Started his career with autobiographically inspired films. His later films represent the fate of individuals in contemporary history, particularly the history of the 20th Century in Central Europe.

He made his debut with a number of short movies: Variations on a Theme (short - 1961), Concerto - You (short - 1962), The Age to Dream (1964), Father (1966), A Film about Love (1970), Dreaming of Home (short - 1971), 25 T Zoltó Street (1973), Tales of Budapest (1976), Green Birs (shot in Germany - 1979), Faith (1980).

This last film paved the way for his historic trilogy: Mephisto (1981), Colonel Redl (Hungarian-German 1984), Hanussen I-II (Hungarian-German 1988). The central character of "Mephisto" is an actor, Höfgen, who lives in a threatening world and is forced to hide his true nature in order to survive and save his life. "Colonel Redl" is a film about a character who is psychologically similar, living out the last days of the monarchy. In his film "A Meeting with Venus" (English 1991) he returns to contemporary themes; then "Sweet Emma, Dear Böbe" (1992).

István Szabó has also made many films for television - Bali (for German Television, 1982).  He is also an academic member of numerous international film institutes, a teacher as well as an Oscar winner in 1982 (for Mephisto), a European Institute of Budapest Corvinus prize winner in1997.  He won the Prize for the Reputation of the Hungarian People in 1997.