, formal precision, Nemes has established himself, at a young age, among Europe′s leading auteurs.