Los Angeles, Jan. 6 -- Veteran Hungarian director Bela Tarr has passed away. He was 70.

The news of the demise of Bela Tarr was announced on Tuesday by The European Film Academy, of which Tarr had been a member since 1997, as per Variety.

The European Film Academy said he had died "after a long and serious illness."

In a statement, the academy wrote that it "mourns an outstanding director and a personality with a strong political voice, who is not only deeply respected by his colleagues but also celebrated by audiences worldwide. The grieving family asks for the understanding of the press and the public and that they not be sought for a statement during these difficult days."

Tarr was a pioneer of the "slow cinema" movement, which was...