My Shining Darkness
Date:
December 15, 2022
My Shining Darkness
My Shining Darkness
by Lia Lőrinczy
Éclipse Film | Hungary
Documentary | 1st feature
Logline
“My Shining Darkness” follows a blind pianist, whose extraordinary talent was nurtured within a protective family cocoon — until shifting generations gently push him to navigate life beyond music, and discover who he is when the stage lights fade.
Synopsis
My Shining Darkness invites us into the extraordinary world of Tamás Érdi, a 46-year-old award-winning blind pianist who transforms the absence of sight into a profound musical gift. Surrounded by three remarkable women and a strong man — his wife Réka, his mother Márta, his lifelong piano teacher Erika and his father, Sándor — his life has been shaped by this intimate “bubble”, where care, control, and love are inextricably linked.
Each of them plays a vital role in shaping Tamás’s world: Réka brings emotional intimacy and freedom; Márta provides safety and structure; Erika, as a teacher and spiritual guide, nurtures his identity through music and Sándor holds all of this together. They are the ones who taught him how to live — and now, that balance is shifting.
Though Tamás can perform Chopin, Bach or Schubert from memory, he never learned how to make a sandwich or navigate alone. His life was built around practicing music — not independence. Now, as the older generation begins to fade Réka gently encourages him to take small but significant steps toward autonomy.
The only moment Tamás is ever truly alone is when he steps onto the stage. There, he performs not just music, but himself — and for a brief moment, he is completely free.
My Shining Darkness is not just a sensual musical journey. It is a cinematic intimate film of a unique family dynamic constantly developing, and a meditation on love, time, and the transformation of care.
Director’s Profile
Lia Lőrinczy graduated from the Hungarian University of Fine Arts with a degree in curatorial studies. She worked for years as a festival organizer and freelance curator on cultural and exhibition projects. However, her interest gradually shifted towards moving images, leading her to work as a freelance editor on television productions.
In 2023, she earned her MA in Documentary Filmmaking from the University of Theatre and Film Arts, studying under Tamás Almási and Attila Kékesi. Over the past few years, she has directed more than five short documentary films, both independently and in collaboration with others. Her graduation film, Who I Can Still Become Premiered in the Hungarian section of the Verzió International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival in 2023, where it won the section’s Special Mention award. In 2024, the film also received the Best Regional Documentary award at the Blue Danube Film Festival.
Currently, she works as a freelance director and editor-reporter on various commissioned film projects, including behind-the-scenes documentaries, music videos, commercials, and documentary films – with a primary focus on developing her first feature-length documentary, My Shining Darkness.
Company Profile
Éclipse Film is a Hungarian independent film production company, founded by Julianna Ugrin in 2011. The company concentrates on high-quality productions with relevant, particular or artistic content. It develops and produces documentaries, author fiction films, commercials and corporate films on an international level. Since its foundation, Éclipse Film has managed to connect young, talented filmmakers with experienced members of the industry. Our films have participated in festivals like SUNDANCE, Locarno, IDFA, HotDocs, DOK Leipzig, Sarajevo IFF, CPH:DOX, to name but a few. The company also co-organized sessions of DunaDOCK, EURODOC and KineDok.
Selected filmography:
2026 – Kurtág Fragments – dir. Dénes Nagy
2025 – My Chemical Information System – dir. Márton Vizkelety
2022 – Holy Dilemma – dir. Julianna Ugrin, Márton Vizkelety (HBO)
2022 – The Missing Tale – dir. Klára Trencsényi
2022 – Howling Like We Do – dir. Asia Dér
2019 – Liquid Gold – dir.: Tamás Almási e234
2018 – Easy Lessons – dir.: Dorottya Zurbó
2017 – A Woman Captured – dir.: Bernadett Tuza-Ritter – EFA European Documentary 2018 nominated
2017 – The Next Guardian – dir.: Dorottya Zurbó and Arun Bhattarai
2017 – The Letters – short – dir.: Teréz Koncz
2015 – Train to Adulthood– dir.: Klára Trencsényi (HBO)
2015 – Hot Men Cold Dictatorships – dir: Mária Takács