February 18 - László Nemes

Happy 43rd Birthday, László Nemes! Born today in 1977 as Nemes Jeles László, this Hungarian screenwriter and film director is the first Hungarian director whose film has won a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. This occurred at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards in January 2016. 

  

Nemes' ambitious debut feature is the one of which he is currently best known for co-writing and directing. This was the 2015 Hungarian drama/thriller film 'Saul fia' ('Son of Saul'). 

  

The film is set during World War II. It follows a Jewish worker named Saul (Géza Röhrig) at the Auschwitz concentration camp. While there, he tries to find a rabbi to give a child a proper burial. 

  

'Son of Saul' had won the Grand Prix at the 68th Cannes Film Festival in May 2015, where it premiered. One month after the Golden Globes in 2016, the film received an Oscar for Best International Feature Film at the 88th Academy Awards in late February. 

  

Nemes has been active from 2004-present. 

  

#borntodirect 

#LaszloNemes 

@sonofsaulfilm 

February 18 - John Hughes

Happy Birthday, John Hughes! Born today in 1950 as John Wilden Hughes Jr., this American filmmaker began as an author of humorous essays and stories for National Lampoon. 

Afterwards, Hughes went on to write, produce and sometimes direct some of the most successful live-action comedy films of the 1980s and 1990s. 

  

Most of Hughes' work is set in the Chicago metropolitan area. He is best known for his coming-of-age teen comedy films which often combined magic realism with honest depictions of suburban teenage life. 

Also, any of his most enduring characters from these years were written for American actress, singer and author Molly Ringwald, who was Hughes' muse. 

  

Although known for writing and directing 'Sixteen Candles' but only writing 'Pretty in Pink', Hughes is best known for writing and directing the 1985 American teen drama/comedy-drama film 'The Breakfast Club' and also for writing and directing the 1986 American teen comedy/drama film 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'. 

  

Hughes had been active from 1970–2009. 

  

#borntodirect 

@tcm 

February 18 - Miloš Forman

Happy Birthday, Miloš Forman! Born today in 1932 as Jan Tomáš "Miloš" Forman, this Czech-American professor, actor, screenwriter and film director rose to fame in his native Czechoslovakia before emigrating to the United States in 1968. 

  

He is best known for directing the 1967 Czechoslovak comedy/drama film 'Horí, má panenko' ('The Firemen's Ball'), the 1975 American drama/comedy-drama film 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' and the 1984 American epic historical period biographical drama film 'Amadeus'.  

  

Throughout his career, Forman had received the Oscar for Best Director and Best Picture Oscar twice. The first occurrence was for 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' at the 48th Academy Awards in late March 1976. The second was for 'Amadeus' at the 57th Academy Awards in late March 1985.

He had also been an important figure in the Czechoslovak New Wave. 

Forman had been active from 1953–2018. 

  

#borntodirect 

@Criterion 

@tcm
#CzechItOut 

  

February 17 - National Cabbage Day

Happy National Cabbage Day! On February 17th, today recognizes a delightful garden staple that provides some of the best recipes for the Celtic holidays coming up next month. It’s an excellent day to test your corned beef and cabbage skills alongside other delicious seasonal dishes.  

From the French "caboche", meaning head, cabbage comes in a variety of forms. The cabbage family is quite varied and includes Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, kohlrabi and kale. Cabbage is an ancient food with origins in Asia Minor (Turkey today) and the eastern Mediterranean. 

Breton explorer Jacques Cartier was the first to bring cabbage to the Americas. It was he who later claimed what is now Canada for France. 

When selecting a cabbage, the head should be firm and dense.  The fibrous leaves of a healthy cabbage should be shiny and crisp with no browning or bruising. 

Cabbage is versatile and can be eaten raw, steamed or sautéd.  A popular ingredient in Asian, German, Irish and Latin recipes, it’s a culturally diverse food. Having low calories (6 per leaf) makes cabbage a popular diet food as well.  It has no fat or cholesterol, is low in sodium and carbs, and is a good source of Vitamin C. 

HOW TO OBSERVE 

Bring out your favorite cabbage recipes. Wrap up pigs in a blanket or eat cabbage fresh. Make some delicious soup or vegetable wraps. No matter how you celebrate, be sure to invite someone to join you.  

Feel free to share your delicious creations with friends and family. If you don’t have a recipe to share, National Day Calendar® has fou
ry. 

Corned Beef & Cabbage Stir Fry 

https://www.tastefullysimple.com/recipes/corned-beef--cabbage-stir-fry-12637 

Healing Cabbage Soup 

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/82923/healing-cabbage-soup/?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=cabbage&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe%20Search%20Results&soid=sr_results_p1i1 

Kielbasa and Cabbage 

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/14714/kielbasa-and-cabbage/?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=cabbage&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe%20Search%20Results&soid=sr_results_p1i1

Minestra di cavolo (Italian Cabbage Soup)

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/2263-chef-du-cinema-rome-open-city   

Slow Cooked Garlic Pepper Cabbage 

https://www.tastefullysimple.com/recipes/slow-cooked-garlic-pepper-cabbage-391795 

Use #NationalCabbageDay to post on social media. 

Educators, visit the National Day Calendar® Classroom for projects and ideas to help you Celebrate Every Day®! 

HISTORY 

National Day Calendar® continues researching the origins of this vegetable holiday. They have yet to find the creator of the day under any cabbage leaf, newspaper article or proclamation. 

#NationalCabbageDay 

@nichecinema