Berlinale 2015 Hungarian Film Magazine

Hungarian Film Magazine THE 2015 BERLINALE ISSUE

The Year of Hungarian Cinema An in-depth look at the stories and achievements behind Hungarian cinema in 2014

From Berlin to Berlin Filmmakers who got their start here last year

Coming Soon What’s in store for 2015?

Published by the Hungarian National Film Fund

Heart, Soul, Dogs and Foxes in Hungarian Film Hungarian films feel like home to me. The intimate world of our films with all the familiar faces and images always leaves me enthralled. Rhythm, light, sound, color, emotion – it’s a delightful assault on the senses. Seeing the development of Hungarian cinema makes me truly honored to have worked for the Hungarian National Film Fund over the last 3-plus years.

Berlin has long been the melting pot of European culture, which is manifested in its various multicultural events - like the Berlinale. We hope that this magazine provides you with greater insight into what has been happening in the Hungarian film industry from Berlin to Berlin.

Last year was an important one for many reasons. New Hungarian films were released domestically, and several won awards at international film festivals. Hungarian Film Week was held in October, where more than 25 feature films and almost 300 shorts, documentaries, and animated films were screened. And it was great to see so many independent films there, which were made without direct support from the Film Fund. Also of note, the tax incentive to film in Hungary went up to 25%, which further encourages foreign productions to come to Hungary to shoot. Several big budget films were filmed in and around Budapest in 2014, and we expect more of the same in the future.

The Hungarian National Film Fund provides a variety of tools and opportunities to help Hungarian cinema grow. We support script development, project development and film production. One of our principal goals is to support film school students so that they can make their graduation films. This nurtures new talent and fresh ideas, and helps our young filmmakers succeed both in Hungary and abroad, which is always rewarding to see.

We also rely on the work of Hungarian helmers and veterans who have earned outstanding success for our industry. Their films are winning international festivals and sell extensively for cinema and television. The most prestigious prize won at an international film festival went to White God by Kornel Mundruczo (Prix Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival, 2014). We have recently had an animated film (Symphony No. 42 directed by Réka Bucsi) shortlisted for the Oscars. A year before it was The Notebook by János Szász in the shortlist, a feature film that won the Crystal Globe at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Completed films subsidized get TV ad-time from the Fund to promote their films, test screenings are organized by the Film Fund and producers can apply for marketing support. We also promote and sell Hungarian films internationally.

With the professional expertise of Andy Vajna, the government commissioner for film, we will continue our support of Hungarian film in 2015.

It is a privilege to welcome you in Berlin and we wish you a wonderful stay at the festival and market. Thank you for reading the first edition of our magazine, and I hope you find it interesting and informative. I leave you in the hope that you will share my feeling of home in the fabulously fascinating world of Hungarian cinema.

Ágnes Havas CEO, Hungarian National Film Fund

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Content 1

Spirited Support of HUngarian Film Opening words of the CEO of Hungarian National Film Fund

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News

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The Hungarian Film in 2014 Diverse films, festival successes, expanding box office and strong service quality

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Hungarian Film Support System Hungarian Films – Box Office 2014 The Funding System of the Hungarian National Film Fund Production grants in 2014 The Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme Numbers in 2014–2015 Being Present For Some Explicable Reason The Hungarian festival presence in 2014

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What The Critics Say The Hungarian Film Week 2014 Pictures and opinions

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They Want to Tell Your Story, Too! Peek into the animation scene in Hungary

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MOME Anim The animation department of Moholy Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest

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Hungarian Tax Rebate The 100-Year Old Man Who Filmed in Hungary 2014: A Busy Year in Service Productions

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From Dragons to the Red Planet in Budapest A discussion with Adam Goodman from Mid Atlantic Films

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From Berlin to Berlin The stars from last year, and this year’s promising talents of Berlinale

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The Year of the Fox Portrait of animation director Réka Bucsi

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The Young Man with the Movie Camera Portrait of cinematographer Marcell Rév

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The Pitch-Perfect Story of Being a Woman Interview with director Cristina Grosan

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High Expectations for High Dive Ádám Császi Participates at the Co-Production Market

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Hungarian Film Production is in Better Shape Now Interview with producer Károly Fehér

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Coming Soon What to expect to 2015: new faces, familiar names and brave topics

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Catalogue The latest titles in every genre, with detailed cast, crew and contacts

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Feature TV Drama TV Documentary TV Educational Documentary Documentary Short Film Animation

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Meet us in Berlin!

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News Online Success Stories When to put a short film online is always a tough question. The filmmakers’ wish for the film to reach audiences is often limited by festival strategies; but in 2014, two young filmmakers boldly decided that going online was the right thing to do.

A still from My Guide

My Guide (Újratervezés) the touching short by Barnabás Tóth, was put online after a successful year of festival runs. The director only intended his film to be online for the Car Shorts Online Festival, but the film’s popularity spread and suddenly everyone was talking about this heartwarming tearjerker.

Winning the Car Shorts was nice, but the film now has 1.2 million thankful viewers on Vimeo!

The young animation director Péter Vácz also cleverly manages his festival plans – and so far, so good: Rabbit and Deer (Nyuszi és Őz) was screened in 63 countries at more than 300 festivals and won over 120 awards. He decided to put the film online in December 2014.

The early Christmas gift proved to be a good idea, evidenced by 464,000 viewers.

Robert Pattinson back in Hungary Few years after he filmed Bel Ami here, Robert Pattinson is back in Hungary for another exciting role.

The former Twilight-actor stars in The Childhood of a Leader, which started filming mid-January.

The film focuses on the early years of a post-World War I ruler, and is the directorial debut of actor Brady Corbet. The stellar cast also includes Tim Roth, Bérénice Bejo (The Artist) and Stacy Martin (Nymphomaniac). István Major (FilmTeam) is the Hungarian producer.

A still from Cain’s Children

Goldeneye Cinematography Awards The tradition of the 11-year-old award show continued in the middle of December, when the Hungarian Association of Cinematographers (H.S.C.) again acknowledged the best achievements in Hungarian cinematography with the ‘Goldeneye Awards’.

There were several categories that awarded filmmakers with the greatest artistic vision. The Cinematographer of the Year award went to Tamás Dobos, and Tamás also shared an award with Máté Herbai in the Best TV-series category for their work on HBO Hungary’s In Treatment.

Dobos’ third award was in the short film category for Letter to God. Márk Grátz received the Best Feature Film Cinematography award for his work on Dear Elza, and the Best Documentary Cinematography went to Rudolf Péter Kiss for Cain’s Children. In the TV-movie category, András Nagy emerged as the winner for his film The Ambassador to Bern, while the choice for the nature/public interest category was Szabolcs Mosonyi’s film The Inland Delta of the Danube.

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News Hungarian cinematographer for Maze Runner 2 Wes Ball’s The Maze Runner was a big success all around the world last year (earning a total of 340 million dollars), so no wonder principal photography is already underway on the sequel. But this time, an established Hungarian cinematographer, Gyula Pados, will shoot the young-adult fantasy. The DOP is probably best known as the regular partner-incrime of fellow Hungarian Nimród Antal (of Kontroll, Predators, Metallica Through the Never), but his other works include Fateless, The Duchess and Disney’s recent Million Dollar Arm.

A still from Maze Runner

Hungarian films around festivals in January and February

G yörgy Pálfi wins development funds

This year started off with a bang for Hungarian films at festivals. Kornél Mundruczó’s White God was selected to the Palm Springs International Film Festival, which ended of 12th of January. At the end of January, White God enjoyed the company of Réka Bucsi’s Symphony No. 42 at Sundance Film Festival. Symphony No. 42 was also shortlisted for an Oscar in the Best Animation Short category. But it’s not the only short animation film that received recognition during first month of the year: Zsuzsanna Kreif and Borbála Zétényi’s Limbo Limbo represented the country at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.

The critically acclaimed director György Pálfi (Hukkle, Taxidermia, Final Cut, Free Fall) had a great close to the year with his new project The Voice. György, alongside producer Ferenc Pusztai (of KMH Film), attended Torino Script&Pitch and won The Les Arcs Coproduction Village Prize. A few weeks later, when producer Pusztai pitched the project at the French Alps, it won the Arte International Prize. The film is loosely based on Stanislaw Lem’s His Master’s Voice, and the script was co-written by Gergő Nagy V and Zsófia Ruttkay. The plan is to partially shoot the sci-fi-drama in the United States.

Afterglow’s success at WEMW

The masterclass series continues After a very successful series of masters’ classes with Oliver Stone, Joe Esterhas, and Alan Parker, the latest leading filmmaker to accept the invitation is multiple-Oscar-nominee Ridley Scott. The Alien and Blade Runner director is currently in Hungary filming his latest epic The Martian, but he will take some time off from his busy schedule to meet with a large audience of young film professionals and students.

Young Hungarian film director Isti Madarász, who recently completed his first feature Loop, will moderate the discussion, which is once again organized by the Hungarian National Film Fund.

A total of 22 projects from 29 countries were pitched at this year’s edition of When East Meets West pitching forum in Trieste. Afterglow, a feature documentary represented Hungary. The project is about the director Noémi Veronika Szakonyi’s (studying documentary film directing at the University of Theatre and Film Arts of Budapest) own family. It takes place during the final years of the communist regime in Hungary and also in the present facing the secrets of the past. Produced by Julianna Ugrin, Afterglow ended up winning the EAVE producers’ workshop scholarship at When East Meets West.

The project previously received pre-production funding from the Hungarian National Film Fund.

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The

Hungarian Film in 2014 2014 was a great year for Hungarian cinema.

Diverse films, festival success, growth at the box office, and a strong service industry.

Facts, figures, and opinions.

HUNGARIAN FILM SUPPORT SYSTEM FEATURE LENGTH FILMS suppOrtEd by HuNgariaN NatiONal FilM FuNd

Live Action Feature

Feature Length Animation

Feature Length Documentary

ANIMATIONS, SHORTS, DOCUMENTARIES, TV suppOrtEd by MEdia COuNCil FilM aNd MEdia FuNdiNg sCHEME

TV Film

Short and Experimental Film

TV Documentary 8

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Animated TV Series

Short Animation

Educational Documentaries

Online Content

HUNGARIAN FILMS – BOX OFFICE 2014 TITLE

DIRECTOR

ADMISSIONS

COMPANY

Coming Out*

Dénes Orosz

141,760

Megafilm

Attila Herczeg

104,863

Focus Fox

Csaba Fazekas

79,421

Unio Film

Gábor Reisz

48,531

Proton Cinema

Kornél Mundruczó

42,717

Proton Cinema

János Szász

27,578

Hunnia Film

Márk Bodzsár

20,580

Unio Film

Virág Zomborácz

20,220

KMH Film

Ferenc Török

7,285

Film Street

Ádám Császi

3,705

Proton Cinema

Szabolcs Hajdu

2,105

Mirage Film Studio/ Filmpartners

Whatever Happened to timi (Megdönteni Hajnal Tímeát)

swing**

For some inexplicable reason** (VAN valami furcsa és megmagyarázhatatlan)

White god (Fehér Isten)

the Notebook (A nagy füzet)

Heavenly shift (Isteni műszak)

afterlife (Utóélet)

No Man’s island (A senki szigete)

land of storms (Viharsarok)

Mirage (Délibáb)

*Released in December 2013.

** Still in Theatres

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THE FUNDING SYSTEM OF THE HUNGARIAN NATIONAL FILM FUND APPLICATIONS

1.

Script Development

2.

Project Development

ORGANISATION Application (Script)

3.

Production

APPLICATION PROCESS Continuous Applications (No fix deadlines)

Readers (evaluating the scripts) Decision in 60 days

DECISION MAKING COMMITTEE (deciding about the support)

with feedback from readers

and the decision of the Committee

What About Minority Co-Productions?

Production Division (financial planning and controlling)

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Script Development Division (developing the supported projects)

There is no separate call for minority co-productions, but all projects are encouraged to apply with a Hungarian co-producer onboard. Each film is judged by the quality of the screenplay and the potential of the project.

PRODUCTION GRANTS IN 2014 BY THE HUNGARIAN NATIONAL FILM FUND Title

Genre

Support in EUR

Total Budget in EUR

Production Company

Home guards (Veszettek)

Drama

2,564,935*

3,409,091

Megafilm

On body and soul (testről és lélekről)

Drama/Romance

1,363,636

2,094,156

Inforg – M&M Film

lily lane (liliom ösvény)

Drama

1,039,058

1,551,948

Fraktál

loop (Hurok)

Sci-fi/Action

1,021,629

1,419,293

Café Film

son of saul (saul fia)

Drama

1,008,442

1,349,735

Laokoon

Fever at dawn (Hajnali láz)

Drama

1,001,981*

1,866,883

Tivoli

Kills on Wheels (tiszta szívvel)

Comedy/Crime

955,232

1,377,312

Laokoon

Hier (tegnap)

Drama

954,545

2,176,875

Mirage Film Studio

My day your Night (az éjszakám a nappalod)

Comedy/Drama

904,221

1,298,701

Új Budapest

Comedy duel (dumapárbaj)

Comedy

867,933

1,432,378

Café Film

think about Me (gondolj rám)

Comedy

842,532*

1,152,597

Tivoli

being solomon (salamon király legendája)

Animation

649,351

2,500,000

Cinemon Studio

the undiscovered Country (a nem ismert tartomány)

Drama

487,013

1,578,970

Mythberg

soul Exodus

Documentary

487,013

593,862

Film Street

that trip We took with dad Comedy/Drama (utazás apánkkal)

243,506

2,579,865

Mirage Film Studio

picturesque Epochs (Festői korszakok)

Documentary

107,143

133,117

Új Budapest

tititá (tititá)

Documentary

86,039

157,561

Éclipse

*partially financed in 2013

Project Development Grants in 2014

Script Development Grants in 2014

Other Grants in 2014

A total of 366,883 euro was given to 9 projects as project development grants in 2014. Some of the films have since received production support (That Trip We Took with Dad, Loop, Comedy Duel, On Body and Soul). Other films included projects from Attila Gigor, Márta Mészáros, and Roland Vranik, as well as the debut feature of Csaba M. Kiss. Milorad Krstic’s animated feature Ruben Brandt, Collector received the largest grant: 162,338 euro.

A total of 367,533 euro was given to 32 projects in 2014. The films included a wide variety of genres and directors include András Jeles, Tamás Almási, Zoltán Kamondi, János Szász, Árpád Sopsits, József Pacskovszky, Kornél Mundruczó, Ágnes Kocsis, Árpád Bogdán, Mihály Schwechtje, Ádám Császi, and Nóra Lakos, among others. Two projects – directed by Attila Gigor and Roland Vranik – have already moved into project development.

Further financial support totaling 665,585 euro was given to a variety of other projects. Funds were allocated to support the Jameson Cinefest Miskolc International Film Festival, the Budapest International Documentary Festival, films that were selected to prestigious festivals, and a range of film workshops.

The University of Theatre and Film Arts (SZFE) received a total of 191,559 euro, which was distributed to three classes that foster young talent in the profession of directing.

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THE MEDIA COUNCIL FILM AND MEDIA FUNDING SCHEME The Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme financed more than 500 films or related productions in the past 4 years, contributing more than 16,000,000 euro. Their financial support helped produce 22 TV-movies, 45 screenplays, 40 short films, 22 radio plays, 154 documentaries, 115 educational docus, 72 animated films, and 6 animated series with 45 episodes. The aim was to make projects that target a broad audience. A letter of intent from a Hungarian TV-channel was requested upon application.

IN 2014, FUNDS WERE DISTRIBUTED AS FOLLOWS: EDUCATIONAL DOCUMENTARIES

34 films

811,500 Eur

DOCUMENTARIES

44 films

1,096,000 Eur

ANIMATED FILMS

23 films

592,825 Eur

ANIMATED SERIES

6 series

698,700 Eur

8 films

2,346,885 Eur

SHORT FICTION

13 films

265,000 Eur

TV-MOVIE DEVELOPMENT

10 films

31,820 Eur

TV-MOVIE

A TOTAL OF 10,227,700 EUR WILL BE GIVEN TO A WIDE VARIETY OF MEDIA PROJECTS IN 2015.

THESE ARE THE CATEGORIES FOR TV AND FILM: EDUCATIONAL DOCUMENTARIES

3 deadlines

811,688 Eur

DOCUMENTARIES

3 deadlines

1,071,430 Eur

SHORT ANIMATION

3 deadlines

584,415 Eur

ANIMATED SERIES

1 deadline

811,688 Eur

TV-MOVIE

1 deadline

1,948,050 Eur

SHORT FICTION

1 deadline

243,506 Eur

TV-MOVIE DEVELOPMENT

1 deadline

32,467 Eur

A new category has also been introduced in 2015. With a total available budget of 422,078 euro, application is now open for historical feature-length documentaries that use archive footage and have educational value.

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Being Present for Some Explicable Reason

Suicidal foxes and love triangles at Berlinale The omnipresence of Hungarian cinema at international festivals started at the 64th Berlinale. Réka Bucsi’s Symphony No. 42, which is a grotesque story about a suicidal fox, was one of the biggest and brightest success stories for Hungarian short animation. Following its screening in Berlin, Symphony No. 42 managed to captivate audiences at film festivals around the world. It went on to conquer Annecy, Hamburg, Melbourne (where it won Best Animation Short), Hiroshima (winning the Hiroshima Prize), Chicago (winning the Special Jury Prize), Bristol for the Encounters Film Festival, and more. Funded by the Hungarian National Film Fund through its graduation film programme, Symphony No. 42 later became one of the 9 films shortlisted for Best Animated Short at the Academy Awards, and ultimately earned a spot in the official competition of the Shorts Program at Sundance. It’s indisputable: Réka Bucsi dominated 2014. (Read our portrait about Réka on page 32.)

But Symphony No. 42 wasn’t the only Hungarian phenomenon that got its start at the Berlinale. Ádám Császi’s feature film Land of Storm also had its world premiere in Berlin one year ago. The story is about a touching love triangle between three boys in the Hungarian countryside. Land of Storm has impressed audiences around the world ever since, including in Hong Kong, Helsinki, Sarajevo, Seattle, Kiev Molodist, and Taipei, where it won the Special Jury Award. Ádám Császi is again in Berlin with his latest screenplay High Dive at the Co-Production Market (you can read about it on page 38.).

Roland Ferge’s Away also premiered in the Generation section, where it got a Special Mention from the International Jury. Away is a symbolic and sensitive representation of Hungarian emigration, with roles performed exclusively by children.

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Photo by ImageForum

the last year was a great one for Hungarian cinema.

Numerous short and feature films were showcased to a wide audience at many of the largest and most prestigious film festivals around the world.

From animated shorts, to short fiction, to features, to documentaries – there was a lot to be proud of.

Photo by Noel Villers

Hungarian films make their presence known at festivals in 2014

White God’s director and actors in Cannes, 2014

Afterlife crew in Karlovy Vary, 2014

Ceausescu’s resurrection and rebellious dogs in Cannes Hungary was represented at Cannes Film Festival last year with some great films. Petra Szőcs’s The Execution was selected for the official Short Film Competition. The story is about three children who re-enact Ceausescu’s execution, and the film went on to compete in Sarajevo and Cottbus.

Director György Mór Kárpáti had the chance to travel to Cannes with his thesis short Provincia, which was

Photo by Festival Karlovy Vary

Provincia crew in Cannes, 2014

spotlighted as a Cinefondation selection. It follows a young deliveryman who ends up (literally and theoretically) at an archeological excavation site.

The film was later accepted into numerous festivals, including Sarajevo, São Paolo, and Kiev Molodist, and had its German premiere at Cottbus (along with 6 other Hungarian films).

Kornél Mundruczó, one of the most exciting directors in contemporary Hungarian film, was thrust yet again into the festival circuit in 2014 with White God – his symbolic portrayal of minority oppression in Hungary.

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The film scored big at the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes, where it received the Un Certain Regard Prize (and the Palm Dog, for its main animal character, Body). White God later made its way to Thessaloniki, Melbourne, Sarajevo, Tallinn, London, Hamburg, Cottbus, Seville, Busa, and Stockholm, just to name a few. People everywhere were clamoring to see the film’s rebellious animals. White God became the official Hungarian entry for the Academy Awards, which is a remarkable achievement. But the success didn’t stop there: in January 2015, the dogs of White God were released at Sundance, and North-American theatrical distribution is scheduled to start in March.

People are falling freely, but can’t seem to die, in Karlovy Vary György Pálfi, one of Hungary’s very finest directors, premiered his film Free Fall this year at a number of festivals. The film competed at Karlovy Vary where it won Best Director Award, the Special Jury Prize, and the Europa Cinemas Label Award. The success continued with festival invitations to Leeds, London, Luxembourg, Wroclaw, Austin Fantastic Fest, and Cottbus, where lead actress Piroska Molnár took home the award for Best Actress. New feature filmmaker Virág Zomborácz won over everyone’s heart with her film Afterlife. The film is about a boy who’s having some personal problems with his father’s ghost, who isn’t quite ready to rest in peace. The film got accepted into the East of the West competition in Karlovy Vary.

The film’s tour didn’t stop there, with festival appearances including Braunschweig, Calcutta, Tromsø, and Valladolid, where it won the Meeting Point section’s Best Film Award. Afterlife premiered in the US at Palm Springs earlier this year.

film – both making their debut in Canada. Gábor Fabricius’ short film The Skinner, funded by Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme, is about a tough bouncer who is forced to threaten others in order to save both his family and his own life.

Szabolcs Hajdu, no stranger to big festivals, was also in Canada to premiere his latest film Mirage in the Contemporary World Cinema section. The story pays homage to the Hungarian ‘Eastern’ genre, and it follows an ex-football player (played by Isaach De Bankolé) who gets caught up in the world of a slave-trading businessman in the middle of the Hungarian plains. After Toronto, Mirage got accepted to Tallinn, Stockholm, and Haifa, among others.

With both Symphony no. 42 and White God having been selected to Sundance (where Hungarian films are rarely seen), 2015 is already shaping up to be an impressive year for Hungarian cinema, and a strong slate of new films can keep the success going (check out the Coming Soon section for a breakdown of the latest films!).

Above is just a glimpse into our proudest moments, but there were many more Hungarian films that earned significant recognition last year: //

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HUNGARIAN ANIMATION – which celebrated it’s 100th birthday in 2014 – had a great year. Not only did Réka Bucsi’s Symphony No. 42 and Péter Vácz’ Rabbit and Deer screen at numerous festivals (to rave reviews, it should be mentioned), but other filmmakers got the chance to showcase their work. Hungary was the guest of honour at the 15th International Animation Film Festival in Hiroshima, where more than 250 (!) films were shown to an eager audience. Three films were even selected to the official competition. The selected films were Bálint Gelley’s Home, Dávid Ringeisen’s Paper World and Réka Bucsi’s Symphony No. 42. The latter film ended up winning the Hiroshima Prize at the festival.

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Before surprising everyone in Hungary in the Fall, Gábor Reisz’s debut feature For Some Inexplicable Reason burst onto the scene at Karlovy Vary.

The film, which takes place in Budapest, paints an endearing portrait of inner city youth who are stuck in a quarter-life crisis. While becoming a cult hit in Hungary, the film has also enjoyed an impressive world tour with stops at Luxembourg CinÉast, Palic, Cottbus, and Torino – the latter of which presented Reisz with 4 awards, including the Special Jury Award and the Audience Award.

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Sensitive bouncers and slave business on the Hungarian Puszta, in Toronto //

In September, the whole world turned its gaze to one of the most significant events in the film industry: the 39th Toronto International Film Festival. Hungarian film was represented by one short film and one feature

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Péter Vácz: Rabbit and the Deer (animated short film) – screened at more than 300 festivals (including Clermont-Ferrand) and won over 120 (!) awards, including in Nashville, Atlanta, and Arizona.

Simon Szabó: The Wall (short film) – EFA nominated at Tampere Dénes Nagy: Another Hungary (documentary feature) – debuted at Rotterdam Kristóf Kovács: Besence Open (documentary feature) – after IDFA (2013), the film screened at ZagrebDox, Cleveland, and Sarajevo, among others Ágnes Sós: Stream of Love (documentary feature) – after IDFA (2013), the film had a great run in 2014 (ZagrebDox, Trieste, Sarajevo, Thessaloniki, Toronto Hot Docs, Luxembourg CinÉast, Nashville etc.)

Gábor Hörcher: Drifter (documentary feature) emerged as the winner of the First Appearance section at IDFA 2014 Marcell Gerő: Cain’s Children (documentary feature) – premiered at San Sebastian International Film Festival 2014, and then IDFA, Jihlava, Zürich, Abu Dhabi, and Stockholm among others Lívia Gyarmathy: The Square (documentary feature) – debuted at Krakow Film Festival in May and then screened at Argentina’s 29th Mar del Plata Festival in November 2014 Eszter Hajdu: Judgment in Hungary (documentary feature) – after IDFA (2013), this hot-topic docu screened at festivals like Trieste, Wiesbaden, Krakow, Sarajevo, Vienna, Zagreb, One World Prague, and DokuFest Kosovo, winning multiple awards in the process Attila Szász: The Ambassador to Bern (feature) – premiered at the Montreal World Film Festival (winning the Bronze Zenith Award), and later won the Golden Oosikar at the Anchorage International Film Festival Bence Miklauzic: Car Park (feature) – screened at Valladolid Free Spirit Section and Warsaw International Film Festival 2014

by Janka Pozsonyi

What The Critics Say Festivals and audiences enjoyed Hungarian cinema in 2014. What about the critics? We browsed over the most relevant magazines looking for the opinions of accomplished film critics in regard to recent Hungarian films.

// Afterlife “A tender and surprising debut. […] Emerging as part of the second year of quality-over-quantity productions from the rebooted Hungarian National Film Fund, this distinctively shot, pleasingly stylized pic marks debuting Magyar femme helmer Virag Zomboracz as a talent to watch and should enjoy a healthy afterlife in international [festival] play.”

// White God

Alissa Simon, Variety

“Kornél Mundruczó's bizarre new film at Cannes is dedicated to the late Miklós Jancsó. Jancsó might well have enjoyed this startling and elusive parable. […] The film has a flair and a bite which I have found lacking in Mundruczó’s earlier films.”

Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

“The fifth feature film by the director of Johanna [...] is like a visionary tale [...] A call to a legitimate revolt, perfectly filmed by a filmmaker who has a precise voice in each of his films, no matter the genre, giving his work a definitive complexion. [...] A film for everybody – for the fans of Miklós Jancsó, and for those who enjoy eating popcorn in the cinema. “ Michel Cieutat, Positif

// The Ambassador to Bern “This tautly paced political thriller bears comparison to the films of Costa-Gavras. […] Running a brisk 76 minutes with not a moment wasted, The Ambassador to Bern, which has been reaping kudos on the festival circuit, well deserves a U.S. theatrical release.”

Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter

// For Some Inexplicable Reason “The story of a Budapest slacker pushing 30 who tries to make sense of life and love is a lovely cinematic doodle that makes up for its lack of technical perfection with occasional moments of emotional honesty and an adorkable sense of invention and humor.”

// Land of Storms

Boyd van Hoeij, The Hollywood Reporter

“Ádám Császi’s confidently directed gay love story boasts exceptional performances and evocative visuals. […] Boasting exceptional performances and evocative visuals, thanks to well-considered lensing paired with deep tonalities possible only on celluloid, “Land” barely puts a foot wrong. […] Császi’s trenchant drama of desire and homophobia deserves festival and arthouse attention.”

Jay Weissberg, Variety

// Free Fall “Palfi takes us into each of her neighbors’ apartments, revealing strange, darkly comedic and inevitably surreal glimpses into modern life – vignettes that defy interpretation and don’t necessarily appear to connect, yet offer undeniably wicked fun for festival and edgeseeking arthouse audiences.”

Peter Debruge, Variety

“A sensual film with equal parts tenderness and sadness that is forthright and unsentimental in its treatment of gay self-discovery. […] The film is emotionally and erotically charged yet free from melodrama, even when it moves inexorably toward the somewhat inevitable martyrdom of one of its characters. Driven by compelling internalized performances from its easy-on-the-eye leads, this is a steamy, stylish entry that will entice specialized gay distributors.”

David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

// Mirage “Hajdu makes the viewer do a lot of the work at filling in the gaps, sketching in the details and adding some element of interpretation to things that are merely hinted at on screen. It makes for a challenging film that may be too elusive for some tastes but it remains involving and stylish enough to make it worth the effort for others.”

Allan Hunter, ScreenDaily

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Hungarian Film Week in Pictures For one week in the Fall, film and television professionals and film lovers gathered in Budapest to celebrate Hungarian cinema. Hungarian Film Week was held at Cinema City MOM Park between the 13th and 19th of October.

The Hungarian National Film Fund and the Media Council of the National Media and Infocommunications Authority, with the participation of the newly formed Hungarian Film Academy, organized Hungarian Film Week.

On the opening night, spectators witnessed the newly restored and digitized version of The Exile (A tolonc), a silent film made in 1914. The picture was directed

by Michael Curtiz (who later went on to win an Academy Award for Casablanca) and starred the legendary stage icon Mari Jászai, whose only surviving film is The Exile.

A total of 26 feature-length fiction films, 105 documentaries, 87 short fictions, 36 nature and public interest docs, and 16 TV-movies were shown. The Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme supported 116 of these films.

The public was able to watch hit Hungarian movies from recent years, including films that premiered in Berlin, Cannes, Karlovy Vary, and Toronto. We celebrated the world premiere of No Man’s Island (directed by Ferenc Török) and the independently produced low-budget war drama Dear Elza (directed by Zoltán Füle).

On 16th October, the Hungarian Screenplay Market was held. Both aspiring and established writers submitted more than 250 scripts, and 8 writers were chosen to pitch their projects. Róbert Csaba Szabó ended up winning the grand prize for The Gang of the Puszta (A Pusztai banda), a 1950s story about a group of partisans set in Transylvania.

Photos by Csaba Fekete

From Tuesday to Sunday, nearly 20,000 film lovers attended the film week to watch the best and latest in Hungarian film.

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Our Guests About the Hungarian Film Week Kirill Razlogov Moscow Film Festival, program director

The renaissance of Hungarian Film Week is a sign of greater things to come. Hungarian cinema is not only alive, but it’s thriving and has a very bright future. A new generation of filmmakers are coming into the forefront of cinema, using new technologies to revive classic techiniques and reimagining the possibilities of Hungarian film.

The budding Hungarian film industry has the chance to blossom into a powerful force both domestically and abroad.

This very well organized film festival is important on many levels.

It’s important for the viewing audience, industry professionals, and especially for us – the selectors of international film festivals. It gives us a unique opportunity to see new Hungarian films, discover new talent, meet likeminded professionals, and spend valuable time in a friendly and creative atmosphere.

James Rice Edinburgh Film Festival

film critics, israel

Srinivasa Santhanam

Jadwiga Glowa Krakow Film Festival

For many years we've talked about Hungarian Film Week as the ideal model for promoting national cinema. It gives Magyar cinema positive exposure and allows guests to familiarize themselves not only with the films, but also with the people who make them. This is the best way to keep Hungarian cinema alive in the world's consciousness.

Most importantly, there are finally new films! I was not able to see everything in the short time I was there, but I did see a new beginning and new intentions. Even established directors, like Kornél Mundruczó, were looking for a new style and new meaning – and I considered his search a big success. (...) Among the newcomers, I consider Virág Zomborácz’ and her film Afterlife to be the best.

advisor / programmer for 12th Chennai iFF-2014, Curator: 45th intl Film Festival of india-2014

Moscow international Film Festival

Hungarian Film Week provides a valuable opportunity to survey the latest in Hungarian filmmaking across all genres, including feature films, documentary films, and short films. It’s a well organised event that offers a warm atmosphere and plenty of support for industry professionals.

My visit this year was enjoyable and productive, and I very much hope to attend the festival again in the future.

I admire the work of Hungarian documentary filmmakers because they dig deeper when examining current social and political issues, thereby testing the critical anylisis of the viewer.

Dan Fainaru, Edna Fainaru

Evgenia Tirdatova

Tomas Hucko film critic, slovakia

Happy to see the revival of Hungarian film week. Thanks for showcasing the latest films to festival selectors from outside of Hungary. This allows us to choose new films for festival exhibitions. Very well organized film week.

Finally, we again have the occasion – albeit a short one – to see most of the Hungarian films from the last year. This is very helpful for festivals.

Karin Fritzsche Festival of East European Cinema Cottbus

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They Want toTell Your Story, Too! A peek into today’s animation production scene in Hungary

Hungarian animation has experienced a sort of a boom in recent years. A great stream of young, upand-coming animation directors entered the international animation scene with remarkable debut films.

One of the most notable was Rabbit and Deer, directed

by Péter Vácz in 2013 – a professionally executed 15 minute film that tells the story of its two eponymous characters. There was also Réka Bucsi’s Golden Bear-nominated Symphony No. 42, which depicts a handful of grotesque scenes about the relationship between men and nature. The latter was among 10 finalists shortlisted for the Academy Awards in 2014.

The two aforementioned shorts were created as graduation film projects at the animation department of the MOHOLY-NAGY UNIVERSITY OF ART AND DESIGN BUDAPEST (MOME ANIM).

Many artistic animations produced today are developed at educational institutions around the world.

Now more than ever, universities are playing a role once reserved to animation studios: that is, the role of animation incubator. In Hungary – and indeed in the rest of Central Europe – this shift in animation production happened towards the end of the 00s.

The first Hungarian student animation to gain international acclaim was the brilliantly stylized yet engaging Life Line, which was one of the Cartoon d’Or finalists of 2007. The director, Tomek Ducki, has become one of the leading young independent animation artists in Europe. He has gone on to create visually stunning applied animations, including music videos for popular bands like Basement Jaxx from London.

While these fresh graduates have earned recognition for their independent film achievements, numerous film studios, both large and small, are starting to invest in this influx of young talent. Beyond the production of commercials, ID-films, and visual effects for feature films and music videos, newly developed TV-series have been launched in the last couple of years for a larger target audience.

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//

One of the most important elements of the training program of MOME ANIM (developed by its ambitious leader József Fülöp, animation director and producer) is the incubation of talent. Current students work with graduates of the program on commissioned animation projects, such as the launch of the TV-series Contemporary Children’s Poems and Singing.

//

Among the preschool and kindergarten demographic in Hungary, Berry and Dolly has been the most popular hit by KEDD STUDIO (run by Oscar-nominated Géza M. Tóth) for a number of years.

//

The long-established STUDIO KGB, which specializes in CGI, has been involved in the development of an amusing 3D series called Boxi, in which the little town of Foldville and all its inhabitants are made of boxes.

//

Targeting teenagers and young adults, The Adventures of Candide is a contemporary adaptation of Voltaire's satirical novel developed at POPFILM STUDIO. The bold character design and ecstatic 2D animation are conceived by a handful of recently graduated animation designers such as Zsuzsanna Kreif, Olivér Hegyi, and Nándor Bera.

//

Some of the most original and visually refreshing commissioned works come from the New York– Budapest-based UMBRELLA. Their philosophy is to tell a client’s story with the most compelling and innovative visuals. Among the company’s animation directors are numerous highly acclaimed young artists, such as László Csáki, Miklós Mendrei, Emil Goodman and Balázs Simon.

//

László Csáki’s specialty is the analogue stopmotion chalk animation. In his recent projects, he combined this traditional technique with digital compositing. This innovative approach gives a unique yet realistic touch to the highly stylized

Rabbit and Deer by Péter Vácz

Lifeline by Tomek Ducki

Boxi by Béla Klingl

Symphony No. 42 by Réka Bucsi

2D chalk visuals, which are used in both his applied work and his independent projects, such as the short noir tale My Name is Boffer Bings from 2012. //

Balázs Simon’s dreamlike CGI music video Re, created for Berlin-based composer Nils Frahm’s piano piece, was nominated for best animated video at the UK Music Video Awards 2014.

Hungarian animation looks back on a long tradition of high-end animation film making. Classic and computer-based 2D character animation is developed at the oldest existing Hungarian animation studio, KECSKEMÉTFILM. The experienced animation team at the studio worked on such recent Oscar-nominated features as The Secret of Kells, Chico & Rita, the Cézar-awarded Wolfy, the Incredible Secret.

by Anna Ida Orosz

If you are in need of a production partner or want to work with some of the most innovative and experienced animation teams in Hungary, here is a list of today’s top animation studios and digital media companies: ---------------------------------------------------------------------

CINEMON www.cinemon.hu DIGIC PICTURES www.digicpictures.com FOCUS FOX www.focusfox.hu GYÁR www.gyar.hu KECSKEMÉTFILM www.kecskemetfilm.hu KEDD www.kedd.net KGB www.kgbstudio.hu POPFILM www.popfilm.hu POST EDISON www.postedison.hu REANIMATION www.reanimationstudio.eu STUDIO BAESTARTS www.studiobaestarts.com UMBRELLA www.umbrella.tv ---------------------------------------------------------------------

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MOME Anim The Animation department at Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in Budapest (MOME) is one of the leading creative workshops and intellectual centres of animation in Europe. The school’s BA and MA programs in animation are defined by a curriculum that goes beyond basic education.

MOME Anim (anim.mome.hu, facebook/MOMEAnim) has earned worldwide acclaim in the past few years thanks to a number of amazing student films: Symphony No. 42, directed by Réka Bucsi, premiered in the short film competition of the Berlinale in 2014.

After claiming prizes at some of the most prominent international festivals, the film was shortlisted for the 2015 Oscars and made it competition program at the Sundance Film Festival.

Péter Vácz’s enchanting Rabbit and Deer (2012) has won well over one hundred awards and became the all-time favourite of many viewers around the world.

The 3D film Paper World (2013), created by Dávid Ringeisen and László Ruska, proved that social responsibility and a discerning eye are as necessary to filmmaking as the highest level of professional training. The short was made for the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) and won the Jury Award at the 2014 Siggraph – the leading Computer Animation Festival – and the Gold World Medal in the Student Film category at New York-based World’s Best TV & Film Festival.

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In addition to the success of the aforementioned fworks, dozens of films have been and will be made at MOME Anim, where students and tutors work together and carry on the tradition of Hungarian animation.

Other notable thesis films that have garnered international acclaim include: Ducki Tomek: Life Line (2007), Kati Glaser: FIN (2008), Bella Szederkényi: Ursula (2009), Tünde Molnár: I Am Simon (2009); Anna Wonhaz: At the Countryside (2010), Árpád Hermán: I Am Sorry (2011); Zsófi Tari: SzofitaLand (2009), Emil Goodman: Henry Waltz (2012), Bálint Gelley: Hearth, (2012), Panna Horváth-Molnár: Dipendenza (2012).

Reaching beyond education Production activities, talent management, and content development play key roles in student growth at MOME Anim. Research topics that examin contemporary issues related to animation – in regional, historical, or other contexts – are also necessary for the young filmmaker’s development.

MOME Anim also organises an animation film festival for the wider public called Kiskakas Animation Celebration (kiskakas.hu, facebook/KiskakasAnimationFilmDays), which presents the freshest and most innovative animation shorts from international partner schools, as well as the most recent thesis and workshop films created within the department.

The next Kiskakas takes place on 23-24 April 2015 with Japan as the Guest of Honour country.

Symphony No. 42.

Paperworld

The making of Rabbit and Deer

Living and working in an international environment In the past few years, MOME Anim has cooperated with a number of international film institutions.

Projects have been developed with the National Film and Television School and the Royal College of Art in England, Gobelins in France, The Animation Workshop in Denmark, Filmakademie Baden-Wüttemberg in Germany, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Designin in Israel, and CalArts in the United States, to mention a few.

An array of international training programs at MOME Anim – Animation Sans Frontiers (ASF), Adapting for Cinema (A4C), etc. – offer further possibilities for graduates. Young directors, for example, receive tools for networking, participate in the coproduction of projects, and gain exposure on the international scene, thus putting graduates on an early path to success.

FIN

project-based work. Typically, both individual and team projects are part of the training.

Thanks to the expansive international network of MOME Anim, students are also given the opportunity to spend 1-2 semesters abroad at animation and film schools around Europe, and also have the option to do their professional practice at international studios.

MOME’s Animation MA program (also offered in English) prepares animation and CGI artists, directors, and VFX experts for a career in both media and film.

Studying at MOME Anim

Through a wide range of content development projects, which form the core of the program, students can test the possibilities of both classic animation genres (short films, series) and contemporary genres (transmedia projects, 3D), while personal consulting and one-on-one mentorship are provided throughout the duration of the program.

MOME’s Animation BA program (available in Hungarian only) emphasizes the development of professional skills, theoretical knowledge, and personal style, all of which are essential for growth in the industry.

Participants of the program make a short film during their first year, allowing students to gain directorial experience while leading a film crew before making their thesis films.

Whether students use digital or analogue film, and whether they employ traditional or CGI techniques, students are expected to excel in the portrayal and development of movement and cinematic expression.

Learning the basic rules of storytelling, the authentic presentation of characters, animation production design, and background and character design are integral components of the learning process. These skills are acquired in the framework of hands-on and

The second year of the program is about developing a thesis project, with the topic and the genre being chosen by the students. Thanks to an agreement between MOME and the Hungarian National Film Fund, a separate budget is available for thesis films that are managed by MOME Anim and sent to festivals. Distribution and promotion are offered to the best projects.

by Natália Fábics

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FROM ANY OF THESE CATEGORIES?

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Find more info here: www.mnf.hu/en 24

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The 100 -Year-Old Man Who Filmed in Hungary In 2014, we saw the release of many films that were made in Hungary. Here are some success stories!

film of 2014 with 5.25 million viewers. Dany Boom’s comedy was partially filmed in Hungary.

The most notable is Sweden’s The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared.

Based on the bestselling novel, the comedy was released on Christmas 2013. It became a box office hit in Sweden with more than 1.5 million admissions, making it the highest grossing Swedish film of all time. Global success followed. The movie shot for 4 weeks in Hungary, with production services provided

by Proton Cinema.

Brett Ratner’s action-fantasy Hercules, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, earned $243 million at the global box office and was made entirely in Hungary.

In France, the comedy Superchondriac dominated the domestic box office and became the 2nd most-watched

In regard to TV, History Channel’s Houdini premiered in America on Labor Day with 3.7 million viewers, making it cable television’s most-watched miniseries debut of the year. Houdini was filmed for 45 days in Hungary at the end of 2013, with production services handled by Pioneer Pictures. Fun fact: not only was Harry Houdini born in Hungary, but so was lead actor Adrien Brody’s mother!

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Melissa McCarthy in Spy

2014: A Busy Year in Service Productions Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Jude Law, Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Michelle Yeoh, and Emily Mortimer were all guests in Hungary – a country that played a range of locations, including Paris, Canada, North Korea, and even the planet Mars.

Though the final 2014 numbers are yet to be announced, it is safe to say that it was our busiest year in terms of service productions.

Big players for Mid Atlantic Just like previous years, Mid Atlantic Films provided service productions for many big US studio movies.

The first was Spy, the action-comedy written and directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids). Starring Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, and Jude Law, the 20th Century Fox production had an 8-week shoot in Budapest, and the Hungarian capital played the role of both itself and a few other European cities. The film is set to be released in May.

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Next up was Spectral, a Universal/Legendary production starring Emily Mortimer, James Badge Dale, and Bruce Greenwood. The large-scale sci-fi action (described as ‘a supernatural Black Hawk Down’) filmed in Budapest from August to November .

The end of the year brought the start of two more big productions for Mid Atlantic Films. First, Ridley Scott and his crew invaded the soundstages of Korda Studios with The Martian. All of the NASA scenes and most of the Mars scenes are being filmed in Hungary until early March 2015, with some additional exteriors to be shot in Jordan. The film stars Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Sean Bean, Jeff Daniels, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

The Last Kingdom also started its principal photography in December of 2014. Made for BBC Two and BBC America, this Game Of Thrones-esque epic series stars Matthew Macfadyen, Rutger Hauer, Jason Flemyng, and Ian Hart. The story is set in the late 9th century, and all 8 episodes of the first season are being filmed in Hungary until May 2015.

Strike Back

Pioneer in action Pioneer was also very busy in 2014. The action series Strike Back returned to Hungary once again, this time for the final season (the US-UK production filmed two previous seasons in Hungary as well). Philip Winchester and Sullivan Stapleton returned as the heroes, and Malaysian superstar Michelle Yeoh joined the cast this year. Six episodes were filmed in Hungary, but the live sets were dressed up as a variety of locales. In fact, the country got to “play” the role of North Korea.

Pioneer did another TV-show in the summer and fall of 2014: X Company is a brand new WWII espionage series that was created by the team behind Flashpoint. All 8 episodes were filmed in Hungary, which was dressed up as Canada, France, and Germany.

We’ll know soon enough whether a follow-up season is ordered, as the show debuts the 18th of February on Canada’s CBC.

Some Northern Exposure Thanks to Proton Cinema, a large number of Scandinavian productions also came to Hungary. Norway made an appearance with Doctor Proctor's Time Tub, a sequel to the hit children movie (which was #2 at the Norwegian box office in 2014), and Birch Legs, a drama set in 13th century. Three Danish films were also filmed partially or entirely in Hungary: Ballon (a drama directed by Lisa Ohline), April 9th (a WWII drama directed by Roni Ezra), and Boy7 (a sci-fi action

film, to be released 19th February). The latter even had it’s post-production in Hungary.

A few other Hungarian companies also offered their productions services to projects from northern Europe.

Mythberg Films and I’m Film handled the production of the Dutch movie Public Works, while the Norwegian horror Villmark 2 was a production of PPM Film Services.

Genre Fares Speaking of horror movies, Extinction, starring Matthew Fox, filmed in Budapest in early 2014. The post-apocalyptic horror is the English-language debut of Spanish director Miguel Ángel Vivas (Kidnapped). The Hungarian production company was Laokoon Filmgroup.

Origo Film Group was busy working on the crime movie Anti-Social, a British-Hungarian co-production directed by Regg Travis. Meanwhile, Blue Danube Films handled Fallen, the teen fantasy directed by Scott Hicks (Shine, Hearts in Atlantis).

The sports drama The Tournament, directed by Elodie Namer, and the comedy The True Story of Robin Hood, directed by Anthony Marciano, also filmed in Hungary. The service production company for both French films was André Szőts Productions. The Polish dramedy Life Must Go On, starring Tomasz Kot, also filmed briefly in Budapest, with Filmfabriq handling the production.

by Janka Pozsonyi

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From Dragons to the Red Planet in Budapest A discussion with Adam Goodman, co-founder/managing director of Mid Atlantic Films

Eragon, Hellboy II, 47 Ronin, The Borgias, A Good Day to Die Hard, and Hercules are just a few of the high profile projects Mid Atlantic Films has been involved with since the company was formed 10 years ago by producers Adam Goodman and Howard Ellis.

Mid Atlantic Films is one of the leading production service companies in Hungary, and is currently working on Ridley Scott’s The Martian for 20th Century Fox, as well as a TV series for NBC Universal called The Last Kingdom. They are also prepping for 20th Century Fox TV’s new series Tyrant and Sony’s new thriller Inferno, starring Tom Hanks. We sat down with the co-founder and Managing Director of the company, Adam Goodman.

Eragon was made 10 years ago – it was your first project in Hungary as Mid Atlantic Films, right?

Yes that is correct. I had been approached to Co-Produce Eragon, but my partner Howard Ellis and I had been talking about opening a production company for some time. So we approached 20th Century Fox with the idea of me running the physical production and Howard running the production services. Fox agreed, and just like that, Mid Atlantic came into existence.

What is the division of labour between your partner Howard Ellis and you?

To some degree the division of labour between Howard and me is organic. Howard will get a call about a project and follow through on the budget and location development, and I do the same when I get project enquiries.

Also, about a year ago, we brought in Gergő Balika as a third member of the team. Gergő had been a highly respected Production Manager for many years and is now our Head Of Production. He’s the one who makes sure that Howard and I are sane and organised!

Which country represents the biggest competition for Hungary in the region now?

In terms of striking the right balance between skill base and cost, Hungary is hard to beat. Especially since the Hungarian tax rebate was recently increased from 20% to 25%, which is an effective 31.25% yield on all local Hungarian expenditure. Still, despite the higher salaries and infrastructure costs, the UK always represents strong competition for certain projects, given their particularly advantageous tax rebate. There’s also Romania, which continues to

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47 Ronin

Eragon Hellboy II.

work on a variety of shows; but in the end, we don’t tend to compete for the same shows.

How do you see Hungary’s situation now that the tax rebate was raised last year?

Although the increase in the tax rebate has improved the financial incentive to film in Hungary, most of the projects we’ll work on this year were confirmed before the increase was announced. What this tells us is that Hungary’s skill base, infrastructure, and cost were already enticing to foreign filmmakers. In short, a great model only got better!

2014 must have been a very busy year for you with Spy, Spectral, The Martian and The Lost Kingdom – all four being large-scale productions.

Spy was a particularly interesting project because it was one of the few films that we worked on that used Budapest as its actual location, as opposed to making Budapest look like Paris, Berlin, Moscow, etc. Spectral is a science-fiction/thriller for Legendary Pictures that we shot at Origo Studios and on location in and around Budapest. The film was a big challenge from a location perspective since several scenes required

A Good Day to Die Hard

a war-torn appearance, involving large amounts of rubble and debris. Not always easy to find in a city as picturesque as Budapest! Ridley Scott’s The Martian started principal photo-graphy in 2014 and will wrap in March this year. We have primarily been shooting on stage at Korda Studios, but have also had some Budapest city locations. In 2014 we also began production on the first season of a UK TV-series called The Last Kingdom for Carnival/NBC Universal.

Regarding upcoming productions: the press already wrote about Ron Howard’s Inferno, starring Tom Hanks – anything else you can share?

The majority of the film will be shot on stage at ORIGO Studios and on location in Budapest, with some filming in Florence.

What was your most challenging and most rewarding project of this past ten years?

It was probably Good Day to Die Hard for both!

The scale and complexity of what we did on the streets of Budapest was both challenging and rewarding at the same time.

by Csaba Rusznyák

The Borgias Robin Hood

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From

Berlin to Berlin Last year's Berlinale was a launching pad for many talented Hungarian filmmakers.

Who are they? Where do they come from?

Who are this year’s stars?

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Photo by Sándor Fegyverneky

The Year of the Fox A Portrait of Réka Bucsi, Animation Director

If Hungarian film enthusiasts and people in the industry had to choose one name and one film from Hungary that scored the biggest last year, Réka Bucsi and her wonderfully grotesque Symphony No. 42 would definitely be in everyone’s top 3. Réka’s road to success – from her childhood in a small German town to one of the most prestigious art universities in Hungary – led her all the way to nearly earning an Oscar nomination and got her a prestigious place in the shorts competition at the Sundance Film Festival this January.

Despite Réka’s rapid rise to fame and worldwide recognition, she continues to live her normal yet hectic life. Just the way she likes it, she’d remind you. Réka’s also managed to stay focused and true to herself.

“I’m devoted to a desultory lifestyle, probably because I’ve only made short films up to this point. Symphony No. 42 was a student film, so I didn’t have a big crew to oversee. I also wasn’t encumbered by many of the restraints and traditional working methods common on big production sets. I got to return to the basics, over and over again. I like giving myself that level freedom.”

As a student at Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (one of the most reputable art universities in Hungary), she started to make short animation films as school assignments. In her earliest short films, Réka dealt with hungry mimes in Mime Appétit, little creatures dancing on razor blades in a film titled (surprisingly) He Dances on a Razor Blade, and members of the animal kingdom in the wonderfully designed Symphony No. 42. Her signature, one could say, is the depiction of animals acting like people and people acting like animals.

The success of Symphony No. 42 started at the 64th Berlin Film Festival – exactly one year ago – when the film was in the running for the Golden Bear. The short consists of 47 shorter scenes, each of which are connected through the relationship between humans and animals, which was an intentional move away from more classical narratives. The motives, the characters, and the sounds are the elements that link the disparate scenes together. In fact, the grotesque depiction of

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both humans and animals is what’s most entertaining about Symphony No. 42. The audience laughed after the very first scene, which involved a shockingly suicidal fox. This was a strange reaction for Réka.

According to her, she wasn’t initially expecting laughter. “I didn’t intend for Symphony to be funny at all.

Honestly, I was quite surprised by all the laughter, because Symphony usually makes me sad, even though there’s an inherent sarcasm throughout the film.”

As far as visual inspiration goes, she doesn’t really like to rely on anything in particular. “I’m not a ‘choose your favourite’ kind of person. I don’t have favourite artists or authors. Of course there are some basic films that inspire every filmmaker, like the films of Stanley Kubrick. But when I start creating a visual world, I think it’s best to avoid looking at a lot of other visual material. After a while, those visuals get kind of mixed together with my work. I like to separate myself from what’s happening around me during the filmmaking process. But I follow a lot of animators in a variety of platforms. I especially like Japanese animation, and anything else that’s bold and free from stereotypes.”

The crown jewel of Symphony’s festival tour was a shortlisting at the Oscars. But, perhaps unsurprisingly, Réka kept her cool throughout the whole process – from the very beginning all the way to when she learned that she wouldn’t be travelling to Los Angeles for the ceremony. Missing out on the prestigious nomination didn’t sour her mood. “I feel really good right now. At least I don’t feel any different than before. I waited for the outcome, not really the nomination itself. I just wanted to know whether or not the film was chosen. It was obviously an exciting day, but the whole thing consumed my every thought, and the distraction started to bother me after a while. So I was relieved more than anything when I found out. I didn’t really expect to be chosen, so I wasn’t sad. It turned out to be a really fun day with great people around me for support.”

Réka is currently in Denmark working on her newest project, which is called Love. “I don’t normally talk about it, because it’s still in the early phases of development. It’s going to be a sci-fi animation. At the

moment I’m busy trying to secure funding from different grant programs.” On January 7th, Réka tweeted some really good news: Love received Hungarian funding from the Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme.

But Réka has one more important stop to make before concentrating on her work in Denmark: the Sundance Film Festival, one of the most important independent film festivals in the world. It’s a great way to end a remarkable journey. “I keep getting invitations to different parties, receptions, brunches and Q&As. It’s crazy. These 10 days are going to go by very quickly, but I plan on taking it all in. I really hope that I have time to watch some films while I’m there. I’m also really looking forward to meeting the other nominees in my category. I look up to a lot of them. Actually, getting selected to Sundance was really surprising for

me, because my film has been out for a year now.

Films are often premiered at Sundance, so most of the other nominees are just starting out. They’re the ones who will get on next year’s Oscar shortlist.”

As for the future, she can’t really say what’s in store for her. She’s constantly working on something, whether it’s her newest film or another exciting new project from overseas. “I can’t say what the future holds. I don’t usually plan beyond 1-2 years. I don’t know if I will work from Hungary or some other country. My main goal now is to finish my newest short, and after that I want to be a part of an inspiring group while working on a demanding project.

The most important thing for me is to work on diverse and challenging projects.”

by Janka Pozsonyi

Stills from Symphony No. 42

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Photo by Bence Szemerey

The Young Man with a Movie Camera A Portrait of Cinematographer Marcell Rév

Marcell Rév had a year to remember in 2014.

As a cinematographer, he made two feature films: Land of Storms and White God. Both films premiered at acclaimed international film festivals. Marcell is now focused on two unusual projects: Balaton Method is a feature-length creative music documentary, and Szezonbűnözők is a crazy, experimental horror from the Buharov brothers. We caught up with the young cinematographer right after his 30th birthday and just before he set off for Salt Lake City for the Sundance screenings of White God. “It didn’t feel like a turning point,” Marcell Rév told us about his 30th birthday. “Turning 20 was much harder – not to be a teenager anymore was awful. Even though I’ve hit 30, I still feel young, probably because most of my friends are from the university. I belong to them.”

While Marcell did, in fact, make two feature films last year, he still doesn’t consider himself an established filmmaker. “It was a good start, but I have to keep it going. There are no exact moments in the filmmaking process when you feel like something has changed.

Making a feature film consumes two years of your life, from pre-production to festival screenings.

But you can’t see it as a sudden, once-in-a-lifetime moment. Especially when you begin working on a project and you’re not even sure whether or not it will fully materialize.”

Land of Storms and White God may be similar in theme, but in style they could not be more different.

The first is a slow, organic portrait of a gay love triangle; the latter is a utopian horror story with 200 dogs.

But the cinematographer’s work is always the same.

“The two directors, Ádám Császi and Kornél Mundruczó, are both very analytical people. Image and style are very important to them, so we had great conversations from the very beginning. Actually, besides the actual filmmaking on set, I enjoy this part of the filmmaking process the most. In pre-production you can think of anything. There are no limits, because anything is possible. We collect books, films, paintings, photos, we visit exhibitions, we watch films together to discuss their style and world. It is a very inspiring period.” When I asked Marcell what inspires

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Still from Land of Storms

him, he grabbed his phone and opened his notes.

“I always collect input with others, because you can’t always create by projecting ideas – you also have to take things in and absorb ideas. I have a few sources of inspiration that I can always rely on. I know many cinematographers who are more analytical than me.

They grab a piece of paper, write down all their tools and ideas and then draw them out one-by-one to get a sense of style. On a piece of paper! I am not like that at all. I have to have a vision that inspires the whole work afterwords. You obviously don’t want to copy somebody else’s style; you just collect ideas, impressions, feelings.”

He has made several short films with his university friends. But for his first feature film, he faced a new challenge: unfamiliarity. He had never worked with Kornél Mundruczó or Ádám Császi before. “For a cinematographer, the people you work with on a project are the most important aspect of filmmaking.

In Europe, the director usually has his own vision about his movie, so the cinematographer has to execute whatever that vision may be. The relationship between the director and cinematographer is crucial –

we have to understand each other perfectly. At its core, filmmaking is an art; but my job is more of a profession.”

Working with a director who has a specific vision is always easy for Marcell. He’s had the luxury of working with many directors who have known precisely what they wanted to see from him. “Artistic freedom does not mean you can do whatever you want, or that the cinematogrpaher has to visualize the whole film by himself. On the contrary, artistic freedom comes from the director and cinematographer knowing exactly what they want to do. That’s only possible with a mutual understanding and clear vision.

If a high level of symbiosis is achieved, you can work freely and it becomes a lot harder to mess things up.”

reshoot it. We jokingly said, “Hey, it’s not for Cannes, right? Who cares?” We had a laugh about it when we were in Cannes on the red carpet.”

Funny to think that soon after our conversation, Marcell travelled to Salt Lake City with the crew from White God. It was a momentous trip, as no Hungarian film had ever made it to Sundance.

Marcell is also working on a musical project with his friend and fellow filmmaker Bálint Szimler called Kodály Method. While Marcell had previously directed some music videos for a few of his musician friends, this project is much more significant for him.

“We live by two absolute rules on this project: we always create the film together, and we record the sound live. Of course, this means that we have to film the video in one take. I don’t like to make my job harder, but it’s the only way it can stay true.

We are currently working on a feature-length version of this project.

We have been making music videos around Lake Balaton for six months now. It’s called The Balaton Method

Marcell Rév’s films not to miss: // // // // // // //

Balaton Method (dir: Bálint Szimler) a musical journey around Lake Balaton Land of Storms (dir: Ádám Császi) a rural vision of the first true love between three boys White God (dir: Kornél Mundruczó) the horror of dogs vs. humans Meanwhile in Budapest (omnibus film) short films about the Hungarian capital jp.co.de (dir: Péter Fancsikai) an experimental theatre project on film On a Lower Level (dir: Gábor Reisz) a heartwarming short film about growing up Here I Am (dir: Bálint Szimler) the most successful short film in Hungary in years, shot in black-and-white

Marcell worked on some very difficult and complex projects last year. In Land of Storms, there were several intimate sex scenes. It’s times like these when the cinematographer has to be thoughtful and sensitive behind the camera. In White God, they had to deal with the chaos of having 200 dogs on set, so there were many rehearsals with the dogs and the camera.

Land of Storms opened at the Berlinale and White God was a great success at Cannes – a festival not unknown to Marcell. When Marcell was still at university, he worked on Here I Am with director Bálint Szimler. Their third year student film was selected for the short film section at the Cinéfondation. “I remember making the movie as a sort of school homework project. At one point, we shot a take that was out of focus and we couldn’t

Stills from White God

and it opens on the 6th of March in Hungary. I’m really excited about it.” The film does not have a narrative story, but the style is unique in each episode. According to Marcell, it’s similar to a Jim Jarmusch film, but instead of coffee and cigarettes, there’s music.

The Buharov film he’s also working on is an experiment on S16 analogue material, which is a very refreshing and liberating experience for him. “There is no script for the film, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t know what to shoot. We have the camera and two lights and we improvise a lot. I can imagine Dziga Vertov working like that in Man with a Movie Camera. It’s a real treat, I have to admit.”

by Anita Libor

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Photo by Pauli Haanpää

The PitchPerfect Story of Being a Woman Interview with director Cristina Grosan

The Romanian-born and Hungary-based director Cristina Grosan will represent both of her beloved countries this year at Script Station with her screenplay A Coat of Gold. It’s a story about a woman who is diagnosed with cancer and tries to defeat it her own way. The film already won the Best Pitch Award in Cottbus last year. We asked about her experiences and expectations at developing workshops like Script Station, and of course we also wanted to hear some details about her promising story.

How did you apply to Script Station?

The application itself was very simple. One has to go through the Berlinale Talents general application to make it to the special labs. But I was only interested in Script Station.

When I first attended the Berlinale Talents 5 years ago, I was fresh out of school. It was the first time that I surveyed the international film scene to see what was going on. I had no idea who was who, and I had no expectations and no agenda. It turned out to be a great reality check. I got to see what other people my age were doing and how they approached filmmaking and working with each other.

What happens during development workshop like this one? What’s the procedure?

A mentor starts by dissecting your project objectively.

They point out all the things that you knew didn’t work; but more importantly, they point out the flaws you suspected were there and didn’t want to admit.

A good mentor can be a real blessing.

The workshops I’ve attended are really quite similar overall. First day: orientation. Second day: get to work and have your script torn apart during feedback sessions. Third day (morning): sit at a table in solitude, depressed, pensive, cup of coffee in hand, questioning everything. Third day (evening): pull yourself together and get back to work. If everything goes well, this kind of beating and introspection fuels you with the energy to go home and write a better draft with more confidence.

One of my best sessions was at the European Short Pitch in 2014 when Razvan Radulescu was our mentor.

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To me, he’s one of the most decisive figures in the Romanian New Wave. We studied his films in school, so when we got to work with him, I could hardly utter a word without saying it five times in my head.

Fortunately, screenwriter Anna Gát worked with me on my project. She wasn't as much of a groupie, so she was less distracted and more determined to kickstart our sessions. She was really great.

The session was wonderful because the group created a positive dynamic. We took turns offering feedback to each other and we relied on each other. On top of that, Razvan was great at pinpointing the holes in our story. His creative input and suggestions not only fixed story holes, but they also greatly improved the story’s general flow. So this is what I expect from my sessions in Berlin, but on a 95-page scale.

A Coat of Gold is about a strong-willed woman who finds out out she has cancer, but when the system fails her, she takes treatment into her own hands.

How did you come up with the story?

I come from a long line of women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. I was taught that illness is something we should fear and never question. That bothers me. It’s like I was born right under

For the visual/mood concept of the film, you used other film titles to describe it.

Do you always use this technique?

Not really. We had another deadline and Dora Nedeczky, my producer, was pressuring me to write the visual concept of the film. I was procrastinating quite successfully, but there are only so many places I can hide. So at 4 o’clock in the morning, I picked up my phone to write Dora an excuse when I suddenly had a flash of a scene from our film.

The easiest way to convey what I was imagining was to compare it to something else. I thought it was cheesy at first, but it really describes what the film should be like. It’s important to understand that I’m not making a depressing story about a fight with cancer. It’s an intimate portrait of a woman and her body. And it has very absurd and funny scenes in this selfexploration.

Dora Nedeczky, producer and Cristina Grosan

Photo by Bence Szemerey

Still from Holiday at the Seadise

the guillotine. So I’m writing this screenplay as an exorcism of my fear. Let’s talk about bodies and breasts and what illness can do to them. But let’s also talk about how absurd the medical system is, and how funny life can be sometimes. Or how all of a sudden, everyone knows best and you become this little kid who has to open your mouth and swallow the carrot puree. But this film isn’t about cancer. Illness is a metaphor. It can be anything, like the passing of time, growing old, letting go of what you think you are on the outside.

Is it going to be in Hungarian or Romanian?

I was born and raised in Romania, but I finished my studies in Budapest. I feel like I became a ‘real’ adult in Budapest because I started working there. My producer also works in Hungary, so it’s definitely a Hungarian film. I still find myself longing for a certain Romanian element in my projects. I will probably find a way to add that at some point.

We’re getting ready to shoot Opening, a film that won a post-production award at the Transylvanian Film Festival. We’ll have a big part of our crew and post-production based in Bucharest, and I hope that we have a similar setup during the production of A Coat of Gold.

Have you applied for the Hungarian Film Fund’s help before?

After the Script Station’s intense development process, I’ll get back to work and have a 2nd draft completed.

This will be our first attempt to say, “Hi, we’re here!’ to the Hungarian Film Fund. So we want to present a version that we’re satisfied with.

How is this story connected to your earlier short films?

It deals with the same subject of womanhood. It wants to explore the reality of a woman dealing with her body, which was also the case in Holiday on the Seaside, except that was from a child’s perspective. My next short film is going to be about that as well, but from the perspective of a transgendered woman.

What’s the situation with that film?

Oh, don’t even ask. Everything is ready, but we’re dealing with a topic that seems to be the nightmare of every film fund. It’s about transgender people and the always-tricky subject of sex-chat. We’re thinking about drawing up a crowd funding campaign. We don’t want to wait for funds anymore, because we need to tell this story here and now.

Have you seen any Hungarian films you really liked this year?

I liked a lot of things, but what I’m really happy about is the success of first time filmmakers Gábor Reisz (For Some Inexplicable Reason), Virág Zomborácz (Afterlife), and Yvonne Kerékgyártó (Free Entry). All three of them fought passionately for their films all the way up to the point when they finally made it to the big screen. I really hope that the success of new filmmakers carries into 2015.

by Janka Pozsonyi

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High Expectations for High Dive Photo by Marcell Rév

Ádám Császi Participates at the Co-Production Market

Director Ádám Császi, discovered at last year’s Berlinale Panorama with his debut feature Land of Storms, is back in Berlin to participate in the CoProduction Market. His new film, a drama about family titled High Dive, takes an unexpected twist as vicious events from the past come to the surface. Ádám Császi’s 2014 Berlinale Panorama selected debut film Land of Storms was praised by critics and earned the respect of many festival visitors for its courage to talk openly about homosexuality. It told a familiar story in a deep and sensitive way, and Variety wrote that there were “performances worthy of awards”. The Hollywood Reporter noted that Császi and co-writer Iván Szabó “lend soulfulness and seriousness to the characters... in addition to refreshingly frank treatment of their physical relationships”.

expect in a horror,” said Ádám. “It was very important to me to fuse different genres, but the goal was to create what is, at its core, a psychological drama about family. Realizing that the people who love you can also lie to you and hurt you is a visceral shock.”

High Dive proposes the question: How is it possible to face the sins of the past if facing them leads to more sins?

The story will take place in an industrial city in Hungary. While Ádám’s first film Land of Storms was influenced by real events and focused on the fringes of society, High Dive is completely fictional and will focus on the fringes of the mind.

This year Ádám is back with a new project titled High Dive. The film – still just a script – is already drawing attention as one of the 36 film projects chosen to be presented at the Berlinale Co-Production Market.

Producer András Muhi (producer of the Silver Bear winning Just the Wind) said, “The Berlin Market is one of the most important production events in the world.

To be there with our project is such an honour, and I’m hopeful that we can find co-production partners while we’re there”.

High Dive is about a girl who uncovers secrets hidden by her father and stepmother and decides to take revenge. “It’s a drama, told as a thriller, but it has some bloody and violent scenes as well, which one might

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Photo by Bence Szemerey

The film was widely discussed in the German press both during and after the Berlinale. The timing was particularly relevant, as a local soccer player had come out as gay only a few days prior to the world premiere.

Land of Storms was already released in Germany and will be released in as many as seven important markets, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Spain. The hit film was invited to more than 20 festivals around the world in 2014 – from Guadalajara to Taipei – and was selected in the competition of the 20th Annual Sarajevo Film Festival and won the Special Jury Prize at the 2014 Taipei Film Festival.

Script writer Iván Szabó, director Ádám Császi and DOP Marcell Rév filming Land of Storms

The High Dive script was already selected for the Holland Film Meeting in Utrecht, where great interest was expressed in the project. Now in Berlin, Ádám is looking for more feedback: what does the industry think about the script? How will it hold up to international critique?

The budget is set at €1.6 million, part of which has already been financed by the Hungarian National Film Fund for script-writing development. Shooting will take place this summer in Hungary.

by Nándor Tóth

Still from Land of Storms

Hungarian Film Production is in Better Shape Now An Interview with Producer Károly Fehér

Károly Fehér had barely finished producing his first feature-length film when he began working on a new horror movie. He was recently invited – along with his latest project – to EAVE’s Producers’ workshop.

We talked with Károly about his upcoming projects and the current state of Hungarian film production.

How did your film career start and what was your first job as a producer?

The first feature film that I was lucky enough to be part of was a significant movie. It was Géza Bereményi’s European Film Award winning piece

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The Midas Touch (Eldorádó). I have since worked on several films in various positions, but my first time producing was in Gábor Rohonyi’s Konyec. It was actually Mónika Mécs who asked me to be the executive producer on the film. I have since produced several thesis films at the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest, as well as shorts.

Which of your films are you most proud of as a producer?

Lili Horváth’s The Wednesday Child. It was my first independent work as a producer, not to mention Lili’s

debut feature film. It was also one of the first projects to get support from the new Hungarian Film Fund and one of the first filmed as a Hungarian-German coproduction. It’s essentially a drama. It touches on serious social problems while following the life of Maja, a 19-year-old girl who grew up in an orphanage.

She hopes to become a productive member of society in a small town near Budapest and tries to create the necessary conditions to get custody of her five year old son. Existential struggles follow her on her journey to motherhood.

After finishing production of The Wednesday Child, you immediately moved on to a new project, which earned you an invitation to the EAVE Producers’ Workshop. What opportunities does EAVE have to offer?

EAVE, which is actually sponsored by the EU, provides training and development support for producers. Each year, they invite 50 candidates based on applications and project ideas. I applied with a socio-horror project called The Estate, and I was given the opportunity to take part in the workshop. The script is being written

by Balázs Lovas, and Péter Fazakas will direct.

How can EAVE contribute to the development of this film?

The program consists of three one-week-long workshops, where the participants are divided into groups of 8-10. During the first week, with the help of a project leader, we will focus on developing our script.

After that, we move on to production, looking for coproduction and financing opportunities in the process.

Finally, we discuss the marketing and distribution aspects. The workshop closes with a pitch, during which I will present our project in front of an international jury composed of 50-60 producers, sales agents and distributors. This is an excellent opportunity to

develop our project, meet potential co-production partners, and perhaps find an international sales partner.

After working in such a complex co-production, what’s your opinion on Hungarian film production?

Since the foundation of the Hungarian Film Fund, I’d say that overall film production is at a better place than in previous years. The application process and funding system work, evidenced by the production of several internationally acclaimed films. There are disagreements and an occasional clash of opinions between producers and Hungarian Film Fund executives, which can be expected in this line of work.

But we are constantly working together to resolve our differences and find common ground.

However, creating films is just the first part of the story, it is also important to find the audience for them. What’s your take on Hungarian film distribution?

I’m not the most experienced producer when it comes to distribution, but it’s clear that, in general, traditional methods of distribution can hinder success. I don’t think that ticket sales always reflect the true value of a given film. There are, of course, some promising examples among artistic films (White God, For Some Inexplicable Reason) and genre movies as well (What Ever Happened to Timi, Coming Out, Swing), but these are exceptions to the rule. I strongly believe that by using more modern and effective methods, such as opportunities online and creating distribution strategies that focus on a movie’s unique qualities, we can really advance the popularity of Hungarian film.

by Nándor Tóth photo by Bence Szemerey

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Coming Soon Many significant Hungarian films are coming in 2015. This is where you can learn about all of them – new faces, familiar names and brave topics.

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Home Guards (Veszettek) A mysterious yet charismatic leader has a big impact on two boys living in poor circumstances. Inspired to make a change, the boys join a vigilante task force to combat a surging crime rate in their town. But soon after they join, the boys realize that it’s not so easy deciding who’s guilty and who’s innocent. Even the best-laid plans can easily backfire when using violence to right a wrong.

Home Guards is a dramatic story filled with thrilling action scenes that reflect on many of today’s most relevant societal issues.

“This film is an adaptation of a Hungarian novel written by Bernát László Czető.

The topic of the novel touches on very relevant subject matter – not just relating to Hungary, but to all of Europe. Director Krisztina Goda says that she wants people to think critically while watching the film. Her hope is that the sensitive subject matter covered in the film will elicit a serious debate amongst viewers.

In regard to prodution schedule, additional work on the film is currently being finalized. A sample screening is planned in the near future to help with the editing process, and once that is completed, the crew will begin work on the sound editing and the color timing.” – Krisztina Goda

DIRECTOR: Krisztina Goda DOP: Tamás Babos MAIN CAST: Attila Vidnyánszky Jr., Viktor Klem, Iván Fenyő PRODUCED BY: Gábor Kálomista CONTACT: megafilm@megafilm.hu The film was supported by the Hungarian National Film Fund and produced by Megafilm.

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Home Guards wasn’t the only movie in Hungary to touch on hot topics. Bence Fliegauf’s Silver Bearwinning Just the Wind is probably the most notable other example, and Eszter Hajdu’s shocking documentary Judgement in Hungary also attracted well-deserved attention. Besides these important feature-length films, a new short documentary also awaits its closeup. Better Future, much like Goda’s film, portrays the culture of radicalized youth.

It intimately tells the story of a young supporter of Jobbik, the Hungarian radical right-wing party.

Directed by Ambrus Fatér (sophomore student at University of Theatre and Film Arts), the film is currently in post-production.

Photo by László Seregi

Fever at Dawn (Hajnali láz) This film follows a love story that begins in the unlikeliest of circumstances. between two long-suffering people who had survived the Holocaust’s fiery pits of hell. Their love shall overcome numerous obstacles, eventually death itself. The story takes places in the Swedish rehabilitation camps during the fall and winter of 1945.

“The film begins where most others end. It’s a film about the Holocaust without the Holocaust itself. The story is a recounting of the love story between my parents, so it’s really close to me on a personal level. Their letters and vivid memories form the foundation of the film. The two characters are trying to recapture the life they lived before the Holocaust, which was a time of peace and happiness. But their latent anxiety and sense of panic often boils over at unexpected moments. They can’t really explain their psychological breakdowns and emotional outbursts, and their inability to comprehend what’s happening to them is what triggers most of the conflict. The structure is a contrast between their tranquil environment in Sweden and their passion for each other.

A church, a cinema, a pastry shop, a boat deck, a canteen, a dance floor. Barracks, hospital corridors, rail coupes, stations, mugs, pans, medical charts, bathtubs, confectionery, thermometers, pencils, ambulances, church pews, X-ray equipment, cigarette cases... The conclusion of their love and hopefully the main message of the film is that people have the ability survive the deepest layers of Hell.” – Péter Gárdos

DIRECTOR: Péter Gárdos DOP: László Seregi MAIN CAST: Emőke Piti, Milán Schruff, Gila Almagor (Israel) PRODUCED BY: Dénes Szekeres, Tivoli Film-Plusz Kft., FocusFox Kft., Christer Nilson, GötaFilm International AB, Miriam Zachar, Miki Zachar Productions Ltd. CONTACT: d.szekeres@tivolifolm.hu The film was supported by the Hungarian National Film Fund, MEDIA Programme of the European Union, Swedish Film Institute, Stockholm, Filmpool Nord, Luleå, Gotlands Filmfond via Filmregion Stockholm Mälardalen, Swedish Television, Stockholm and the Jerusalem Film & Television Fund.

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Lily Lane (Liliom ösvény) Rebeka has been living alone for a while, and it’s during this time that she meets her son Dani. The two of them share a life full of grand secrets and magical tales. Soon, Rebeka’s mother dies and she is forced to face her past, looking up her father and going back to her childhoom home – the place where her mother died. Tale by tale, Rebeka reveals her past to her son. Her memories soon turn into demons, but Rebeka and Dani don’t turn back. They meet the demons head on – embracing them, riding them, and using them to move forward.

“The film is like walking in the woods. It’s peaceful at first, but then the sun starts to set and everything around us becomes more threatening. We hurry to get out of the forest, but something is drawing us inside, towards the darkness. We can’t resist, so we give up and hope for dawn to come. Lily Lane is dealing with a lot of subjects: the unfathomable and mysterious relationship between a parent and her child, the reunion of a broken family, and PTSD. These subjects greatly interest me, and are what ultimately drive the film. I hope that I share those interests with others.

We are in the final phase of editing and are close to finishing the visuals. The test screenings will start in the next few weeks. The first round is reserved for co-workers and friends. Lily Lane is based on montage, made with mixed technology, so I was thrust into a whole new world of editing techniques – ones I didn’t even know existed.

It was a pleasure to work on this film”. – Bence Fliegauf

DIRECTOR: Bence Fliegauf DOP: Zoltán Lovasi MAIN CAST: Bálint Sótonyi, Angéla Stefanovics, Miklós Székely B. PRODUCED BY: Ernő Mesterházy and Bence Fliegauf CONTACT: fliegauf@gmail.com The film was supported by the Hungarian National Film Fund and produced

by Hímpor Film Kft.

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Loop (Hurok) Loop, as its name suggests, is structured to constantly move forward, yet manages to always return to the same point. The film grows out of a simple love story and keeps the audience thinking in a loop – about what comes next, or what comes again.

In this Möbius strip-like thriller, the concept of beginnings and endings quickly loses all meaning.

Adam is presented with a series of opportunities to correct his previous mistakes; but a new opportunity does not necessarily mean a clean slate. As Adam deals with his determined pursuers and battles on, he is forced to face the complicated repercussions of his past decisions.

“I am confident that we will succeed in constructing a real – yet extraordinary – world in which our story not only works, but is completely plausible. Like the unbroken structure of the Möbius strip, we have to move certain scenes forward without cutting them to create a feeling of continuous movement, while somehow managing to take the story back to the same point over and over. Avoiding cuts at certain points in the story will make it all the more believable, but it will still be surreal – and this is very important in a film like this.” – Isti Madarász

DIRECTOR: Isti Madarász DOP: András Nagy MAIN CAST: Dénes Száraz, Dorina Martinovics PRODUCED BY: Tamás Hutlassa CONTACT: hutlassa.tamas@cafefilm.hu The film was supported by the Hungarian National Film Fund and was produced

by Café Film.

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Son of Saul (Saul fia) This film follows two days in the life of Saul Auslander – a Hungarian prisoner working as a member of the Sonderkommando at one of the Auschwitz Crematoriums.

Saul has to bury the corpse of a boy he never knew, but instead of burying the body, Saul posthumously adopts the boy as his son and tries the impossible: salvage the boy’s body and find a rabbi to give him a proper burial. Meanwhile, the Sonderkommando is on the verge of liquidation, and the others in the camp are planning a rebellion. Saul dismisses their plans of rebellion and works to save the remains of a boy that Saul never knew when he was alive.

The script was developed at Cannes Cinéfondation Résidence.

“This film has been in the making for five tiresome years. We set out to make an ambitious project in a cost-effective way, diverging from the usual path of historical dramas and their gigantic scope and multi-point of view narration. This is not a story about the Holocaust. It’s instead a simple story of one man caught in a horrible situation, portrayed in a restricted framework of space and time. We follow the main character throughout the film, revealing only his immediate surroundings – a process I have been experimenting with in my short films – and creating an organic cinematic space that concentrates on human perception. The film depicts a realistic world in which we only reveal fragmented images of the horrific conditions of Saul’s world. This allows the imagination of the viewer to be tested.

I’m looking forward to reaching audiences worldwide – that is the best I can hope for.

The viewing experience of this film is not traditional. It takes you on an organic and almost hypnotic visual journey through Hell. So I’m curious how different audiences will react to it. The film is now in the final stages of post-production, going through color timing and final sound mixing. Post production will wrap in February 2015.” – László Nemes DIRECTOR: László Nemes DOP: Mátyás Erdély MAIN CAST: Géza Röhrig, Levente Molnár, Urs Rechn, Todd Charmont, Sándor Zsótér PRODUCED BY: Gábor Sipos, Gábor Rajna CONTACT: sipos@laokoonfilm.com The film was supported by the Hungarian Film Fund and produced by Laokoon Filmgroup

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The Wednesday Child (A szerdai gyerek) Maja and Krisz – both 19-years-old – are a couple living on the outskirts of Budapest.

They survive day to day and support themselves with odd jobs, some of which don’t always respect the law. They grew up together in an orphanage and now have a 4-year-old son who lives in the same orphanage. Krisz doesn’t want anything to do with the boy. He is, after all, practically a child himself and wants to move on with his life. But not Maja. Despite being an irresponsible teenage parent, Maja desperately fights to get custody of her child. She doesn’t want her son to suffer the same fate that she has. When Maja gets into a microcredit program that offers small loans to people living in deep poverty to support their entrepreneurial ventures, the prospect of a new life is opened to her. It’s her chance to find herself and grow – not only as a member of society, but also as a woman.

“The Wednesday Child is my first feature and is currently in post-production.

After making some award-winning short films and graduating from the University of Theatre and Film in Budapest, I really wanted to tell this coming-of-age story.

It’s about Maja, a girl standing on the threshold of adulthood, but is stuck in a rather unusual situation because she’s the mother of a 4-year-old boy who lives in an orphanage. »You were born on a Wednesday, and Wednesday’s children can make it anywhere they really want to.« These were the last words Maja heard from her mother before Maja was abandoned as a child. Maja is now 19. She tries to live by those words – fighting against all hope to get custody of her son, despite her self-destructive tendencies. Her struggles lead her into an unexpected love story. I hope our film reaches arthouse cinema-goers who want to see a film full of inner tension. I want people across the world to keep their fingers crossed for Maja.” – Lili Horváth DIRECTOR: Lili Horváth DOP: Róbert Maly MAIN CAST: Kinga Vecsei, Zsolt Antal, Szabolcs Thuróczy, Enikő Börcsök, Annamária Németh, Ede Kovács PRODUCED BY: Károly Fehér CO-PRODUCED BY: Henning Kamm, Fabian Gasmia, Ági Pataki CONTACT: karcsi@popfilm.hu

The film was supported by the Hungarian Film Fund and produced by Popfilm.

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Tititá Feature Documentary Anti is a 17-year-old Roma boy who lives in a Roma slum deep in the Hungarian countryside. Anti’s passion is playing the guitar. That passion earns him and sixty other Roma youth the opportunity to attend the Snétberger Music Talent Center. A path to a better life unfolds right in front of Anti. Does he have the ability to change what feels like a predestined life and make the most of a golden opportunity? The film is a full-length documentary about struggle and hope, and also introduces the excellent work done by the Snétberger Music Talent Center.

“A poor boy named Anti gets the opportunity of a lifetime: to see a world that lies beyond his hopeless existence. Anti needs courage to break into the music scene, adapt to new rules, and simply learn how to learn. The cinematography carefully conveys the film’s silences and sensitive moments, revealing moments of joy, fear, and doubt. For the audience, the struggle is about getting on stage for a chance at a better life. But Anti’s primary struggle is with himself. Can Anti escape his hopeless environment? Or will he be stuck forever?

The film provides a direct, personal tone in order to achieve its goal. It covers many important social topics, relying on an exciting story, loveable characters, and great music to touch hearts and break stereotypes.” – Tamás Almási

DIRECTOR: Tamás Almási DOP: Attila Kékesi MAIN CAST: Antal Kuru, Ferenc Snétberger PRODUCED BY: Tamás Almási and Julianna Ugrin CONTACT: julianna.ugrin@eclipsefilm.hu The film was made with the support of Creative Europe – MEDIA, the Hungarian National Film Fund, and was produced by Filmdimenzió Kft. and A Zene Felemel Kft.

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Demimonde (Félvilág) TV Movie In January 1914, a horrific murder shocked the city of Budapest. Elza Mágnás, one of the most famous courtesans in the city, was strangled and her body was thrown into the icy water of the Danube. Demimonde chronicles the last four days of Elza’s life through the eyes of a naive maid, detailing Elza’s complex relationship with her housekeeper, her sponsor, and her young lover. This film is based on a true story about love, sex, power, passion, and murder.

“Our main goal with Demimonde is to tell a 100-year-old story in a fresh, modern, and exciting way. This is a story filled with eroticism, suspense, violence, passion, and it ultimately reveals the darkest side of human nature. The fact that it takes place 100 years ago makes it more unique, but it still maintains a relevant tone. This story gives us a chance to push the boundaries of mass entertainment and find out how deep today’s audience is willing to dive into truly complex characters within the murder-mystery genre.” – Attila Szász

DIrEcTOr: Attila Szász DOP: Mátyás Erdély MAIN cAST: Patrícia Kovács, Dorka Gryllus, Laura Döbrösi PrODUcED BY: Tamás Lajos, Tamás Mink cONTAcT: info@szupermodern.hu The film is made with the support of the Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme and produced by Szupermodern Stúdió Kft.

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Catalogue Flip through the latest titles in every genre and learn about the cast, crew, and contacts.

Feature

Afterlife (Utóélet)

Car Park (Parkoló)

95 min, 2014

93 min, 2014

Director: Virág Zomborácz cast: Marci Kristóf, László Gálffi, Eszter Csákányi, Zsolt Anger Producer: Ferenc Pusztai Production company: KMH Film

Director: Bence Miklauzic cast: Ferenc Lengyel, Tibor Szervét, Kálmán Somody, Lia Pokorny, Zoltán Rajkai, Simon Miklauzic, Attila Egyed, Kristóf Horváth, Roland Rába Producer: Iván Angelusz, Péter Reich Production company: Katapult Film, RTL Klub

Sales: klaudia.androsovits@filmalap.hu Sales: klaudia.androsovits@filmalap.hu Mózes is an insecure young man who lives at home with his family. He has a complicated relationship with his authoritative father. One day, Mózes’ father dies unexpectedly, but his ghost soon begins to appear to Mózes. This is a playful film about mourning, selfrealization, and trying to strike the perfect balance between life and death.

Virág Zomborácz was born in Budapest in 1985 and studied screenwriting at the University of Theater and Film Arts in Budapest. She graduated in 2009 and has since created a number of successful shorts films that have screened at many international festivals.

Afterlife is her feature film debut. The script won the MEDIA Talent Prize in cannes in 2011 and the film had its world premiere in Karlovy Vary in 2014.

Awards: 2014 – Valladolid International Film Festival: Best Film Award, Meeting Point

The story takes place on an empty plot of land surrounded by apartment buildings in the very heart of Budapest. This is the car park where Legionnaire is king. For him, this small plot of land is the centre of the world. This is also where a family of blackbirds live, and he has become very fond of them. But a dark shadow spreads across Legionnaire’s perfect little world when a cat appears on the scene and sets its feline sights on one of the adult birds. And then, as things weren’t bad enough, Imre pulls up in his 1968 Ford Mustang.

People can park where they please, except for one particular spot: an area sheltered by a roof. Imre, however, is determined to secure this parking space at any cost. Legionnaire now has a two-fold battle on his hands. The first is with the cat who gradually exterminates the pigeon family, and the second is with Imre – a man unaccustomed to getting no for an answer. We soon see that their war is no longer about where a man can park his car, but rather a desperate struggle between two very lonely figures who are forced to face the lie they are living and the scars they carry from their past, each learning to let go of the very things they once thought constituted the meaning of their lives.

Miklauzic Bence was born in Budapest in 1970.

He studied history and Hungarian language and literature at ELTE University in Budapest from 1990-95, and continued his studies at the Hungarian Academy of Drama and Film in Budapest from 1995–2000.

In 2002 Bence made Sleepwalkers, his first feature film. It was presented at many leading international film festivals.

Supported by the Hungarian National Film Fund

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Supported by the Hungarian National Film Fund

Feature

Free Entry

Free Fall (Szabadesés)

70 min, 2014

89 min, 2014

Director: Yvonne Kerékgyártó cast: Luca Pusztai, Ágnes Barta Producer: Judit Kastner Production company: DDK Production

Director: György Pálfi cast: Piroska Molnár, Réka Tenki, Zsolt Trill, Zsolt Nagy Producer: Ferenc Pusztai Production company: KMH Film, Popfilm, Scipode, Jeonju Digital Project coproduction: Scipode, Jeonju Digital Project

Sales, contact: judit@anormalsession.hu Free Entry is an independent feature debut that was shot over the course of three years at the biggest music festival in Central Europe: Sziget Festival.

The film is an adventurous, summer youth drama revolving around the wild yet precarious relationship between Betty and ‘V’. As the two 16-year-old girls navigate the uncertain road to independence and adulthood, they each begin to realize the importance of their friendship.

Yvonne Kerékgyártó was born in 1989. She studied dramaturgy and scriptwriting at the University of Theater and Film Art, in Hungary and at HFF in Potsdam, Babelsberg. She directed the short films Dresscode and Pinkwater, which were selected to Tokyo Short Shorts IFF in 2012. In 2013 she finished MFI ‘Scripts 2 Film’ workshop with the feature length drama script My Six Families. Free Entry is her first feature film. The rough-cut was selected for Berlinale Editing Studio program in 2013 where it was developed with Molly Marlene Stensgaard.

Awards: BEST FILM prize at cinema city IFF 2014 in the category of Fresh Danube Films

Sales, contact: sales@kmhfilm.com

“What tea do you want? We’ve got some mint tea,” an old woman mutters to her apathetic husband, with whom she shares her cluttered home. Soon after she goes up to the roof of her apartment block and surveys the evening skyline over smog-veiled Budapest. Then, she jumps. We catch a fleeting glimpse of the other flats in the building as the woman plunges past the windows. We’ll see each flat again, one after another; but this time, long enough to discover the “diagnosis” that shapes the building’s inhabitants – all of whom are typical models of modern society.

György Pálfi, born in 1974, is a leading Hungarian director with many festival awards to his credit.

He attracted international attention with his feature debut Hukkle (2002), winning a European Film Award as Discovery of the Year. His next film, the visually opulent parable Taxidermia (2006), premiered in the Un certain regard section at the cannes Film Festival.

In 2012 he created the highly distinctive cinephilic collage Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen (Final Cut: Hölgyeim és Uraim), which premiered in the cannes classics section. Free Fall is his second film to be screened in competition at Karlovy Vary, his first being I’m Not Your Friend (Nem Vagyok a Barátod) in 2009.

Awards: 2014 – cottbus Film Festival: Award for Outstanding Actress to Piroska Molnár 2014 – Karlovy Vary International Film Festival: Special Jury Prize, Best Director Award, Europa cinemas Label

Supported by the Hungarian National Film Fund

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Feature

For Some Inexplicable Reason (VAN valami furcsa és megmagyarázhatatlan)

Liza, the Fox-Fairy (Liza, a rókatündér) 108 min, 2014

96 min, 2014 (graduation film) Director: Gábor Reisz cast: Áron Ferenczik, Katalin Takács, Zsolt Kovács Producer: Júlia Berkes, Miklós Bosnyák, Viktória Petrányi Production company: Proton Cinema, University of Theatre and Film Arts Budapest Sales: info@alphaviolet.com Áron is a 29-year-old weirdo. He suffers from modern complexes, has a fresh university degree, and struggles to come to terms with a recent break up. His parents support him financially while he looks for work, still agonizing over his lost love. Áron’s life is always interrupted by something, making it seems like he’s not the main character in his own story.

For Some Inexplicable Reason is an unconventional coming-of-age story about the unbearable insignificance of being young that simultaneously provides a detailed glimpse into the city that Áron calls home: Budapest.

Gábor reisz was born on January 19th, 1980, in Budapest, Hungary. He started his studies at the Hungarian University of P.E in 1999 and went on to Eötvös Lóránd University on Film Theory and Film History in 2003.

He won a position at the University of Theatre and Film in Budapest as a film and television director in 2006. He made several short movies in school as writer and director: The Reason of Denial, Honestly in 2006, 8 (omnibus film) in 2007, Nothing and Good in 2007, Changing Room in 2008, Somebody’s Something in 2009, On a Lower Level in 2011, and Peter (omnibus film) in 2013. For Some Inexplicable Reason is his debut feature film.

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Director: Károly Ujj Mészáros cast: Mónika Balsai Producer: István Major Production company: Filmteam Ltd. Sales: klaudia.androsovits@filmalap.hu Fox-fairies are evil demons from Japanese folklore that rob men of their lives. Liza, a 30-year-old nurse, is in search of love, but each of her ill-fated admirers die on their first date.

Liza has taken care of Marta, widow of the former Japanese ambassador, for the last 12 years. Liza’s only companion is her imaginary friend, Tomy Tani, the ghost of a Japanese pop singer from the 1950s. On her birthday, Liza goes to a Mekk Burger’s to find romance.

Marta dies while Liza is away. Jealous relatives call the police and try to pin the murder on Liza, hoping to inherit Marta’s apartment. Sergeant Zoltan is put on the case.

The policeman rents a room from Liza so he can keep a closer eye on his chief suspect. Zoltan secretly repairs a stack of faulty fittings, very nearly gets killed in the process, and soon begins to fall in love with Liza. She gains confidence and begins to look better when she takes tips from a women’s magazine, but all her dating efforts end in fatal accidents, orchestrated by Tomy Tani. Liza is convinced that she has become a fox-fairy, a deadly demon from Japanese folklore. The battle for Liza’s life begins, with the mysterious pop singer and Sergeant Zoltan fighting for Liza’s affection.

This is a peculiar and poignant comedy set in a fictionalized 1970s Hungary with a capitalist system.

Liza, The Fox-Fairy is a sarcastic fairy tale for grownups.

Awards: Torino Film Festival – 2014 Special Jury Award Audience Award Student Jury Best Screenplay Award TorinoSette readers Jury People choice Award

Born in 1968, Károly Ujj Mészáros made 10 short features over the last 9 years. His projects have won 12 prizes in more than 30 national and international short film festivals. Károly has also shot more than 150 commercials over the last 12 years and in 2011 produced a theatre play. He has a university degree in economics. Liza, The Fox-Fairy is his debut feature.

Supported by the Hungarian National Film Fund

Supported by the Hungarian National Film Fund

HUNGARIAN FILM MAGAZINE

Feature

Mirage (Délibáb)

No Man’s Island (Senki szigete)

110 min, 2014

93 min, 2014

Director: Szabolcs Hajdu cast: Isaach De Bankolé, Razvan Vasilescu, Orsolya Török-Illyés, Dragos Bucur, Tamás Polgár Producer: Andrea Taschler, Gábor Kovács coproducer: Mátyás Prikler, Ági Pataki, Jim Stark, Judit Romwalter, Mónika Mécs, Ernő Mesterházy, András Poós Production company: Mirage Film Stúdió, Filmpartners, MPhilms / SK

Director: Ferenc Török cast: Juli Jakab, Tamás Mohai, Eszter Bánfalvy, Judit Schell, Szabolcs Thuróczy, András Stohl Producer: Pál Sándor Production company: Focus-Fox Studio, Film Street

Sales: klaudia.androsovits@filmalap.hu An African football player named Francis is fleeing from the police after fixing a match. He seeks refuge on a ranch located deep in the vast Hungarian plain known as the “Puszta.” Francis soon realizes that a local crime boss runs the ranch and that the workers on the ranch are little more than slaves. His presence on the ranch begins a chain of events that culminates in violent rebellion by the workers against their criminal overlords.

A reluctant hero, Francis finds himself playing in the most important match of his life, with his freedom and his very life at stake. Drawing from the traditions of Hungarian cinema as well as the Hollywood Westerns, Mirage is a story about modern-day Hungary, racism, equality, power, and freedom.

Sales: klaudia.androsovits@filmalap.hu Vera is a cab driver who has been saving up for years to buy a house on No Man’s Island in the Pacific Ocean to escape the world in which she lives. Zoli has what it takes to become a professional basketball player, but runs like a coward from his own talent and the potential it holds. Mia – a runaway bride – later joins Vera and Zoli and their three lives clash and intermingle as they journey towards the unexpected together. The film is a modern fairy tale about young people in search of true happiness. Through Mia’s ethereal purity, they each learn to love themselves and find a way to realise their dreams.

Ferenc Török was born in 1971 and was a recipient of the Béla Balázs and Pro cultura Urbis Awards.

He is also a member of the European Film Academy.

Ferenc graduated from the Budapest University of Theatre and Film as a film director. His films have been in the biggest film festivals and have received several awards.

Szabolcs Hajdu was born in Debrecen, Hungary in 1972.

He studied at the Hungarian University of Drama and Film and directed the short film Necropolis, which earned great critical acclaim. Sticky Matters, his first feature film, was awarded Best First Film at Hungarian Film Week and Jury’s Special Prize at the Kiev MOLODIST Film Festival in 2003. His latest feature, Tamara, won First Prize at the AVANcA Film Festival in 2005.

His autobiographical movie White Palms premiered in cannes Quinzaine des réalisateurs in 2006. It went on to win numerous international awards. His television feature Off Hollywood was presented at the Edinburgh IFF in 2008. Bibliothéque Pascal, his 5th feature film, won the Golden reel main prize at the 41st Hungarian Film Week and the 40th edition of Berlinale Forum in 2010 hosted the international premiere.

Supported by the Hungarian National Film Fund

Supported by the Hungarian National Film Fund

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Feature

Paw (Mancs)

Swing

92 min, 2014

117 min, 2014

Director: Róbert Adrián Pejó cast: Zsolt Trill, Tamás Keresztes, László Szacsvay Producer: László Kántor coproducer: András Poós Production company: Új Budapest Filmstudio in co-production with TV2

Director: Csaba Fazekas cast: Eszter Ónodi, Eszter Csákányi, Franciska Törőcsik, Mari Törőcsik, János Kulka, Béla Mészáros, Imre Csuja, Dávid Szatory, Tibor Gáspár, Mari Nagy Producer: István Bodzsár, Judit Romwalter coproducer: TV2, SPARKS Kft. Production company: Unio Film

Sales: klaudia.androsovits@filmalap.hu contact: uniofilm@uniofilm.hu A sweet, humorous tale about a German shepherd dog that travels around the world and saves lives, rewarded with nothing more than a pat on the head from his loving handler.

Mancs is orphaned at birth and suffers a long and grueling journey before he eventually finds sanctuary with a caring family and becomes a canine hero. róbert Adrián Pejó was born in romania but grew up in and studied in Austria. He moved to New York in 1996 and, in 2010 returned to Budapest. He works in Europe and the USA.

Supported by the Hungarian National Film Fund

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Swing is the story of three generations of women in an all-girl singing group. They are bound together by a passion for music...and a need for quick cash. csaba Fazekas was born in 1973 and always wanted to work as a filmmaker. Directing seemed to be the right choice for him. After graduating from the Hungarian Film Academy, he won the prize for Best Debut at Hungarian Film Week for his first feature-length comedy Happy Birthday! He’s been working as a freelance director on TV commercials since 2004.

Supported by the Hungarian National Film Fund

TV Drama

Black Chronicle (Fekete krónika)

Freedom Flight (Szabadság különjárat)

2x26 min, TV mini-series, 2014

56 min, 2014

Director: Róbert Pajer cast: Károly Mécs, Dénes Száraz, Kincső Pethő Producer: Jenő Hábermann Production company: FilmArt Studio

Director: Peter Fazakas cast: Réka Tenki, Kálmán Varju, Tamás Lengyel Producer: Tamás Lajos, Tamás Mink Production company: Film Positive

contact: info@filmart.hu

contact: info@filmpositive.hu

A collection of short stories that recount several eerie and mysterious crimes committed many centuries ago.

In July, 1956 three young Hungarians attempt to hijack a domestic flight to escape to the free West.

The most dangerous journey of their lives holds unexpected turns.

róbert Pajer studied directing at the Hungarian University for Theatrical and Film Art, graduating in 1986. His credits include 5 features, several television dramas, and a TV series that he has worked on continuously over the course of his 26-year career.

Born in 1967, Peter Fazakas studied English History and culture at ELTE University in Budapest. He later went on to study Audio-Visual communication at Moholy-Nagy University of Arts and Design, also in Budapest. Prior to his career in film, he did copywriting in the advertising industry and acted in the Studio “K” theatre group. Since 1997 he has directed projects in nearly every genre, including commercials, music videos, shorts, documentaries, and feature films.

Though his debut feature Para in 2008 did not have great success in cinemas, the TV-movie Freedom Flight has been aired in Hungary regularly since its premiere in 2012. He has since directed numerous episodes for a variety of series on HBO and Hungarian television. Peter is currently involved in several projects in both TV and film.

Awards: Best Short, Bronze Blade, Directors’ choice, Effie, Epica Finalist, Golden Blade Patina, Golden Drum, Half Kilo, Hartley Merrill, New Moment, Silver Blade, Kamera Korrektura

Supported by Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme

Supported by Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme

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TV Drama

Herofinders (Hőskeresők)

The Ambassador to Bern (A berni követ)

56 min, 2014

76 min, 2014

Director: Bence Miklauzic cast: András Stohl, István Znamenák, Erika Bodnár, Frigyes Hollósi, Mike Kelly Producer: Tamás Babos, Krisztina Lipót Production company: KinoFilm Studio

Director: Attila Szász cast: János Kulka, Tamás Szabó Kimmel, József Kádas, Rozi Lovas, Rémusz Szikszai, Laszlo I. Kish Producer: Tamás Lajos, Tamás Mink Production company: Film Positive

contact: kinofilm@t-online.hu

contact: info@filmpositive.hu

In search of your father, you must face the past and uncover long-forgotten secrets.

A fictional account of the 1958 attack against the Hungarian embassy in Bern. Based on the true story about the aftermath of the 1956 Hungarian revolution.

Bence Miklauzic was born in 1970 in Budapest.

He studied History and Hungarian Language and Literature at ELTE University in Budapest from 1990-95. He later studied at the Hungarian Academy of Drama and Film in Budapest from 1995-2000.

In 2002 he made his first feature film Sleepwalkers, which was presented at many leading international film festivals around the world.

Hungarian writer-director Attila Szász graduated from the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest and worked as a film critic, editor (at Vox – Hungary's biggest movie magazine), and commercial director before deciding to direct films full time. In 2004 he wrote and directed his first short, Now You See Me, Now You Don't, which was screened at over 100 film festivals, winning 20 awards along the way.

Award: Montreal World Film Festival – Bronze Zenith Award

Supported by Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme

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Supported by Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme

TV Drama

TV Documentary

Barça’s Untold Legends – More than a Story (Magyarok a Barçáért) 85 min, 2014 Director: Tibor Kocsis Main cast: Sándor Kocsis, Zoltán Czibor, Ladislao Kubala Producer: Tibor Kocsis Production Company: Flora Film International contact: florafilm@florafilm.hu

The House Of The Stone Monkeys (A kőmajmok háza) 80 min, 2014 Director: Gergely Fonyó cast: Sándor Csányi, Gabriella Gubás, Piroska Molnár, Máté Haumann, Péter Haumann, Róbert Koltai Producer: Gábor Kálomista Production company: Megafilm contact: megafilm@megafilm.hu A teenager named Kornél lives with his mother.

He suffers from asthma, so he’s often unable to play with the other children. During the summer holiday, an odd little girl shows up and tells Kornél extraordinary stories about the building’s former tenants and its mysterious past.

Gergely Fonyó is Hungary's most sought-after director, having directed the most commercially successful films over the last few years. His feature Made In Hungaria was a favorite of audiences and critics alike.

It was invited to 30+ international film festivals, including the Variety critics choice – Top 10 Directors in 2009. Gergely Fonyó’s recent credits include The House of the Stone Monkeys, the prime time crime series Hacktion Reloaded, and HBO Europe’s first landmark original series, Társas Játék (When Shall We Kiss).

FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi are adored by millions around the world. However, few people know that the “Messi” of the 1950s was a Hungarian by the name of László Kubala. Kubala’s fame was the reason that Camp Nou was constructed, which still stands as the largest football stadium in Europe. Following the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, Kubala was joined at Barça by two stars from Hungary’s “Golden Team”: Kocsis and Czibor.

These three Hungarians went on to win the hearts of fans throughout Catalonia and the Spanish-speaking world.

But behind their success, each suffered their share of professional challenges and personal tragedy.

Tibor Kocsis was born in 1962 and is an established producer, director, and cinematographer. He got his directing and cinematography degree at the Hungarian Academy of Drama and Film and TV in 1993. Tibor is the founder, owner, and managing director of Flora Film International which is well known for producing acclaimed documentaries.

Awards: International Baku FIcTS Sport Film Festival: Special Prize of Jury

Supported by Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme

Cinema Inferno 52 min, 2014 Director: Tamás Novák Main cast: László Rajk, György Pálffy Producer: Zoltán Janovics, Tamás Novák Production company: Siriat Publishing Ltd. contact: contact@siriat.com The year is 1949, and Hungary has once again descended into darkness. Now in total control of the country, Mátyás rákosi obeys his Soviet overlords and prepares to stage the most spectacular show trial that Hungary has ever seen.

Tamás Novák is a director and producer known for Bűn és Büntetlenség (2010), Water, Our Past and Future (2013), and Flow (2011).

Supported by Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme

Supported by Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme HUNGARIAN FILM MAGAZINE

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TV Documentary Production company: Bologna Film contact: pappgzs@gmail.com The Hungarian city, the Hungarian village, the Hungarian school and the Hungarian Youth in the Kádár-regime. “On the 20th of August 1963 the electrification of Hungarian villages was completed. This has made villagers’ lives much more comfortable. Washing machines, tumble-dryers, hairdryers, vacuum cleaners and fridges began to appear in their homes, not to mention the most popular invention of the era, the television set, which was always put in a place of honour.

Hungarian Retro 2. (Magyar retró 2.)

52 min, 2014 Director: Gábor Zsigmond Papp Main cast: Gábor Máté (narrator), Lajos Boros, Zsuzsa Csala Producer: Gábor Zsigmond Papp

Since Gábor Zsigmond Papp degreed at the Hungarian Film Academy in 1996, he makes mostly documentaries. Some of them – The Life of an Agent (2004), Spy in a One Horse Town (2009) My Soviet Pen Pal (2011) – took part in several festivals of the world from Amsterdam to Mar del Plata.

Supported by Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme ing this period. The severity of the situation is also highlighted by the fact that abortion was made legal shortly after the Soviet occupation. This is a film about the sins of the past - about victims and war criminals, forgiveness and forgetting.

52 min, 2014

Fruzsina Skrabski was born in 1975. She got her PhD degree at the University of Pécs, Faculty of Humanities. Her research was about cross-cultural communication. She began her career working for Hungarian newspapers as an employee of Internal and Foreign Affairs. Her first film with Tamás Novák, titled Crime Unpunished, was about Béla Biszku – the communist Minister of Interior Affairs after the 1956 revolution. In 2011, she split directing duties with Tamás Novák at Heti válasz (a Hungarian political magazine).

In 2012 she co-directed a TV documentary series, again with Tamás Novák, tilted Ring and Run Away.

Director: Fruzsina Skrabski Producer: Zoltán Janovics Production company: Omega-Kreatív LP contact: skrabski.fruzsina@gmail.com

Awards: 2014 Trieste A Film for Peace Festival: Special Mention Kamera Korrektúra Hungarian TV Film Festival: 1st place in category

Rape is entrenched in the culture of war, with perhaps no better example than the Soviet occupation of Hungary in 1945.

Extensive research into records from STD clinics shows that hundreds of thousands of Hungarian women were raped dur-

Supported by Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme

Silenced Shame (Elhallgatott gyalázat)

a more authentic picture of the objectives of the state security forces at that time, and in the process uncovers details about the regime’s control, subterfuge, and recruitment of informants.

The protagonist is a former police officer known as “The Spymaster”, who recruited and kept contact with innumerable secret agents. His main specialty was the "fight against the reactionary church.”

The Spymaster (A tartótiszt) 64 min, 2014 Director: Ágota Varga Producer: Ágota Varga Production company: FILMIRa Ltd. contact: agotamira@gmail.com This documentary offers a glimpse into the state security operations of the Kádár-regime from a completely new point of view. It marks the first time that a former liaison officer has spoken openly about the regime, and specifically about spying on the Catholic Church. With clever filmmaking and never-before-heard dialogue, director Ágota Varga paints

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HUNGARIAN FILM MAGAZINE

Ágota Varga is a director, cinematographer and producer.

Following her studies in journalism, Ágota worked as a program editor and later as a chief editor for television. Since 1990 she has made documentaries and investigative films. Winner of the Béla Balázs Award, the UNEScO, and Tolerance Prizes, in addition to several Hungarian and international film festival and critic awards, Ágota Varga has nearly 100 documentaries credited to her name. Some of her most accomplished work includes: The Light of Our Eyes and Descendants and Porajmos – The Gypsy Holocaust. In her most recent documentary, a former spymaster in the Hungarian secret police speaks out for the first time (The Spymaster – 2013). The film’s International premiere was held at the ZagrebDox Film Festival (2014).

Awards: 2014 – Los Angeles Hungarian Film Festival: california Hungarian House Award

Supported by Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme

TV Educational Documentary Famous Hungarian alternative musician Livius Varga has a problem with time. Fed up with the crazy rhythm of Hungary’s capital city, he decides to move underground. As a professional psychologist, he’s eager to know what happens to his sense of time after spending days in complete darkness.

He also hopes that his expedition to subterranean Budapest will help him better understand the city’s history. Livius documents his journey with a small handycam, but we also follow his daily routine through infrared security cameras.

In the first episode, he explores the Labyrinth of Kőbánya – a 30 km long system of tunnels under the Tenth District of Budapest.

Budapest Underground 26 min, 2014 Director: Balázs Lerner cast: Lívius Varga Producer: Zsolt Marcell Tóth Production company: Filmjungle contact: info@termeszetfilm.hu

Balázs Lerner studied cultural and visual anthropology.

He authored several books on Africa and world religions.

As an enthusiastic caver and cave diver, he regularly visits and explores the network of caves beneath Budapest.

He currently works as a scientific editor for a Hungarian documentary TV channel.

Supported by Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme thing lurks in the shadows. In the ballast of ships, in the cargo of planes, and in transportation containers of every variety, invasive stowaways make their way to distant lands.

When they finally escape into their foreign habitat, they are left to their own devices – adapting to a new environment and new climate and confronting new rivals and new challenges. But why does this matter to people?

Silent Invaders (Csendes gyarmatosítók) 26 min, 2013 Director: Szabolcs Mosonyi Narrator: Ákos Kőszegi Producer: Erika Bagladi Production company: Nat Film contact: natfilm@mailbox.hu The migration of species is not a new phenomenon. However, it appears that the scale of migratory distances has expanded as a result of the ever-increasing necessity of international trade. At ports, airports, and railway stations alike, some-

Szabolcs Mosonyi is a director and cinematographer. He was born in Budapest in 1970 and went on to receive his university degree as a teacher of biology and geography in 1994.

His interest in nature and knowledge sharing was evident during his time as an amateur nature photographer, and later as a producer of nature films. He and his wife, Erika Bagladi, started to concentrate more seriously on documentary filmmaking in 2000. Szabolcs Mosonyi’s work is shown by a number of foreign and domestic TV channels and movie theaters, and many of his projects have gone on to win dozens of awards at festivals around the world.

Awards: csodakút 2013: Main Prize Agrofilm 2013: 2nd Prize Bar 2013: Special Prize

Supported by Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme amongst all that modernity – an enormous, cone-shaped alluvial deposit, which is home to tiny villages, forests, and river outlets. In that fertile region, bordering the Danube and its branches, can be found Szigetköz.

Szigetköz – The Inland Delta of the Danube (Vad Szigetköz) 52 min, 2014 Director: Szabolcs Mosonyi Narrator: Gyula Szersény Producer: Erika Bagladi Production company: Nat Film contact: natfilm@mailbox.hu The pace of life has sped up in western Hungary, where windmills, motorways, big cities, and industrialized zones are scattered across the countryside. Yet, something is hiding

Szabolcs Mosonyi is a director and cinematographer. He was born in Budapest in 1970 and went on to receive his university degree as a teacher of biology and geography in 1994.

His interest in nature and knowledge sharing was evident during his time as an amateur nature photographer, and later as a producer of nature films. He and his wife, Erika Bagladi, started to concentrate more seriously on documentary filmmaking in 2000. Szabolcs Mosonyi’s work is shown by a number of foreign and domestic TV channels and movie theaters, and many of his projects have gone on to win dozens of awards at festivals around the world.

Awards: Vaasa 2014: 3rd Prize Envirofilm 2014: Special Prize Aranyszem 2014: category Prize Baikalkinofest 2014: category prize; Best cinema., Special Prize Sondrio 2014: category Prize Ekotopfilm 2014: category Prize BEFF 2014: Special Prize

Supported by Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme HUNGARIAN FILM MAGAZINE

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Feature Documentary

Drifter 72 min, 2014 Director: Gábor Hörcher Main character: Richárd Steinbach Producer: Marcell Iványi, Gábor Hörcher, Marieke Bittner Production company: Kraats Film, Weydemann Bros. contact: marcell@kraatsfilm.com Ricsi, a young rebel, lives his life on the edge. He’s always getting into trouble, whether he’s driving cars without a license, stealing, or running from the cops.

Ricsi despises what others would call a normal life.

His problematic behaviour exasperates his parents, and he never lives up to the expectations of his deadbeat father. But why would Ricsi care? After all, Ricsi’s father was never around when Risci needed him the most. Drifter was shot over a period of five years and is a portrait of a young man who lives by his own rules.

Gábor Hörcher was born in 1980 in Budapest, Hungary, where he earned degrees in Psychology, Law, and Film Studies. Gábor has worked as a waiter in London and as a mixer and bartender in Greece. He has also lived in the US, France, and cambodia, where he taught courses on Human rights at a local university.

He started working with director and producer Marcell Iványi in early 2008. Together they run Kraats Film, producing both films and theatre performances.

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Happy New Year Hungary (BÚÉK – Egy közös film Magyarországról) 71 min, 2014 Directors: Júlia Halász, Mátyás Kálmán Producers: Ágnes Horváth Szabó, Bence Fliegauf, Ernő Mesterházy, Júlia Halász, Mátyás Kálmán, Mónika Mécs Production company: Fraktal Film co-Producer: COLLOC Productions contact: buekfilm@gmail.com The last day of the year is the perfect opportunity to bring people together from different generations, social groups, and subcultures. Twelve professional crews and 300 participants contributed to this collaborative documentary, which offers a colorful depiction of society by following the stories of a diverse cast.

Mátyás has a background in video journalism and media art. With numerous multiplatform projects in development, he was selected to the cross Video Days pitching forum. Mátyás was a tutor at DocuArt's media project development workshop and participated in Transform@Lab 2014. He is currently working for the Hungarian civil Liberties Union as a Video Program Officer and produces his own documentaries and new media projects with cOLLOc. His next project in production is Winners (Nyertesek), which is a feature documentary.

Awards: Winner of the IDFA Award for the Best First Appearance Documentary 2014 Winner of the robert Bosch co-Production Prize 2011

Julia graduated from MOME, Media Design faculty.

She spent a year in Berlin as a creative intern in the culture Democracy e.V. (NGO). Besides her work as a video journalist and reporter, she has been involved in several short films, commercials, and media art projects as an author. In the past few years, she has worked on shorts and documentaries as a DOP, producer, and director. She is interested in new avenues of storytelling and the future of video art, and filmmaking.

Her latest project is a feature documentary titled Addis in Motion and is already in production.

Independent Production

Independent Production

HUNGARIAN FILM MAGAZINE

Feature Documentary

Overdose – Run for a Dream (Overdose – Vágta egy álomért)

Stream of Love (Szerelempatak) 70 min, 2013

98 min, 2014 Director: Gábor Ferenczi Producer: István Major, Gül Togay, Hanka Kastelicová Production company: Filmteam, HBO Europe

Director: Ágnes Sós Producer: Ágnes Sós, Julianna Ugrin Production company: Szerelempatak Produkciós Kft. contact: c.art@t-online.hu

contact: vera@filmteam.hu In a country suffering through both a financial and identity crisis, a racehorse plays the role of an unlikely hero. Overdose – Run for a Dream tells the story of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and follows several intriguing characters and their relationships over a 4-year period. It’s more than a story about a horse.

It’s a story about the hope and passion of a whole nation.

After graduating from the Technical University of Budapest in 1974, Gábor Ferenczi acquired a degree in film and television directing from the Academy of Drama and Film University of Budapest in 1984 under the supervision of Zoltán Fábri. He has worked as an independent director, scriptwriter, consultant, and actor, and managed the Béla Balázs Studio between 1984 and 1988. He has made numerous documentaries, features, television programs, and commercials, and has also lectured at several universities in Budapest. Gábor was awarded the Balázs Béla Prize.

Awards: Vukovar Film Festival: Best Documentary

Supported by Hungarian National Film Fund

Stream of Love is a documentary about an elderly peasant widower who wants to try his luck and remarry. As he visits many women in the village, the deep and dramatic secrets of love, body-and-soul, and joie de vivre come to life. The film is full of humor and charm. But amid all the levity, the beauty and struggle of a bygone culture plays out in a way that is both touching and tragic. Stream of Love premiered at the main competition of IDFA in 2013. Ágnes Sós was born in Budapest. As a director and producer, she has made 30 short and long documentaries over the last 20 years. She has won several festival awards both in Hungary and abroad.

Her feature documentary Invisible Strings: The Talented Pusker Sisters was screened at 2012 Zagreb Dox. Awards: 25th Trieste FF-ALPE ADrIA cINEMA AWArD for Best Documentary “ESPANSIONI” AWArD for Agnes Sos Zagreb Dox 2014 – Special Mention Mediawave – Best Documentary Film

Supported by Hungarian National Film Fund

HUNGARIAN FILM MAGAZINE

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Short Film

Beauty Queen (Szépségkirálynő)

Foreign Land (Idegen föld)

13 min, 2014

24 min, 2014

Director: Judit Oláh cast: Anna Szandtner, László Nádasi Producer: Gábor Ferenczi,Ferenc Szohár, Gábor Osváth, László Hartai Production company: ELTE contact: judit.olah@gmail.com

Director: István Kovács Producer: Miklós Bosnyák, Gábor Osváth, Péter Deák Production company: SZFE, Filmfabriq, Sysplex contact: info@filmfabriq.hu

Zita can’t say ‘yes’ to Laci’s advances, even though Laci has been waiting for her for a long time. Zita dreams of another, more glamorous life, and holds onto that dream for as long as she can.

After having completed her BA in Media, Judit Oláh has completed a postgraduate film course and a film studies master at ELTE. She has directed several short films and co-directed a documentary about love.

First lieutenant Toth and his soldiers are stationed near a forest at the Russian front. After his soldiers slowly start to disappear, he realizes that there is a lodge deep down in the forest. They pack their effects and set out to find the old partisan shelter. The forest, however, is not as it seems, and the soldiers march to their deaths...

Born in 1985 in then-Yugoslavia as a Hungarian minority, István Kovács spent most of his youth in the Southern Hungarian town of Szeged. He enrolled in the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest in 2011, where he recently got his Director BA degree in the class of János Szász and Attila Janisch.

Supported by Hungarian National Film Fund

Ischler

Letter to God (Levél Istenhez)

16 min, 2014

30 min, 2014

Director: Attila Hartung cast: Tibor Szervét, Kata Pető, Angéla Eke, Kata Bach, István Znamenák Producer: Miklós Bosnyák (SZFE) co-producer: Gábor Osváth, Nándor Lovas Production company: SZFE, Filmfabriq, Mirage Film Studio contact: info@filmfabriq.hu

Director: Tamás Yvan Topolánszky cast: Krisztián Kovács, Lídia Danis, József Tóth, János Kulka Producer: Claudia Sümeghy Production company: HALLUCI-NATION contact: info@halluci-nation.com

Budapest, 1944. Three Jewish sisters are hiding in the apartment of a well-known doctor during the Holocaust. Their days are filled with paranoia, and it turns out that evil might come from the most unexpected places.

Born in 1991, Attila Hartung started his studies in 2011 at SZFE (University of Theatre and Film Arts, Budapest). One of the busiest students in and outside of the school, Attila is also working on music videos, commercials, and is currently writing his first feature film. Ischler was his 3rd year project at SZFE.

Ali is a young farmer who lives in abject poverty with his wife and children on a farm far from the village. The driest summer of his life endangers everything he has built for his family.

He prays to God everyday with his childlike prayers. As his bitterness grows, he asks for rain like the world has never seen. Ali gets his wish, but God works in mysterious ways…

Born in Männedorf, Switzerland in 1987, Tamás is the founder and owner of Halluci-Nation Ltd. He currently studies Media Design at MOME – Moholy-Nagy University of Arts and Design. Tamás has a passion for classic Hollywood and all its contrivances.

Supported by Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme

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HUNGARIAN FILM MAGAZINE

Short Film

Provincia

Richie (Ricsi)

21 min, 2014

15 min, 2014

Director: György Mór Kárpáti cast: Ákos Orosz, Hermina Fátyol, Producers: Miklós Bosnyák, Nándor Lovas Production company: SZFE, Mirage Film Studio contact: mirage@miragefilm.hu

Director: Gábor Hörcher cast: Richárd Steinbach, Brigitta Kovács, Péter Fonyadt Producer: László Hartai, Gábor Rajna, Gábor Sipos Production company: ELTE contact: info@kraatsfilm.com

Otto works as a deliveryman for a food store in Budapest.

When his van breaks down during a countryside delivery, he finds himself on an archaeological excavation site.

Otto spends the day on the excavation.

Richie's friends have organised a farewell party the night before Richie needs to go away. Meanwhile, his mother is busy packing for the trip instead of him.

György Mór Kárpáti (1984) is a Budapest-based film director and writer. He studied at the Directors’ Department of the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest. His short films have been selected to major international film festivals: Provincia premiered at the cinéfondation Selection cannes 2014, while Forest competed at the Berlinale Shorts 2011.

He is currently developing his first feature film.

Gábor Hörcher was born in 1980 in Budapest, Hungary. He attended the University of Psychology, Law and the University of Film Studies, and has worked as a waiter in London and as a mixer and bartender in Greece. He has lived in the US, France, and cambodia, where he taught courses on Human rights at a local university. He started working with director and producer, Marcell Iványi in early 2008. They run KraatsFilm together where they produce films and theatre performances.

Supported by the Hungarian National Film Fund

Supported by the Hungarian National Film Fund

Rough Cut (Csúszópénz)

Skinner (Sintér)

13 min, 2014

12 min, 2014

Director: István Kovács cast: Barnabás Dékány, Ákos Kőszegi, Krisztián Dányi Producer: Miklós Bosnyák Production company: SZFE contact: mariann.eder@gmail.com

Director: Gábor Fabricius cast: Tibor Szőke, Andrea Petrik, Roland Rába Producer: Ferenc Pusztai Production company: KMH Film contact: sales@kmhfilm.com

A young barber is about to clean up after closing for the day when a mysterious man steps in. The man – on his way to the airport – demands a quick haircut and promises a significant reward in return. The boy agrees to do the job. As more and more secrets are revealed about the man, the boy realizes that this might be the toughest haircut he’s ever given.

This is a black comedy about stress bringing out the worst in all of us.

To avoid eviction from your home in Budapest – a city mired by economic depression – people often resort to evicting others. Tibi, a hardcore bouncer with a conscience, soon finds that he must turn against his own to save himself. Skinner takes a raw, incisive look at how the global financial crisis transformed the lives of the disenfranchised into a brutal, Darwinian struggle. Survival of the fittest at its very worst.

Born in 1985 in then-Yugoslavia as a Hungarian minority, István Kovács spent most his youth in the Southern Hungarian town of Szeged. He enrolled in the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest in 2011, where he recently got his Director BA degree in the class of János Szász and Attila Janisch.

Gábor Fabricius was born in Budapest and attended the Moholy-Nagy University and London's central Saint Martins college of Art and Design. Skinner is his debut short film.

Supported by Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme

HUNGARIAN FILM MAGAZINE

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Short Film

Symptom (Tünet)

The Execution (Kivégzés)

21 min, 2014

14 min, 2014

Director: Gábor Attila Kovács cast: Enikő Börcsök, László Gálffi, Anikó Für Producer: László Hartai, Gábor Rajna, Gábor Sipos Production company: ELTE contact: csigagabor@gmail.com

Director: Petra Szőcs cast: Katalin Moldován, Zalán Ilyés, Tamás Fosztó, András Dancsuly, Liliana Derevici Producers: Iván Angelusz, Ágnes Csere co-producers: Róbert Lakatos, Gábor Rajna, Gábor Sipos Production company: Merkel Film Kft., Katapult Film Contact: office@katapultfilm.hu

On an average morning, Kati wakes up and realizes that her reflection in the mirror has disappeared. Her quiet, reserved life is turned upside down as she struggles to understand her unusual situation. Meanwhile, the appearance of a mysterious and appealing man does not let her rest.

Gábor Attila Kovács lives, studies, and works in Budapest, Hungary. This year he will complete his degree at the Eötvös Loránd University, Department of Film Studies MA program in Filmmaking Specialization. Gábor likes to reveal human stories through small and unexpected moments and details.

He is currently working on the screenplay for his next short.

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It’s 1990 in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Three children reenact Ceausescu’s execution. Who will be the victim?

Petra Szőcs was born in cluj-Napoca, romania but now lives in Budapest. She earned a degree in Screenwriting at the University of Theatre and FIlm Arts, Budapest. Her shorts have played at Trieste Film Festival, and the Transylvanian International Film Festival She prefers to work with amateur actors. She is also a poet.

Supported by the Hungarian National Film Fund

Cannes Short Film Competition 2014 Supported by the Hungarian National Film Fund

The Seventies (Hetvenes)

The Winner (G yőztes)

29 min, 2014

21 min, 2014

Director: Linda Dombrovszky cast: Kálmán Németh, Al Ghaoui Hesna, Konrád Quintus, Zoltán Megyeri Producer: István Koller Production company: KKTV Media contact: dombrovszky@gmail.com

Director: Dávid Géczy cast: Andor Lukáts, Iván Kamarás, Eszter Földes Producer: Zoltán Janovics, Fruzsina Skrabski Production company: Becsengetünk Kft. contact: daveefilm@gmail.com

At an unknown time in the near future, a Central-Eastern European country – fearing overpopulation as a result of an aging population – passes a gruesome law that requires everyone approaching the age of 70 be put to sleep in a humane fashion.

An elderly lifeguard gets a life-changing medical diagnosis.

As a result, he has to abstain from any physical activity. This is devastating news for the lifeguard because he’s a dedicated swimming coach and former Olympic champion. Everyday he races against the younger version of himself, unable to come to terms with his present circumstances.

Linda Dombrovszky graduated as film and television director at University of Theatre and Film Arts, Budapest. She studied on scholarship at centro Sperimentale di cinematografia in rome. Director of several award-winning short films and documentaries, she is currently working on her first feature script based on the story of Seventies.

Dávid Géczy is a Hungarian film director. Since 2008 he has been directing numerous commercials, music videos, and television series. He’s also made 4 short movies and is currently working on 3 feature fiction projects. The first one is about a serial killer in a noir-gangster drama; the second is about a bank robbery; and the third is an “eastern” western movie.

Supported by Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme

Supported by Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme

HUNGARIAN FILM MAGAZINE

Animation

Short Film

Transit of Venus (Vénusz átvonulás)

Candide

13 min, 2014

9 min, 2014

Director: Zsanett Mojzes Milojev cast: Bori Péterfy, Csilla Radnay, Anna Édes, Bence Kovács Producer: László Hartai, Gábor Rajna, Gábor Sipos Production company: ELTE contact: milojev.zsanett@gmail.com

Director: Nándor Bera Producer: Károly Fehér, Brigitta Iványi-Bitter Production company: Popfilm contact: brigitta.ivanyi@nwe.hu

It’s the eve of the transit of Venus. A lonely taxidriver wanders around the dead streets of Budapest, waiting for anyone to hail his cab. A physicist discusses astral phenomenons on a latenight radio program. A woman gets in the taxi and an interesting conversation starts between the driver and passenger.

Born in 1986, Zsanett Mojzes Milojev receieved a BA in Film Aesthetics and Film History at the University of Pecs. After graduating, she got her MA in Film Studies at Eötvös Loránd Science University, where she attended theoretical and filmmaking courses. Transit of Venus is Zsanett’s thesis film based on a short story by a well-known Hungarian writer Zsófia Bán.

A 21st century adaptation of Voltaire’s masterpiece reveals the dilemma of the Enlightenment: are we in the best of all possible worlds? Is there anyone out there who hasn’t heard of Candide?

Who made an effort at school to really understand Candide?

We tried to rethink the book, asking these and other eternal questions while suffering the silence of our living room. Devastating love, 2D blood, leper and hunt: Candide forever.

Nándor Bera, after having finished a B.A. in comparative religious History at the Academy of Buddhist Philosophy and religion in Budapest, received his M.A. diploma in Animation Directing at MOME/Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in Budapest in 2012.

Supported by the Hungarian National Film Fund

Supported by Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme

Wall (Fal)

Frustration (Frusztráció)

11 min, 2013

23 min, 2014

Director: Simon Szabó cast: Sándor Tóth, Emília Lovas, Mihály Szabó Producer: Júlia Berkes Production company: Proton Cinema contact: berkesjuli@protoncinema.hu

Director: Milán Kopasz Producer: József Fülöp Production company: MOME ANIM Sales: klaudia.androsovits@filmalap.hu

Laci is a 16-year old gypsy boy who lives off menial jobs.

One day, he gets picked up from the streets along with a small group of workers for a construction job. He has to help complete a wall that surrounds a series of tenement buildings. The film follows the various stages of construction as Laci helps out the other workers. In the end, Laci is asked to complete the work. Upon finishing the construction, Laci takes his first look at what lies beyond the wall, which holds an unusual revelation for him.

Born in 1979, Simon Szabó is a well-known actor, director, and musician/DJ. His film Let’s Roll won Best Short Film at the Hungarian Film Week in 2008. In 2009 Simon took home the Sándor Simó Award for his first feature Paper Planes.

Supported by the National Cultural Fund of Hungary

A young man takes a bus, and then begins a surreal journey… The young man uses different means of public transportation to cut his way through the urban sprawl towards the unknown. During the voyage, he digs deeper and deeper into his suppressed frustrations. The bizarre, monotonous, and repetitive activities of the people around him make him even more frustrated.

Milan earned his BA degree at MOME Animation in 2012.

In the same year he won the George Pal Prize at the Primanima International Animation Festival. In 2013 he won the Best Applied Animation prize at the Kecskeméti Animation Film Festival. In 2014 he participated at the Hiroshima International Animation Festival as a member of the Hungarian delegation, and he also made a spot film for the event. He is currently working on his MA thesis project at MOME.

Supported by the Hungarian National Film Fund

HUNGARIAN FILM MAGAZINE

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Animation

The Hoppies (Hoppi mesék)

My Three Grandmas (Három nagymamám volt)

7 min, Animated Short Series, 13 episodes by 2016

16 min, 2014

Director: Ferenc Rófusz, Andrea Miskédi Producer: Ferenc Rófusz, Tamás Salusinszky Production company: The Hoppies Ltd. contact: tamas.salusinszky@thehoppies.com

Director: Katalin Glaser Producer: Zsolt Iván Varga Production company: BPAnim Holding Kft. contact: varga.ivan@bpanim.com

The Hoppies is a non-violent series for children aged 2 through 7. Each episode is about a different holiday from around the world. The Hoppies are cute little creatures living in Hoppiland and they have a huge calendar that shows each international holiday happening on that day. Hoppiland is a multicultural town where you can find Hoppies of all different nationalities.

Our stories about birthdays, Christmas, carnivals, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Halloween start here.

A grandmother is often the heart of a family. Women learn a lot from their grandmothers, who have a lasting effect on their grandchildren’s lives – as much, if not more than, their parents.

But there was also a time when these elderly women were young.

They were children, teenagers, and then brides, and their former indiscretions are hidden over time – becoming, even part of a family myth. This film is about my three grandmothers...

Ferenc rofusz is an internationally recognized artist who has been distinguished with numerous international awards for his accomplishments in the field of animation. He is also the recipient of the 1981 Oscar for writing, directing and producing the animated short film, The Fly.

Katalin GLASEr was born in 1983 in Budapest. In 2003 she completed her studies at the Animation Faculty and the Faculty of Visual Environmental culture and Teaching at the MoholyNagy University of Art and Design in Budapest. She has participated in several group exhibitions over the last 14 years, and in 2009 she had her first individual exhibition.

Supported by Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme

Supported by Media Council Film and Media Funding Scheme

Limbo Limbo Travel

Symphony No. 42

15 min, 2014

10 min, 2014

Director: Zsuzsanna Kreif, Borbála Zétényi Producer: József Fülöp coproducer: Christian Pfohl Production company: MOME ANIM coproducer: Lardux Film (Paris) contact: fabics@mome.hu

Director: Réka Bucsi Producer: József Fülöp Production company: MOME ANIM Sales: klaudia.androsovits@filmalap.hu

The film begins in a big, technically developed Scandinavian city. Men no longer show any interest towards women. Instead, their only love interest is technology. Women, of course, are very upset about this and they continuously attempt more and more desperate things to get the attention of men – without any success. There is, however, a way out of this situation: a travel agency called Limbo Limbo Travel, which organizes women-only adventures to far-away lands where neglected ladies can feel attractive again.

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This film is defined by an unconventional narrative. It presents a subjective world through 47 scenes, conveying the irrational coherence of our surroundings through small moments that are interlaced with emotion and associations.

The surreal situations are based on interactions between human and nature. Differences between humans and animals diminish. Everyone plays their role and leaves a mark.

Every small movement affects another, ultimately building an unpredictable and irrational system.

Limbo Limbo Travel is the culmination of 4 years of work.

The film started as a thesis project at MOME and it was finished as a French-Hungarian co-production. Bori also worked as a layout and background artist in the first episode of the animated TV-series Candide. Zsuzsanna also took part in the pilot episode of Candide as an art director, and later co-directed the first episode of Candide with Olivér Hegyi.

réka Bucsi is a Hungarian independent animation filmmaker and illustrator, born in 1988 in Filderstadt, Germany.

From 2008 to 2013 she attended MOME in the Animation Department. Her thesis film Symphony no. 42 was selected to the Official Shorts competition at Berlinale and Sundance Film Festival, and was Shortlisted for the 87th Academy Awards. réka is currently working on her new short film at the residency Program of Open Workshop in Viborg, Denmark.

She is represented as a director by Passion Pictures Paris.

Supported by the Hungarian National Film Fund

Supported by the Hungarian National Film Fund

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Meet us in Berlin!

European Film Market STAND NAME: Hungarian National Film Fund/Magyar Filmunió STAND: Martin-Gropius-Bau 154 TELEPHONE: +49 30 209159–423 Csaba Bereczki (Eurimages representative) csaba.bereczki@filmalap.hu +36-30–350–15–75 Katalin Vajda (Festival manager) kati.vajda@filmunio.hu +36–30–441–44–65 Csaba Papp (Public relations) csaba.papp@filmunio.hu +36–30–936–31–49 Klaudia Androsovits (Sales manager) klaudia.androsovits@filmalap.hu +36–30–936–33–89

Hungarian Film Magazine

Published by Hungarian National Film Fund (MNF)

Editors-in-Chief: Dániel Deák, Gábor Osváth Project Manager: Sztavrosz Ketipisz (MNF) Project Coordinator: Genovéva Petrovits Editors: Zsuzsanna Deák, Janka Pozsonyi, Diana Nagy Contributors: Natália Fábics, Anita Libor, Anna Ida Orosz, Genovéva Petrovits, Csaba Rusznyák, Nándor Tóth Art Director: Tünde Kálmán Photographers: Máté Bach, Bence Szemerey Proofreaders: Kornélia Harnos, Nicholas Maffe Advertising: Sztavrosz Ketipisz (sztavrosz.ketipisz@filmalap.hu) Hungarian Film Magazine is published by Hungarian National Film Fund. Published in Hungary February 2015.

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is forbidden save with the written permission of the publishers.

On the cover: Emőke Piti and Milán Schruff actors from Fever at Dawn (read more about the film on page 45.)

Photo by Bence Szemerey

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HUNGARIAN FILM MAGAZINE