Eva Haller, born May 9, 1930, is a Hungarian-American philanthropist, activist, executive, Board Member. She has mentored generations of activists, especially women, and has been honored with the inaugural Forbes Women Excellence in Mentoring Award and the Ban Ki Moon AI Mentorship Award by 8th UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. During World War II, Eva participated in the Hungarian resistance. She lost her brother during this time, which inspired her to help others. She continues to advise and mentor  many humanitarian organizations, such as Asian Initiatives, Women for Women International, Free the Children and the Jane Goodall Institute.

The feature-length documentary premiered in California in spring 2024, at the Illumination Film Festival and Eva was on hand to receive special recognition. The feature also garnered recognition and awards at festivals around the world including: Cannes World Film Festival, Paris Lady MovieMakers Festival, California Indies, Bread & Roses Film Festival, Round The Globe Film & Music Festival, Stockholm City Film Festival, Documentaries Without Borders International Film Festival, and The Impact DOCS Awards. 

To arrange for a screening of Eva Haller: A Work in Progress, please email [email protected].

A Short Biography

Eva's life as a child in Budapest was filled with music, art and culture, until World War II began. She idolized her older brother John, who was in the Hungarian resistance. He was killed by the Nazi’s. When Hungarian Nazi's invaded the Scottish boarding school for girls she was attending, Eva pleaded, “I am much too young and beautiful to die.” A soldier told her to run, and she escaped.

After the war, living in Soviet-occupied Hungary was difficult. At the age of 18, Eva boarded a train for Paris with a one-way ticket to Ecuador, where she had relatives. Eventually, she made her way to the United States, where she vowed to honor her brother's memory by becoming an advocate for human rights.

Eva, who cleaned houses in NYC to put herself through college, has devoted her life to supporting those working to break the cycles of poverty and inequality. She is a steadfast advocate for the rights of women and minorities. She joined Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the historic 1965 march in Selma, Alabama.

In 1968, Eva and her late husband Murray Roman started the Campaign Communications Institute of America. The business was very successful and they wanted to give back. They volunteered their expertise, promoting education and democracy for UNICEF in Southeast Asia and around the world.

Murray Roman helped Eva foster her deep commitment to education, social justice, and philanthropy. When Murray passed, she was heartbroken. Later, she met and married Dr. Yoel Haller. Together, they have mentored countless activists, including Craig Kielberger, a 12-year-old Canadian boy who wanted to put an end to child labor for an estimated 250 million children in the world. Kielberger founded the organization Free the Children, with Eva as the first board chair.

For the last 40 years, Eva has served as a trustee for the University of California, Santa Barbara, acting as a champion for arts and humanities. She currently serves on the boards of News Literacy Project, Asia Initiatives, Sing for Hope, Creative Visions Foundation and The MY HERO Project.

At the 12th Annual MY HERO International Film Festival, we honored Eva Haller with the inaugural Women Transforming Media Award. 

Eva has subsequntly generously sponsored The Eva Haller Women Transforming Media Award, aiming to inspire and support filmmakers—from elementary school students to seasoned professionals—who create exceptional work spotlighting women changemakers or addressing critical women’s issues.  Find all winning films HERE.

In response to Covid, and continuing for the past five years, Eva has produced a virtual Salon Series, now in its fifth season with more than 200 episodes. The salons bring together leaders from around the world who share their thoughts and ideas as artists, scientists, social activists and media creators.

Many of the salons have been archived on The MY HERO Project website. Speakers include: Nobel Laureate Jerry White, Global Educator and Author Esther Wojcicki, NYT Columnist Clyde Haberman, former Washington Post Editor Marty Barron, Author Ron Kovic, Asia Initiatives Founder Geeta Mehta, 19th Editor Errin Haines, Creative Visions Foundation Founder Kathy Eldon, Yasmine Sheriff, Author Frances Moore Lappé, Artist Dred Scott, Filmmaker Scott Frank and more.

The salons are held Saturday afternoons at 2pm Pacific time.

For an invitation, email [email protected].