Hungarian Film Magazine THE 2018 AUTUMN ISSUE
A spectacular Sunset in Venice Sunset by Academy Award winner Laszlo Nemes is in competition
30 is the new 25!
The increased tax incentive boosts Hungarian film industry
Published by
Summer of debuts
Numerous first features to see this summer, including Biennale College participant's Petra Szőcs
Content photo by Laokoon Filmgroup Ildi Hermann
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Opening Words
from the CEO of the Hungarian National Film Fund
4 News
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Restored Masterpieces on Big Screen in Budapest
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30 is the New 25!
10 The Viewer Should Go into The Labyrinth of The Story
Interview with László Nemes, director of 'Sunset'
12 So Far, I've Been Lucky
Interview with Juli Jakab, star of 'Sunset'
14 Admission Card to The International Circle of Movie Professionals
Interview with the producers of 'Sunset', Gábor Rajna and Gábor Sipos
16 Reconstructing A World that Has Disappeared
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Interview with László Rajk, production designer of 'Sunset'
18 We Were Searching for The Lost Beauty
Interview with Györgyi Szakács, costume designer of 'Sunset'
20 Every Work of Art has its Own Form
Interview with Mátyás Erdély, cinematographer of 'Sunset'
22 All Sounds Are Equal
Interview with Tamás Zányi, sound designer of 'Sunset'
24 In Search for Not The Perfect But The True Movie
Interview with Ildikó Enyedi, jury member at Venice Film Festival last year
26 The Story of A Fragile & Bizarre Friendship
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Interview with Petra Szőcs, participant of last year's Biennale College Cinema
28 Coming Soon
Upcoming films various genres and authors, long-awaited first features and comebacks
photo by Péter Kőhalmi
When you look at the history of Hungary on a timeline, you see victorious battles, strong rulers, inspirational and brave-hearted heroes as well as tragic moments, intrigues and betrayals, uprisings, invasions and lost wars. Fierce actions, boldness, majestic coronations, eminent kings and beautiful queens and princesses, all characterize the memorable history of a small country in the middle of Europe. The turn of the 19th and 20th centuries has come with the splendor of the glorious millennium festivities, the jewel of which was Budapest, a beautiful, lively metropolis. 1913 was the year when the 7th Conference of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance met in Budapest. The grand Art Nouveau building of the Academy of Music hosted the opening. A beautiful young girl Irisz Leiter might have been there listening to the recital of the acclaimed actress Mari Jászai and the speeches of other women on stage. Or maybe Irisz was not there... She might have been making a new hat for the elegant clientele of her parents’ hat store instead. Irisz is the main character of 'Sunset' the new film directed by László Nemes that takes place in 1913. The movie premieres in Venice and screens in Toronto this fall. After Saul it is Irisz whose distracted look will remain with us for a long time. After more than 100 years Budapest is livelier than ever. Tourists take photos at every spot, construction sites are seen all around the city and film crews shoot at original locations and state-of-the art sound stages. The tax incentive has recently gone up to 30% from 25% in Hungary that gives an opportunity for further development of the Hungarian film industry. Hungarian films are present at all prestigious film festivals and proudly win important awards. More than 15 new Hungarian films await premiers at festivals and domestic cinemas in the coming months. 24 years went by since a Hungarian film was selected for the Venice Film Festival’s main competition. Ildikó Enyedi’s 'Magic Hunter' was the latest film chosen. We are glad to be back in Venice, where past is represented by centuries old buildings and art in museums while present is there in the form of moving images. Toronto and other autumn festivals are yet to come. Ágnes Havas CEO, Hungarian National Film Fund
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Hungarian Day at TIFF
News - Hungarian Summer Around the Globe
István Szabó and Márta Mészáros were presented lifetime achievement awards at the 17th edition of the Transylvania oir' tN s International Film Festival (TIFF) and its e dap 'Bu traditional Hungarian Day. Szabó presented three highlights from his filmography: 'Father', 'Mephisto' and 'Colonel Redl'. The Hungarian Day doubled the Romanian premier of Márta Mészáros' 'Aurora Borealis'. A former member of TIFF's international jury, writer-director János Szász returned to Cluj with his last film, 'The Butcher, the Whore and the One-eyed Man', another Romanian premiere was Éva Gárdos' 'Budapest Noir'. 'Genesis', Árpád Bogdán's sophomore effort, TIFF regular Ferenc Török's film 1945 were invited as well, Péter Politzer's 'Manhood' had its international premiere at the Hungarian Day at TIFF, and two documentaries were also part of the Hungarian selection: Balázs Simonyi's 'Ultra' and 'Granny Project' by Bálint Révész. The co-prod platform of TIFF, Transylvania Pitch Stop awarded 'The Last Bus', a debut feature project by Bálint Nagy and Nándor Lőrincz, developed in the frame of HNFF Incubator Program discussing the subject of sexual abuse. They won the 25 000 euro postproduction service award.
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'The Troupe'
Shanghai selects Hungarian cinema The Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) is one of the largest film festivals in East Asia: four Hungarian films were invited to the selection, and also, Ildikó Enyedi, director of Berlinale-winner, Oscar-nominated 'On Body and Soul', was member of the jury deciding on the prestigious Golden Goblet, Jin Jue. (Read our interview with Ildikó Enyedi on her experience as a jury member in Venice last year on page 24.) Pál Sándor's film about travelling actors, 'The Troupe' had its international premiere at SIFF. Éva Gárdos was presenting her 'Budapest Noir' in person at the festival, and Roland Vranik's 'The Citizen' and Kornél Mundruczó's 'Jupiter's Moon', both about migrants dealing with the Hungarian situation were part of the showcase at SIFF.
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AWARD 'One Day' continues to win after Cannes Zsófia Szilágyi's first feature, 'One Day', had its international premiere at the Cannes Film Festival's Critics' Week and won the prestigious Fipresci award for the Best First Feature. That was only the beginning, the movie has had its festival run ever since: Kosice's Art Film Festival honoured Zsófia Szamosi's outstanding performance with the Blue Angel prize for the best actress in a movie. Zsófia Szilágyi's first feature was also part of the Sydney International Film Festival, alongside with her master, Ildikó Enyedi's digitally restored masterpiece from 1988, 'My 20th Century'. Main prize for 'Genesis' at Valencia Árpád Bogdán's second feature, 'Genesis' won the Luna de Valencia prize at the Cinema Jove Film Festival in Spain. The cinematographer Tamás Dobos received an honorary diploma from the international jury. The festival aims to promote young filmmakers, subsequently limiting the participants to being under 40 years of age.
'Blossom Valley' wins top prize at Karlovy Vary and Palic László Csuja's debut feature, 'Blossom Valley' had a world premiere at Karlovy Vary IFF's East of the West Competition, where it has won the jury prize. The prestigious selection presents Central and Eastern European first and second film directors world and European premieres. After Karlovy Vary's success, the film has won Best Film Award of the Parallels and Encounters section of the 25th European Film Festival Palić. “A poignant first feature depicting how contemporary misfits crave for love and struggle for survival, within an alienating society“, FEDEORA Jury verdict said. László Csuja is one of the Hungarian National Film Fund Incubator Program winners.
Michael Moore awards Ferenc Török “We are committed to showing great movies that both entertain and enlighten the audience. We need movies that seek to enrich the human spirit and the art of filmmaking, not the bottom line. Our goal is for people to leave the theatre with the feeling that they just watched something special”, says Michael Moore, acclaimed documentary director and President and Founder of The Traverse City Film Festival. This year, the festival not only selected Ferenc Török's '1945' to the programme, but Michael Moore himself presented Ferenc Török the prize of Best Foreign Film. Hungarian films and projects participate in the program of Sarajevo Film Festival
Three Hungarian world premieres enriched the 71st Locarno Festival Milorad Krstić's animated action-thriller 'Ruben Brandt, Collector' had its world premiere at Locarno Film Festival's open-air venue, the Piazza Grande. An ideal arena for discovery, the Cineasti del presente Competition is dedicated to emerging directors from all over the world and devoted to first and second features: Bálint Kenyeres' debut feature, 'Hier' got invited to the selection. Founded in 1990, the Semaine de la Critique is an independent section within the Locarno Festival, organized by the Swiss Association of Film Journalists, showing seven documentary feature films. 'Easy Lessons' by Dorottya Zurbó is in this year's selection.
After the four-year-long siege of Sarajevo, and with an intention to recreate civil society of the city, the Sarajevo Film Festival was founded in 1995. Today, this festival is the main meeting place for all regional producers and authors and is recognized by film professionals from all over the world as the pinnacle point for networking for all wishing to learn more about the possibilities this region has to offer. This year, eight Hungarian titles are selected to the festival. 'Ghetto Balboa' by Árpád Bogdán is in Competition: the documentary follows a boxing coach and his trainee from the very beginning to the first successes. 'Nine Months War' by László Csuja is also in competition–this documentary follows a young Hungarian minority in Western Ukraine when he gets his draft-call from the Ukrainian National Guard. Also, Dorottya Zurbó's 'Easy Lessons' arrives from the Locarno premiere, and is also part of the selection. In the shorts sections we find 'Off Season' by Orsolya Láng: in the Student Films' Competition, 'A Siege' by István Kovács and 'Last Call' by Hajni Kis got invited. In the feature film competition 'One Day' by Zsófia Szilágyi and 'Ruben Brandt, Collector' by Milorad Krstić were selected. Dénes Nagy (Natural Light) and Gábor Fabricius (Erasing Frank) participated in this year's Cinelink programme. HUNGARIAN FILM MAGAZINE
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Restored Masterpieces On Big Screen In Budapest Claudia Cardinale ('Once Upon a Time in the West', '8½', 'The Leopard'), Klaus Maria Brandauer ('Mephisto', 'Colonel Redl', 'Out of Africa') and Jean-Marc Barr ('The Big Blue'), as well as Katinka Farago, Ingmar Bergman's legendary - Hungarian-born colleague, are all coming to Budapest between 4th and 9th of September 2018. Hungarian film classics, 4K restored by the Film Archive and Hungarian Filmlab will be screened along with masterpieces restored by other major European archives. This is the first opportunity to see the magnificently restored Oscar-winning 'Mephisto', Zoltán Fábri's and Sándor Sára's films, Hungarian animations, beautiful documentaries on such defining female characters of the film industry as Hedy Lamarr, the select of Cannes Classics 2018 programme is on show. We can also learn about which movies inspired Wes Anderson to make 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'. All this and more at the 2nd Budapest Classics Film Marathon starting on 4 September. 6
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'Mephisto' © Magda B Muller
The Hungarian Film Fund's digital film restoration programme The Hungarian Film Archive is operating under the wings of the Hungarian National Film Fund since January 2017. In the framework of the National Digitalization and Film Restoration Programme launched by the Film Fund in 2017, more than 150 masterpieces of the Hungarian Cinema should be restored in five years. By now, 35 films have already been restored by Hungarian Filmlab under the professional guidance of the Hungarian National Film Archive. Among others, 13 classics by Zoltán Fábri (including the Oscar nominee 'Boys from Paul street' and Cannes Festival selected 'Merry-go-round' and 'Anna'), the Camera d'Or-winning 'My 20th Century' by Ildikó Enyedi, 9 films by István Szabó (including the Oscar-winning Mephisto, Cannes Jury prize winning and Oscarnominated 'Colonel Redl', the Silver Bear-
winning and Oscar-nominated 'Confidence'), 4 films by Sándor Sára (including the Upthrown stone that ran for the Palme d'Or in Cannes in 1968), 'Two of them' by Márta Mészáros starring Marina Vlady and Vladimir Vysotsky, full length animations by Marcell Jankovics (Oscar-nominee and Cannes Festival winner animation film director) and the hilarious animation-feature the 'Cat City' by Béla Ternovszky. In the previous years, silent films such as the 'Undesirable' by Kertész Mihály— later world famous as Michael Curtiz—have been restored to the initiation of the Hungarian Film Fund, but from this year due to the film restoration programme every year more and more silent films will be renewed. The 100-year-old 'Man of Gold' (Az aranyember) by Sándor Korda (Alexander Korda) was the first title to be reborn by the Film Archive and the FilmLab. The Hungarian Film Archive preserves in it's vaults 400 titles on nitrate prints but only about 60 titles remain from the silent film era, representing 7% of Hungary's total silent film production. The Film Archive keeps searching existing copies of the Hungarian silent film heritage with the help of the FIAF network and this effort is not in vain, in the previous years a lost Michael Curtiz film ('Last Dawn') has been found and completed by the Dutch EYE Filminstitut and Filmarchiv Austria, seven lost titles were identified by the Serbian Film Archive and a title from 1914 ('Working coat') has also been found in EYE Filminstitut. This one is the only motion picture starring Géza Hegedűs, one of the most popular actors of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy in the beginning of the 20th century. The Film Archive also relaunched its DVD releasing and book publishing activity. More than 30 titles have been out since last year on DVD and from this year on the Archive will present also films from outside of Hungary such as 'Lumière! L'aventure commence' by Thierry Frémaux. The first books that the Film Archive will publish this year are John Cunningham's book on István Szabó and Alan K. Rode's 'Michael Curtiz, A Life in film'.
Caudia Cardinale in 'Once Upon a Time in the West' © Angelo Novi
Budapest Classics Film Marathon 2018 The first Film Marathon was organized in November 2017 and during the three days of the festival more than 5000 people attended screenings of restored masterpieces and hundreds took part in the professional programmes.
The 2nd Budapest Classics Film Marathon kicks off with an all-day film workshop and conference in the Institut Francais on 4 September, with the participation of the directors of European film archives. The topic is digital restoration and film in education. The programme of the opening evening will be a screening of the restored Mephisto in Uránia cinema on 4 September, attended by István Szabó, Klaus Maria Brandauer and Lajos Koltai. The audience can once again count on a true movie marathon: more than 60 films in six days projected Wes Anderson: 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' at the Toldi and Uránia cinemas and elsewhere. As György Ráduly, director of the Film Archive, put it: “The aim is to show, in a novel and interesting way, valuable, recently restored classical films that represent a part of the Hungarian and universal film heritage, reach out to young people, shed the spotlight on rarities and 're-orchestrated' popular films—all on the big screen as a true cinematic experience.”
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30 IS THE NEW 25!
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sasha Baron Cohen, Timothée Chalamet, and Ashley Judd walk into a bar... It probably have not happened yet, but all these movie stars are currently filming in Budapest in separate projects, so they might as well have their drinks together. And even better: the tax incentive is now 30%! text by Gábor Osváth Film production is stronger in Hungary every year. The country is continental Europe's most popular destination for international shoots; the volume of production spending reached $400 million in 2017, and the Hungarian National Film Fund is keen to preserve the country's leading position, thus they have submitted the tax rebate rise to the European Commission, which has given its approval. So the already-very-popular 25% is now 30%! Projects that started filming in July or later are already eligible. Furthermore, some non-Hungarian spend can also be part of the rebate (it is capped at 25% of the Hungarian eligible spend). No wonder locations and soundstages are continuously busy this year. Some of the biggest international stars are currently in Budapest filming various productions, so let us have a quick look at some of the most exciting projects! The Will Smith-starrer 'Gemini Man', directed by Ang Lee, just left the Hungarian capital. Smith's presence was well-documented because he posted several videos of Budapest on his social media pages (probably worth millions in free advertisement!). Another major star arrived right
'Berlin Station'
after Smith left: Arnold Schwarzenegger landed to film the new 'Terminator' movie, reuniting him with Linda Hamilton. Arnold frequently posts from his bike or gym trips in Budapest, but the details of the movie are heavily guarded secrets. 8
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'Terminator'
Mackenzie Davis is the new heroine, and it is almost like a homecoming for the Canadian actress as this is the third project for her in Hungary after 'The Martian' and 'Blade Runner 2049'! Tentpole movies aside: productions of various scale are currently in Hungary. Mid-scale projects include the horror movie 'Midsommer', starring a young cast led by Florence Pugh, Will Poulter and Jack Reynor, with 'Hereditary'helmer Ari Aster directing. Timothée Chalamet, Robert Pattinson and Joel Edgerton are currently filming the 15th centuryset 'The King', which is directed by David Michôd ('Animal Kingdom') for Netflix. The streaming giant is also behind the limited series 'The Spy', starring Sasha Baron Cohen in a rare serious turn for the comedian. The 6-part series will tell the story of Eli Cohen, a spy for Israel in Syria in the early 1960s. Gideon Raff, the creator of the series 'Prisoners of War' on which 'Homeland' is based, is directing. (Interestingly, the 8th season of Homeland was also filmed in Hungary a few months back!) On the tv-side, it is the genre of thriller that dominate. Amazon Studios' 'Hanna' and Epix Channel's 'Berlin Station' is currently in Budapest – the latter's third season stars Ashley Judd, Richard Jenkins and Richard Armitage. More recent productions include 'Vanity Fair', 'Genius – Picasso', the new season of National Geographic's 'Mars', and the critically acclaimed shows 'The Alienist' and 'The Terror'.
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The Viewer Should Go into the Labyrinth of the Story It has only been three years since his sensational debut 'Son of Saul' won virtually every major international award, including the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, LĂĄszlĂł Nemes is back with the intriguing 'Sunset' about a young woman's journey of self-discovery in the Budapest of 1913. The stunningly designed film is having its world premiere in Venice, as part of a competition line-up that is probably one of the strongest in the history of the renowned festival. We talked with the 41-year-old director about how he set out to revolutionalize period film genre, choosing his lead actress after looking at more than ten thousand applicants, working with a non-professional on screen in every scene, dealing with high expectations, and why he thinks Venice is the most ideal launching pad for his second movie. text by Ferenc Varga 'Son of Saul' had a very powerful visual concept. Have you also established any kind of rule for 'Sunset' regarding visual realization? There was no rule, and yet we had an overall strategy: the viewer should go into the labyrinth of the story with the protagonist, in order to feel the disorientation and defencelessness the protagonist experiences. This subjective aspect is what connects 'Sunset' with 'Son of Saul'. The movie rambles without stopping, something is happening at every moment, whereas the era preceding First World War that is depicted in the movie it was supposedly slower than the present one. What did you want to convey with this tempo? Viewers are accustomed to certain dramaturgical effects and narratives that have already became rigid standardized forms. That is exactly why adventurousness, which is the essence of cinema, vanishes from the movies. For me it is very important that the viewer becomes a part of the film, having an inner - almost sensual - experience of it, not just watching a story as an outsider. The mechanism of 'Sunset' is certainly unconventional, its dramaturgy does not operate in a classical way.
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You mentioned earlier that costume drama as a genre could be renewed, and this is what you aim for. Was it difficult to break away from the traditional aesthetic, romantic approach? The process of trying to find a new approach was a great challenge. Creating postcard images in a period drama is not my style. Recently, Andrea Arnold, in 'Wuthering Heights', also tried new approaches while making a period piece. So did Kelly Reichardt in 'Meek's Cutoff'. In a way, 'Sunset' breaks conventions in an even more unmerciful way. It was exciting to find the protagonist of the film: you auditioned more than 10,000 candidates, before eventually choosing Juli Jakab, who played the most important female role in 'Son of Saul'. In 'Sunset', did you manage to bring out that secret and suggestive energy you see in her? An actress is like a chameleon, always taking on new forms. Juli is not like that at all. Her energy appears in completely different dimensions, and her layers are richer and more unexpected than the traditional actingbased type. Her presence is made interesting by her fragility and vulnerability. This is a completely different kind of acting, I've seen something similar to this only in Bresson's movies so far.
In my opinion, integrity and unexploredness move the viewer in unforeseen ways. The protagonist is already upset at the beginning of the movie, and as the story progresses, this gets worse. Do you think that Juli as an amateur had a harder time to attain these states of mind compared to a trained actress? For me, whether someone is an amateur or a professional is not so relevant. By shrinking movie phraseology, acting became even more uniform. In a Kubrick, Antonioni or Bergman movie, an actor functions in completely different ways, certainly different from the average film today. The performance of actors cannot be measured on a universal scale. Every director tries to develop his own scale and his own language. Acting does not have exact measures as the ones you would find in a ship log. Who defines the spectrum on which actors play? Juli did not need protection—we only had to go with her down her own path, into her own labyrinth, and try to reveal the layers, pull the curtains away. You shot the movie's severalminute-long opening scene on the very first day of shooting. Why was it so important to get started with this? That scene is a birth in all aspects: the birth of an actress,
You mentioned that you chose your film to take place in the 1910s, because a sophisticated civilized Europe was at its height, whereas the fall of this world was already in the making, as alluded to in the title of the film. Why do you think this era was idyllic? Before First World War, technological photo by Laokoon Filmgroup and cultural Máté Bartha development has given rise the birth of Irisz. It was important to a great brought a promise that the beginning of Jakab Juli and civilization has achieved a on the set is also the beginning high degree of sophistication, of the film. This scene helped get as symbolized in the film by the protagonist, the director, the the world of the hat store. If you actors, and the crew on the same take the pictures of Budapest wavelength. To make it clear to at that time and look at the everyone that we are doing this richness of details, you see the kind of film, which works in a craftmanship, the attention completely different coordinate and the quality that they system than a regular period tried to build. It is interesting, piece. intriguing and mysterious to see how fast this civilization This film is much larger than of Europe suddenly turned to 'Son of Saul', regarding its self-destruction, destroying budget, the number of actors, in two world wars the entire extras, and sets. Without continent and the humanistic forgetting that because of principle it was built on. Before 'Son of Saul', everybody has First World War, the inhumanity tremendous expectations. How that the 20th century would could you stay cold-blooded in produce—systematic genocide, this tense situation? modern political dictatorships, and putting technology into It was a rough ride. Every day, the service of these devastating new difficulties arose of all sorts, forces—was completely and there were new problems invisible. Under a thin layer of due to a big machinery that civilization, there is primitive comprised set, horses, coaches, self-destruction. These forces lots of extras, dust, and many certainly worked at once. It is times highly complicated shots. a big question – and certainly However, the difficulties gave relevant for our societies me strength. I was surrounded whether it could have been by smart and reliable people, different. and we understood each other's language—, after all, this is the To what extent everyday men, key. And I banished expectations who are also seen in your film, from my mind during the process are responsible for the fall of of making this film. civilization?
This region, Central Europe, which has so defined the history of 20th century Europe was also the birthplace of great thoughts: nationalism, psychology, great literary trends, political ideas and regimes... There was something here, in this configuration, with a cultural sophistication, that could have worked out in a completely different way. Yet it began to destroy itself. Today we still have a boundless faith in technology and we feel invincible. But we also feel—as people felt in the first years of the century, a hundred years ago—that something is going to happen. One of the main centers of the film is the Leiter hat store. We learn how people spent their time back then - for example, they would choose a custom-made hat months in advance. Do you regard this idyllic, too? There is really something that for us, seems decadent. The kind of hat people wore immediately disclosed their places in society. It was a system of codes and appearance. Those hats show the sophistication of the era, along with the idealism and optimism that are characteristic of the times. In 'Sunset', there are surprisingly straightforward references to movies you mentioned earlier to have had an impact on you. Did you have a hard time to decide whether to hide them better or not? I think references and inspirations are important part of the process. Certain movies, like 'Sunrise' from Murnau, or 'Blue Velvet' from Lynch, were inspirations for me. 'Sunset' is to be launched in one the most prestigious Venetian competition programme in history. How do you feel about it? This film could not have been launched in a better place and in a better context, than in Venice. We are blessed things worked out this way.
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So far, I've been lucky text by Ferenc Varga In 2012, you had a part in the pilot for an early version of 'Sunset'. What was this first collaboration like? As far as I can remember that particular day when that scene was shot, and when I think of the shooting of 'Son of Saul', which for me only took one day, and how it was to work together for so many days when shooting 'Sunset'—this has been a wellrounded experience for me. The reason why it is so good to work with László is that he has a certain quality which makes you trust him in an incredibly deep way—trust his decisions, his instructions. For me as an actor it is a very pleasant memory, and I'm very happy that it continued this way. Has success changed László in any way? My relationship with László is a professional one, with long gaps. What I can see is how he acts as a director, and what his presence is like at a shooting. He is the type of person who gives himself over to the project he is working on one thousand per cent, almost maniacally. I think this prevents him from focusing on himself in a different way. A person who is this dedicated is probably less likely to be affected by success, and his personality won't be distorted by it. The person I have always known has remained the same. How did you find out that you had been chosen for the part of Irisz? They asked me to go to the office where the casting had 12
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taken place. I had the feeling that everyone knew that this was an important moment. It was a very touching situation. Primarily for me, of course, but it was very moving to see that the others were emotional about it, too. When it was announced that you'd be the protagonist, did you believe that your secrets were interesting enough to be explored through such a monumental film? At that point I wasn't thinking about that anymore. The casting lasted for almost a year for me. During this period, we had regular meetings, and I was working a lot together with László. Once we got there, for me, this has become a practical challenge, one of the greatest tasks of my life. Obviously, I realised the scope of the production but I also understood that if I focused on this every day, it would distract my attention from the important things. To me, it was the pinnacle of the job that László decided that I should be Irisz Leiter. If I hadn't trusted him that he knew what he was doing, I wouldn't have been able to concentrate on everything else–the real part of the work. As a graduate dramaturg, did you consider the script critically? Even if László expresses that he is in the middle of a decision process, it is obvious that he will bring the decision following his good instincts. He radiates a certain trust with which it is very easy to go along, for the
László Nemes' monumental second film rests upon the slender shoulders of Juli Jakab. A 29 year old graduate dramaturg with little acting experience besides a one scene appearrance in the director's Oscar-winning debut 'Son of Sau'l, she is front and center in virtually every shot of 'Sunset'. It is through her eyes we get to observe the bustling world of the Budapest of 1913 and her mesmerizing presence pulls us into the mystery at the heart of story. cast and crew alike. And from there, it becomes authentic. This is one of the reasons why I didn't question the details of the script or his instructions as a director. The other reason is an attitude towards filmmaking. There are filmmakers who build on spontaneity, while others strive to understand the world they create to its utmost depths, and who want to know what's exactly where in it. László, naturally, is the latter. What were the most interesting things you learnt about the era while you were preparing for the part? I gained a lot of practical knowledge of various things like etiquette, millinery or dancing. Apart from these, what I found useful was finding out things like, for example, how different the walking pace was at that time. It is interesting to know which knife to use for which course, but to me, it is much more meaningful to know how people didn't let their emotions or temporary conditions show. There were a lot of rules which we might regard today as uncomfortable or unpleasant, but these served the ideal and beautiful way of life we also wanted to create. Vlad Ivanov is an internationally acclaimed actor. People often use
boxing terminology to describe the interaction of two actors in front of the camera: 'knocking out the other one', 'acting circles around one's opponent', etc. Were you anxious about working with him? I didn't have time to be worried: during the casting, there was a moment where we were suddenly facing each other. Moreover, we were rehearsing an extremely tense scene for almost an hour, where both characters have more than one intense turning points. During this hour I discovered two extremes about Vlad: he is a fantastic actor who can focus his energies in an incredible way, and, if needed, he has the most frightening stare. In reality, he is
an amazingly kind person and he has a great sense of humour. He never indicated that he had any problems with me being, so to speak, an amateur. He was always very supportive towards me, and soon we developed a very close relationship. László has said that there are certain points of connection between 'Son of Saul' and 'Sunset'. Has it ever occurred to you that Irisz could just as well be the mother of Ella, the girl you played in 'Son of Saul'? I didn't think of such concrete family connections, but I had the strong sensation that we were not moving among historical cardboard figures, but among people who are just like me, sitting at this dining table today, only they lived one hundred years ago.
What was it like to watch the film for the first time? It was a fantastic experience. I had been waiting for it for nine months, and thought about it every day what it would be like to watch the completed film. During the shooting I was busy concentrating on my own job. I had a sense of the set design, of course, and of the overall concept of photography. But I had not watched any of the material, and so the thing that interested me the most was how this enormous work would look, what these wonderful pictures would be like. And it overwhelmed me. The #metoo and Time's Up! movements were born right after the shooting of 'Sunset'. Many people will probably watch the film through this new filter. Do you think that such an interpretation might be legitimate? I always observed the character of Irisz as a human being, and tried to figure her out as a human being. For me, her story— even with her vulnerability and helplessness—is primarily about human behaviour, and not about her embracing her femaleness. Whether we are able to create a society or not where women can live in safety is a question going back centuries, even millennia, which never loses its validity. Each time, when a step is taken towards this—whether it is the suffragettes or the #metoo movement—it is a step to be welcomed and supported. Do you actively seek new opportunities as an actress? So far, I have been lucky. Those things that needed to find me, found me. Or we found each other. I trust that this will remain the same in the future. photo by Gábor Valuska HUNGARIAN FILM MAGAZINE
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'Sunset'
Admission Card to the International Circle of Movie Professionals As the Laokoon Filmgroup produced the first feature film of Academy Award winner László Nemes, his second movie the 'Sunset' is also got produced by the company. We asked the two CEOs of the Laokoon Filmgroup, Gábor Sipos and Gábor Rajna about the difference between the two films and two stages Due to their tight schedule the interview was made via email, the producers formed and articulated their answers together. text by Dávid Dercsényi What represents a bigger risk: to promote a debut film like the 'Son of Saul' or to promote the second film of a director who won an Academy Award only recently? How much a production after winning an Academy Award can raise unfulfillable expectations? The 'Son of Saul' was a debut project, when we read the script, we were speechless, and had the urge to start it
right there immediately. László Nemes had made several short films before, but our cooperation started with the 'Son of Saul'. It's never easy to promote a debut filmmaker: you never know how they can perform in real situations. We had to make a lot of compromises during the making of 'Son of Saul', but as a result of dedicated cooperation, we
From the very beginning mutual sympathy and trust formed between us, which during the process of development, production and the later stages of life of the film got stronger even making us allies. 14
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could turn these compromises to the advantage of the film. Our task is to supervise the artists and direct the crew without limiting their creativity. But it's a completely different story following the 'Son of Saul''s success in festivals, after winning the Academy Award, and the film having a widespread distribution around the world. There is a huge amount of expectation in case of 'Sunset', everybody wants to know if the 'Son of Saul' was an only oneoccasion hit or László Nemes is such an exceptionally talented director who is able to replicate the success. Does he have his own visionary perspective, can he create a completely new language, can he manage to make another successful movie out of a
script with a different topic? We already know the answer, and we are very proud of him.
photo by AFP
How did you put together the budget of the film? Which organisations supported or gave a grant to the 'Sunset'? The 'Sunset' was made in a Hungarian- French coproduction, in the production of Laokoon Filmgroup, in cooperation with Playtime. The production was led by Gábor Sipos and Gábor Rajna, and French coproducers are Francios Yon, Nicolas Brigaud-Robert and Valéry Guibal. The biggest share of the budget was partly given by the Hungarian National Film Fund, and by the Hungarian Film Incentive. Other supporters are the Eurimages, the Aide aux Cinémas du Monde—Centre National du Cinéma et de l'image Animée—Institut Français, the Indéfilms 6, The Creative Europe—MEDIA and the TorinoFilmLab. How did the success of the 'Son of Saul' change your job as producers? What became more difficult or easier? The enormous victory of 'Son of Saul' was our admission card to the cream of the international circle of movie professionals.
we have been offered many international cooperations since then. We believe international co-productions are valid, and it is a great honour when foreign professionals choose us as their cooperative partners. Our latest international coproduction was the latest film of Krzysztof Zanussi.
with Laokoon Filmgroup than before, they have trust towards us that we can make their project successful, too. During the years we have developed the skill of producing and developing several projects parallel at the same time—thanks to our dedicated and enthusiastic team.
Does the Academy Award make the life of other directors at Laokoon Filmgroup easier?
Are debut filmmakers knocking on your door in large numbers after the winning of Academy Award with the same hopes?
Directly it has no effects on our other projects. However, our relationships, our social network, our presence in the international currents do have a major influence on our work as producers. All the directors are treated equally in the Laokoon Filmgroup, our professional knowledge and experience make us more confident during our collaboration with them.
We made a lot of contacts during the numerous festival presentations of the film. It's an advantage but it also means a huge responsibility in the same time. The Laokoon Filmgroup was established 16 years ago,
More Hungarian directors seek the possibility to work
Debut filmmakers have one thing in common: with the lack of experience and full of expectations they are looking for a producer who is as dedicated to their project as they are. We like to fulfil this kind of expectations heated by emotions because that's the only way you can get the most out of debut film projects. There are several producers in Laokoon Filmgroup, Judit Stalter, our company partner is just working on the production of a debut film. We also develop debut films, but many times we have to turn down projects—for us, less is more.
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Reconstructing A World that Has Disappeared Interview with László Rajk, production designer of 'Sunset'
László Rajk is a well-known Hungarian public figure: an architect, an avant garde artist, a university professor - and also a production designer in films of Costa-Gavras, John Irwin, Miklós Jancsó, Tony Gatlif, Fatih Akin, Béla Tarr. He has been working with László Nemes from his very first short film until his Oscar-winning first feautere, 'Son of Saul', and he is the production designer of the Leiter Hat Store in 'Sunset'. text by Anita Libor When discussing the film 'Son of Saul', you have often said that you divide the history of set design into three main periods. The first one was all about building huge and spectacular sets, the second used the green box, and 'Son of Saul' opens the third phase, where everyone on set can see the set design but the audience can't. Which period does the set design of 'Sunset' belong to?
The space of 'Son of Saul' is an enclosed universe, the strict but also intimate world of the concentration camp. 'Sunset', on the other hand, takes place in an open world, with all the sounds and noises of a big city. This means that in this film we–sound designer and production designer alike–had to create a completely different, open and noisy universe which reflects much less intimacy.
In the first phase of classic set design, the production takes the urban sets into the backlot of the studio outside of the city. When we designed 'Sunset'– although the set design was large and spectacular–it was the studio that came into the city. Building the main site of 'Sunset', the gigantic building of the Leiter Hat Store among the perfectly fitting period houses of the Palace District of Budapest, together with the adjoining buildings, town squares and a park, created a truly special effect. In 'Sunset', unlike in 'Son of Saul', all this can be seen: a symbiosis of the city and the set design.
You had access to a large amount of historical material which you used for the set design of 'Son of Saul'. Did you have similar sources for 'Sunset'?
According to you, in 'Son of Saul' it was the sound that took over the role of set design. Is it going to be the same in 'Sunset'? What is your collaboration like with Tamás Zányi, the sound designer of both films?
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When 'Son of Saul' was in post-production, we already knew that the next film by László Nemes would somehow discuss the first big and testing era of the 20th century, the period right before the Great War. I'm emphasising the word 'somehow' with a reason. I have been the production designer of all of László's films, and he surprised me every single time with how differently he saw the particular era which he had chosen as his film's time. This is why it was the most important task of the pre-production period for me to get hold of and synthesise as much material– data, photos, and verbal resources–as possible. I must thank all those who helped this process as the members of
the research team and the art department, and the invaluable information we received from Fortepan–an online private photo archives–, the Budapest Collection of the Ervin Szabó Library, and the photo collection of the Hungarian National Museum, friends and private persons. We have even published a special book for our own use, in order to collate all this material in one place: it's called 'The Breviary', and exists only in a few copies as a sort of samizdat. Hundreds and hundreds of colourful pages, photos, and ambiances. This collection has become so powerful that even now, we can't stop: we're still regularly sharing our newest discoveries of the Budapest of the past with the other members of the creative team. The Leiter Hat Store has been erected in the Palace District of Budapest. How did you imagine this building? Every building is a concentration of an aesthetic concept and style, and these represent the concentration of the entire era. When planning the Leiter Hat Store, I considered the urban texture and structure of the city: roads, crossroads, the layering of different styles and elements, and additions–not just a simple building. It was important
to determine the starting point and the destination, the directions, the spaces and lights. As an architect, I usually have a lot more freedom but as the production designer of a film, I have to work closely together with the director and the cinematographer, and my solutions must serve their needs. We built the Hat Store, the main site of the film, on an empty plot in a small street behind the Hungarian National Museum, between two houses that were most certainly there at the time of the story. It was built to leave room for the camera to move freely, and to leave enough space for the technology, but at the same time those who played–and practically lived–their parts within its walls had to believe every single second that they were in the year 1913, in Budapest, at its most elegant hat store full of secrets. What is the meaning of the following sentence which is also featured in the trailer: 'This building still stands, when everything else is gone.'
photo by Laokoon Filmgroup / Máté Bartha
The year when the film is set, 1913, is no accident. The first volume of Marcel Proust's
monumental novel, 'In Search of Lost Time' was published that year. It was also the last year of the Belle Époque. In times of change, we always need something constant to relate to; in our case, this is the Leiter Hat Store, the heritage of Írisz Leiter. What is changing is everything else: the morale, the society, the culture, and the backdrop of it all: the magical and colourful city of Budapest. We wanted to reconstruct this changing world that has disappeared since. This is why we decided to work with a built set as opposed to shooting in an existing building which might be well known or recognisable. I created something new with my colleagues–a whole new area of the city at an empty plot of the Palace District–but I have 'stolen' or borrowed a lot from the Budapest of that time, and from the work of my fellow architects of that bygone era. I would even venture to say that there is not a detail of the Leiter Hat Store which doesn't exist somewhere in Budapest. Many tiny elements which make a whole new entity, just like the eclectic city of Budapest itself. Cariatides, columns, tympana, ages layered upon ages. Past and present, all with its own modernity.
How did the overwhelming international success of 'Son of Saul' affect you? You have talked to the press about the film many times, you have even held lectures and workshops. I was very happy about the international success, but also that many people in Hungary have also watched the film. They talked about it, and, consequently, about the subjects they had never talked about before. The Shoah, the Holocaust, and the moral struggles and individual battles have become part of the public discourse, and we have faced individual responsibility, too. I'm glad that the success of 'Son of Saul' continues. An important part of it is the set design, but it is not the most important one. The secret of this success is the staggering power of the director's concept (László Nemes), the vision of the cinematographer (Mátyás Erdély), and the sound design and music (Tamás Zányi and László Melis). As an architect and artist, I have been working with the spaces and the memory of Auschwitz, but every single time I watch 'Son of Saul', or hold a lecture about it anywhere in the world–Princeton University, Iceland or Vilnius–, it evokes new emotions in me, and it affects me every minute. Not only the power of the topic, but the visual power created by my colleagues. I think that this visual and intellectual power is also the power of 'Sunset'. It discusses a different subject in a different way, but with the same intensity and mind-blowing effect.
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We Were Searching for The Lost Beauty
Interview with Györgyi Szakács, the costume designer of 'Sunset'
Györgyi Szakács is the unavoidable costume designer in the life of Hungarian and European theatre, who worked with nearly every major Hungarian filmmaker in the past 30 years. She is a permanent collaborator of István Szabó—she was nominated for an Oscar for the costume design of Szabó's 'Sunshine'—her costumes could be seen in 'Fateless', 'Magic Hunter' and 'Taking Sides', too. In 'Sunset', she wanted to present the beauty of a bygone age, which she met as a toddler in her mom's fashion salon.
One of the main themes of 'Sunset' is searching for beauty. How it is reflected in the costume design of the movie? This era means the lost beauty for me. In post-compromise Hungary, manufacturing industry, architecture, and art developed rapidly, and in parallel, tailoring and dressing rose to a high standard. At that time, it was not by chance that Budapest was called the Paris of Eastern Europe. I did not know this world personally, but thanks to my
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mother, as a child, I moved about a lot in the world of the salons of Váci Street, among others in the famous salon of Clara Rothschild, where I was surrounded by the objects and old aristocratic ladies of this bygone age. These quality garments and jewels shed the impulse of another world, which forever disappeared with the First World War. Women still had time to make these detailed, selfishly beautiful dresses which require a great deal of attention—even with their own hands. The 1910s were also the world of Art Nouveau, of a very volatile, 'Sunset' decadent visuality and philosophy. There are times in history when culture reaches a very high degree of sophistication, but something is boiling deep down that breaks this super development. The rococo before the French Revolution, or Art Nouveau before the First World War were similar eras. In 'Sunset', we wanted to display something from this pre-storm state. Was it difficult to reproduce this lost world? Our most important objective is not to lie, and to create a credible world. We did not fish for garments from costume warehouses but used original antique pieces which I have been collecting for several decades, and we also made new ones from authentic, natural materials—silk satin and linen with genuine bobbin
text by Tamás Soós
lace—that already existed in the first years of the century. I wanted to avoid operetta or onpurpose fashionista stylisation, flamboyancy in a bad sense, and fake colour palettes. I was trying to achieve that the viewer sees real people instead of people dressed in costumes. The protagonist of 'Sunset' is a daughter of a family running a hat store. What does her costume reveal about her? Irisz Leiter is a pure soul, whom we wanted to dress in blue from the very beginning. In painting, light blue as a colour is rich in meaning, it suggests inner purity. In the film, Irisz wears blue and purple costumes, the colours of the iris, as these two colours are the most characteristic of this flower.
The point was that this youthful blue shade, the sensitive reactions of the fabric of the costume and the change of its texture would be as vivid in the film as possible. This is complemented by the somewhat standing white batiste collar which was fashionable back then. I was really surprised when, by chance, I came upon my grandmother's photo from the 1910s where she also wore a similar collar. This collar is indirectly similar to the petals of a flower, but I do not like to construe such specific things in my job, we did not want to use too straightforward symbols. For example, the hat
photo by Miki 357
with iris flowers drawn on it that I designed for Irisz was quickly thrown away. With the costumes we wanted to present a kind of restrained, stifled beauty. What kind of fabric was Irisz's dress made of? I've been looking for a fabric that can crinkle and responds sensitively to the effects that influence it, similarly to the girl who wears it. I made Irisz's costume from silk batiste, which is becoming more and more crinkled and dirty as she submerges into darkness. The late golden age of the Monarchy is also presented in the Hungarian film 'Sunshine', for the costume design of which you were nominated for an Oscar. How much is the era presented in 'Sunset' different from the one presented in István Szabó's 'Sunshine'? It is interesting that both films try to capture the era with titles related to the Sun. I approached 'Sunset's costumes in a different way that I approached 'Sunshine'— partly because István Szabó's film tells the story of three generations and three periods: the 1890s, the 1920s and the 1950s. It does not present the 1910s directly, in which 'Sunset' takes place. Men's fashion, which is more limited, and prefers uniforms, has not changed much during these twenty years, however, women's dresses have had different silhouettes, so I had to design different types of dresses for the two films. In the 1890s, the sleeves were even bigger, the waists were slimmer, and the bottom of the skirts were fuller. By the 1910s, skirts got straighter, women wore different types of corsets, because wasp waist was no longer the most important thing, and big hats came into fashion.
In 'Sunset', a millinery plays a key role. In costume history, this is the time when an incredibly rich hat culture has evolved, in Budapest, for example, there were more than a thousand hat shops. Hats were the adornments of garments. A lady would never leave the house without a hat and a pair of gloves. This was especially true during the hot summer when she was protecting her skin from the
sun. Giant cartwheel hats were in fashion, and Mátyás Erdély, cinematographer, were a bit afraid that they would shield the face of protagonist Juli Jakab, but fortunately hers was still of a manageable size. Of course, the size of the hat Irisz is wearing also has its meaning: she arrives in Budapest with a light summer hat, then borrows another one in the millinery, but as he gets into the puddle, she loses her headwear.
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The most recently presented feature film on which Mátyás Erdély worked as a cinematographer won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Now he has teamed up again with the director of 'Son of Saul', László Nemes. Their second film, 'Sunset', required a new approach, a new scope, and had to meet new expectations, but there were things that have not changed. text by András Huszár
Two and a half years have passed since 'Son of Saul' won an Oscar. How do you rate this award from this perspective? How much have you personally profited from it? I thought it would have tangible consequences a bit faster, that after the Academy Award I would get more outstanding scripts sooner, maybe even from filmmakers whose work I have known before and already respect. This hasn't really been the case. It seems to be a more gradual process in my case but anyway, it is a terrific business card that I have a movie that has won an Oscar. It is a good context if my name comes to someone's mind as “the cinematographer who photographed 'Son of Saul'”.
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Every Work of Art has its Own Form With 'Son of Saul', the preparation process was quite long. You have carefully mapped the visual world of the film in advance. Was it done the same way with 'Sunset' as well? We had been preparing for 'Son of Saul' for about three years, we had been working at a very fast pace in the last few months. For 'Sunset', we had one and a half years, however, this period was very intensive from the very beginning to the very end. You mentioned during your Oscar campaign for 'Son of Saul' that you had begun working on 'Sunset'. It was an interesting situation: the campaign of 'Son of Saul'
was going on all over the world, which required great physical and mental efforts from László, however, he was already thinking about 'Sunset'. The screenplay was developing, and I joined in very early, too. 'Sunset', with its bigger budget and even more complicated scenes, was shot for twice as long as 'Son of Saul'. Was this a liberating feeling, or rather a stress factor? It required a different working method, exactly because of its scale. From a Europeanstyle cinematographer, who is basically sitting behind the camera, I became an American-style director of photography. György Réder was our camera operator, he was the
one who finished 'Son of Saul' after I had been involved in an accident. Now he was operating while I was lighting. At first, this situation seemed a bit strange to me, but the three of us—László, György and I—could cooperate and communicate splendidly and it worked out great. This is your fourth film in a row—after 'Miss Bala', 'Son of Saul', and 'James White'— which uses a subjective viewpoint. Why did this film also require close, subjective style? Interestingly, I was not necessarily the one who suggested this kind of working method. I am currently working on the second feature by Sean Durkin, and our approach is very didferent. It so happened that 'Miss Bala' was a very subjective story, focusing on one person, which required the camera to be with the protagonist. It is interesting to me that I have shown the director the film 'With a little Patience', which we had made with László Nemes, and it became a very important point of reference for him. 'James White' is also subjective, the screenplay was based on the director's own experiences. 'Son of Saul' is an explicit, extreme version, and with 'Sunset', László wanted to show the world again through one person's perspective. However, when we finished 'Son of Saul', and began to talk about 'Sunset', we definitely wanted to do something that was very different. For example, if the aspect ratio was 1: 1.37 in 'Son of Saul', then it should be anamorphic 1:2.39 in 'Sunset'; if 'Son of Saul' was to be photographed with a handheld camera, then let's use the dolly for 'Sunset'. We made a mood test film, but the camera was in my hands already for the second shot. We realised that the kind of approach
that László likes and that matches 'Sunset' requires that the camera be hand-held. We decided in advance that there would be dolly and anamorph, however, in vain—in the end, it was 1: 1.85 and a hand-held camera. 'Sunset' was shot on film, too, partly on 65 mm... We only shot the epilogue of the film on 65 mm, the rest of the film was shot on 35 mm. Our intention was that the ending would be somehow separate from the rest of the film. It creates a different mood, and we wanted to seperate it visually, too. What's the bonus for shooting 'Sunset' on film, and that we will be able to watch it on film, too? Every work of art has its own form, it was not by chance that Rembrandt painted with oil. He thought oil paint on canvas would reflect most accurately what he wanted to show of the world. An important component of the creative process is how the product gets to the viewer—
to other Holocaust movies. Historical costume dramas also have a fixed palette. Was it a concept again that the film should not be within its genre? We wanted to avoid making a postcard -like film by all means: if we have a nice location or dress, let's not just linger on it for a long time because it's beautiful. 'Sunset' takes place in a very specific historical moment, at the height of civilisation, in the golden years of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Budapest had never been more exciting and richer in multi-layered arts, science, architecture, and culture than in the period between 1892 and 1913. The film's main location is the Leiter Hat Store—with the hat perfectly symbolizing this sophisticated world. One of the main questions of 'Sunset' is what is happening in such an overburdened moment, why and how the fall begins. How much stress was caused by internal or external expectations with 'Sunset' being the second feature by László Nemes after his Academy Award?
'Sunset'
in the case of 'Sunset', the 35 film and print can achieve the effect we wanted to achieve. With 'Son of Saul', you determined the aesthetics of your own movie compared
Both László and I are maximalists. Regardless of what happens, whether it wins any award or not, I love 'Sunset', it is a beautiful movie, and an important milestone in my professional life. HUNGARIAN FILM MAGAZINE
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All Sounds Are Equal Interview with Tamás Zányi
In Cannes, he won Vulcan Award for the sound design of the 'Son of Saul', even Christopher Nolan's Oscar-winning sound designer congratulated him. On the movie 'Sunset', one of the most soughtafter Hungarian sound designer, Tamás Zányi was working with László Nemes on the sound effects to be as special as the movie's imagery. text by Tamás Soós With his long, subjective cuts, László Nemes created an original imagery. Is there anything special in the way he deals with the sound? László thinks about the movie in a complex way, and, besides visuality, he pays particular attention to the sound as well. The peculiarity of this is probably that for him all sounds are equally important.
With other directors, dialogues and story-telling are the most important issues, with music, then noise and atmosphere only following them on the priority list. However, László tends to struggle for long with different background elements, for example with the hushed conversation of the hat-making girls, because he considers it important to have all the elements of the movie credible. This craftsmanship, this handcrafted approach is what makes his movies very unique and analogue in quotation marks. What concept did you have in mind when approaching the sound design of 'Sunset'?
photo by Gábor Valuska
There were no audio documents from what we could learn about the sound of Budapest in the 1910s, so we had to rely on our fantasy, like in 'Son of Saul'. Our
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basic idea was to create a lively metropolis atmosphere as it was a thriving era in the life of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. The mechanization has begun, the automotive industry has been developing quickly, and in the streets of the capital there were more than twenty types of cars whose sounds were developed based on, among other things, the sound of a classic Ford model T. We also tried to dissolve the misconceptions associated with the era. For example, a widespread stereotype is that back then hansom-cabs were plying on the cobblestone streets of Budapest, but the film's preliminary research revealed that there were very few cobblestone streets, yet there were many dirt roads and freshly asphalted roads, which in our case greatly influenced the atmosphere of the vehicles and the workers in the background.
With the long, subjective camera movements following the protagonist, with 'Sunset', László Nemes aimed at creating an immersive world in which the viewer may be absorbed. How can you support this effect with the sounds? From the technical point of view, the immersive movie sound means that sounds do not come only from the front or from the sides, but also from above. Contrary to vision, we hear sounds in 360 degrees around the head, and technical enhancements such as Dolby Atmos or Aurora 3D have made it possible to hear sounds coming from all directions. Although the 3D sound mixing technologies listed above are not currently available in Hungary, we have already asked the question with the 'Son of Saul' as to what the immersive sound means from a psychological point of view. With 'Son of Saul' and 'Sunset', we wanted to achieve this effect, too, even though we did not always place the sounds in a conventional way. In a movie, dialogue is usually played in the middle, so that actors can be well understood, and this is surrounded by movie sound and atmosphere. We, however, spread the sounds and tried to create a complex, rich sound carpet from various acoustic elements, such as the whispering of Austrian lords or the sound of asphalting. This is also needed in Nemes' films, because the background is usually blurry due to the subjective camera movements that adhere to the protagonist and this makes it possible to counteract the limited visual perspective with the acoustic dimension extending in depth and width. It is much like completing the lines with our imagination as we read. 'Son of Saul' did not have a traditional soundtrack. How about 'Sunset'?
'Sunset'
For 'Sunset', László Melis composed a separate, pithy soundtrack, which is almost always present in the film. There is much diegetic dance music, that is, source music resulting from the movie's storyline that had been written by Melis in advance in order to be able to play it while shooting the scenes. The non-diegetic score, also known as instrumental soundtrack, plays an important role in the immersive effect of the film. Similarly to 'Son of Saul', there are no complicated symphonic melodies here either, but few, long-held notes. We have been experimenting for a long time before creating a unified movie soundtrack image for 'Sunset', but it was worth it because it is beautifully serving the movie. This is one of his best works by László Melis, who until his death at the very beginning of this year worked on the soundtrack of 'Sunset'. With 'Son of Saul', you received the Vulcan Award at the Cannes Film Festival, and the Golden Reel Award at the Motion Picture Sound Editors Awards. How did these honours affect your career? Have you got international requests since then?
Some people approached me after the 'Son of Saul' and suggested to work together, but in the end these cooperations have never been realised, due to lack of time and capacity. In addition to foreign relations, I consider it equally important to have our work acknowledged and to spread awareness about it. Though we do not know each other, I received e-mails for example from Val Kuklowsky or Richard King, Oscarwinning sound designer for Christopher Nolan, in which they wrote about how they liked the sound of our movie. These are great honours. I'm also proud of the fact that in recent years our sound studio has become a creative venue, where more and more films are being made, including Ildikó Enyedi's Oscar-nominated film, 'On Body and Soul', or the post-production of 'One Day', a Hungarian movie recently awarded in Cannes. Regarding these successes, a lot of credit is due to my colleagues and our sound team. We hope that we can continue this creative cooperation in the Hungarian films to be made in the future!
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photo by Alamy Stock Photo
In Search for Not The Perfect But The True Movie 24 years ago, Ildikó Enyedi attended the Venice Film Festival as a film-maker who was expected to win the Golden Lion and last year she was a member of the Jury at the Lido as a renowned director. How has the festival changed and why does she consider last year's judging her most brilliant one?
text by Bálint Kovács
Your second movie, 'Magic Hunter' debuted at the Venice Film Festival in 1994. As a young director, did you consider it as a big thing? As László Neme' second movie debuts now in Venice, so was the case for me back then. It really was a big thing for me, not to mention that the Venice festival was very strong at that time–I'm glad that, considering the ups and downs of festivals, in recent years Venice's importance and prestige have increased again. In 1994, the Venice Film Festival was definitely the second most important one, closely following Cannes. The journey of the 'Magic Hunter' was quite adventurous: it was bought by a too big American distributor which could not really handle a European author's movie and asked too much money for screenings from festivals. We are still struggling to publish it on DVD in order to reach out to people. This was why the Venice Film Festival was so important for me: the movie could really present itself in front of the world there.
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Another important Venice memory for me was to attend the festival with my whole family as a new mother. My daughter was born after my first movie, 'My 20th Century', and this has filled my life for two years. During the postproduction of the 'Magic Hunter' I was pregnant with my son—he was somehow the reason I was able to keep up pace. We did it together. It is interesting to think of the Lido back then and compare it to the Lido where I was a jury member last year. At that time, the Venice that Thomas Mann wrote about was much more present: the strong city's worn but proud greatness was there in that hotel which served as one of the centres of the festival, and the spaces that were packed with film-makers were suffused with melancholy. Nowadays, the centre is already bright, shiny and a bit too stylish, too hard, and too loud. The soft and damaged elegance was incredibly attractive and interesting at that time. Did you feel then that you could even win the Golden Lion?
I was so nervous, and I have to say I was disappointed that we did not win, especially because there are always rumours circling around: rumour had it we almost won... I know, however, that the movie had a powerful effect. It is hard to finish such a great job; it is rare that a wrap can be really good. In this case, you ask yourself the question: which of my decisions could have caused the movie to be less powerful than the screenplay, which even got to the Sundance and was chosen as the best European screenplay? After this, I was at the Venice Film Festival twice. 'Tamas and Juli' was made as part of a series: in 1998, eight directors from all parts of the world were asked to make a movie about the year 2000. I was so proud of the Hungarian Filmlab: we were filming on 16 mm film, however, watching it on the big silver screen in Venice, nobody believed that we were not working with 35 mm film. It is important to pass on the old know-how, especially at the time when both 16 and 35 mm films began to disappear. I am happy to see that there are
Later, also as part of a series, I got to Venice with a sketch film, a part of 'From Europe Into Europe', made for Hungary's accession to the EU. I liked that little piece of work. In what way has the Venice Film Festival changed over the past quarter century? The function of big festivals has changed, the market has become increasingly important. Venice had a disadvantage that this aspect was not present, so the major film-makers, or rather the film distributors themselves, were reluctant to launch their films here. Last year it was a pleasure to see again how strong and important the festival became. It is touching to experience that Alberto Barbera, the director of the festival, relates to the movies with genuine openness and humility, and without a hint of arrogance, despite of being the director of one of the most significant film festivals. Serious, real attention is paid to the movies, so it is not sheer name hunt. What kind of experience was it to be a member of the jury? The judging last year was my most brilliant one, though I have been a member of sensational juries, for example beside Atom Egoyan, Abbas Kiarostami, Quentin Tarantino and Rosanna Arquette. It was a pleasure to experience that for ten days we could be together with very committed, powerful and passionate filmmakers of different backgrounds, and
beside having to decide on all kinds of prizes in the end, we were able to talk about our profession: about the solutions we saw and the considerations behind them. During our first meeting, Annette Bening, who was humble as a jury president, suggested to meet every second day: let's just meet and talk. Everybody was happy to hear this idea, and made time in their schedules for a 45-minute meeting. However, even the first occasion took nearly three hours. And we were not bored. We became deeply acquainted with each other's thinking, and by hearing other aspects, we discovered new things in the movies. These conversations were always deep and lasted long–the decision was made quickly after that. We have been mailing since then; this is the most cohesive jury of my life.
with a drama about domestic violence (Xavier Legrand: 'Custody'), however, we would not have thought of giving him a prize just because of the subject itself—the movie's incredible honesty and power, and disarming inner truth highlighted the film among the other ones competing. Or let me mention Guillermo Del Toro's Golden Lion-, and later, Oscar-winning movie, 'The Shape of Water': it is not common for such a mainstream and highly stylised movie made with tons of VFX and admittedly aimed for a wide audience to be personal in such a brave way. And it seemed to me that Del Toro's speech at the award ceremony confirmed this feeling: he really put his heart and soul into the movie and presented it to us. I am so glad that we have been able to notice this behind all that hype and CGI.
What were the aspects of the jury? Have you considered, for example, the presence of social responsibility beside aesthetic aspects?
Film festivals are said to have their own images. What is Venice's like? What kind of movies fit here?
We were not searching for the perfect movie but the truth, independently of its subject. Internal credibility, internal consistency, and the movie's ability to affect its viewers was more important. I would not weight the aesthetics against the subject. The Silver Lion Best Director award was won by a Frenchman who made his directorial debut there photo by GĂĄbor Valuska
more and more people working this way, and this technique also finds its place beside the digital technique. Not against it, but beside it. The Hungarian Filmlab works with full steam on new Hungarian films shot on (like 'Sunset'), and restores classic Hungarian films, some of which are transfered back to film.
All the three big festivals are loyal to different masters, and all of them can be very brave. This bravery is what makes the difference. In Venice, we can see again and again powerful and extreme author's movies which are important elements of our culture, but they would not have a chance to prevail unless such a big festival directs the spotlight to them.
Feature films that are borderline experimental films may have a bit more chance in Venice.
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photo by Zsuzsa Tőkés
The story of a fragile & bizarre friendship The story of a fragile and bizarre friendship A first movie from Petra Szó´cs, 'Deva' will be premiered at the Venice International Film Festival. This Biennale College Cinema production tells the story of an albino orphan girl and her Catholic caretaker. text by Anita Libor
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The Venice Biennale kicked off their Biennale College program in 2012, to finance three lowbudget films every year. The program is open to directors preparing their first or second feature film. 'Deva' is the first-ever Hungarian film treatment on the program, by Cluj-born script writer, author, poet and literary translator Petra Szőcs. She graduated as a Hungarian-German Literature major at ELTE University, then earned a Film Dramaturgy degree at the University of Theatre and Film Arts Budapest before progressing to become a Doctor of Liberal Arts here. Besides film-making, her poems and short stories have been published. In her latest film, Szőcs tells the story of a teenage albino girl called Kató, who makes friends during her summer break with the volunteer Bogi, but the only way she can express her friendship is by betraying someone. The leading roles are played by Csengelle Nagy, Mohamed Fatma and Boglárka Komán, while the supporting children are students of the St Francis Foundation of Déva. This is the second time Szőcs worked with an albino girl, her previous short film, 'The Execution', starred Katalin Moldován. The film featured siblings who re-enect the Ceaușescus' execution over and over again. It was screened at the Cannes Festival, and got a special mention at Sarajevo International Film Festival. The storyline of Déva was also inspired for the most part by The Execution's star, Katalin Moldován, but having outgrown her own role, fellow Transylvanian albino girl Csengelle Nagy was cast as her replacement. ”Csengelle was a real pro, she coped with the filming better than anyone. But she and Kató are entirely different characters, so the script needed a major overhaul,” the director reflects. The second lead actor, Boglárka Komán is a full-time caretaker at the eighth district Child Protection Agency of Budapest, where she works with disadvantaged children. ”Bogi really liberated Csengelle, but their film friendship retained a bizarre fragility, and the film focused on that elusive quality.” According to the story, Kató is brought up in the Déva orphanage. She is an energetic tomboy who sticks out among her peers, and her very presence is a challenge to her environment. She wants to get adopted by a new stepmother. During the summer break she suffers an electric shock in a hairdryer accident, that upsets the world around her. As the orphanage is overrun by electricians, she befriends a new volunteer called Bogi, whom she adores. The film unfolds the magical and surreal aspects of a child's perspective, and throws new light on postSocialist Déva, according to the synopsys.
'Deva'
The film was co-written by Gergő V. Nagy ('Blossom Valley', 'His Masters Voice') and Petra Szőcs ('The Execution'), and contributors include producer Péter Fülöp, cameraman Zoltán Dévényi, editor László Dunai. The film was shot on location at Déva and Petrozsény in Romania, and supported by Biennale College Cinema. “I wanted this film made very fast. I really had no other option, considering how I know of no other international program that actually finances the production of first film grantees.” Every year, Biennale College Cinema offers 150 000 Euros to support three directors of first and second films. Winners are selected in a twophase process: first, a script workshop is held for twelve directors, and the scripts are evaluated to find the three best films to be granted production budgets. “The workshop was such a thrill, it was entirely worthwile to participate. It was on the island of San Servolo, in a former psychiatric ward. There's also a botanical research garden on the island, where trees are periodically infected with various pests to determine their resilience." The film plan developed a great deal at the workshop, we consulted the best professionals all day, not only regarding the storyline, but also visuals. All the other directors were very supportive, we're still in touch, and the other (non-financed) plans have since all been produced, or are in the making.
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Rossz versek (Hu/Fr) dramedy DIRECTED BY GÁBOR REISZ PRODUCED BY JULI BERKES / PROTON CINEMA & LES FILMS DU BALIBARI
BAD POEMS
Coming Soon to the cinemas and festivals
33-year-old Tamás Merthner is heartbroken after his girlfriend Anna, who is on a scholarship in Paris, breaks up with him. While wallowing in self-pity, Tamás takes a trip down memory lane to figure out if love only exists when it's practically gone. As he tries to pick up the pieces, he realises that what makes this current society so confusing, also gives us a highly subjective view of Hungary's present.
Guerilla (Hu) 1st feature film drama DIRECTED BY GYÖRGY MÓR KÁRPÁTI PRODUCED BY VIKTÓRIA PETRÁNYI, RÓBERT VÁMOS / PROTON CINEMA HNFF INCUBATOR PROGRAM SELECTION
GUERILLA
The liberation war against the Habsburg Empire is close to its end in Hungary. Having hidden from military draft, Barnabás leaves his hometown and walks across the country to find and save his wounded brother who has been hiding with a guerrilla group deep in the forest. Despite their exhaustion and lack of food or information, they are still fighting for their cause. Barnabás finds his brother alienated and distrustful. The tension between the boys increases further when they turn out to be attracted to the same nurse in the camp. Hoping he can earn his brother's trust and take him home, Barnabás decides to stay and lie about his past. In the meantime, he has to face the cruelty of war.
Az Úr hangja (Hu/Ca) sci-fi DIRECTED BY GYÖRGY PÁLFI PRODUCED BY FERENC PUSZTAI / KMH FILM with QUITE REVOLUTION PICTURES
HIS MASTER'S VOICE Based on the Stanisław Lem novel, 'His Master's Voice' tells the story of a thirty-something Hungarian journalist who has never met his father, who defected to the United States in the seventies and disappeared. However, himself about to start a family, he decides to travel to the States to find his father. As a scientist, his father worked in a research group which examined “voices” from space in search of evidence of extra-terrestrial intelligent life. Pálfi's ('Hukkle', 'Taxidermia', 'Free Fall') new film aims to address the question of whether we are alone in the world, on the level of both the universe and the individual.
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Nyitva (Hu) 1st feature film dramedy DIRECTED BY ORSI NAGYPÁL PRODUCED BY GÁBOR KÁLOMISTA, DOROTTYA HELMECZY / MEGAFILM
OPEN This is a relationship dramedy about a couple in their 30s adventuring through the confusing thrills of nonmonogamy. Hoping to escape the seemingly inevitable cheatings and betrayals, Fanni and Bálint come up with a desperate plan to save their loving but sexually deflated relationship by simply opening it. Hand in hand, they take a big splash into the brave new world of 21st century dating, realising too late that the waves can be quite murky and overwhelming. What at first seems like awkward fun later becomes a dangerous and painful game of trust and emotions. The film explores the challenges of modern-day mating from a strong female point of view, dealing with gender roles and our (false) expectations of sex and relationships, with quirky humour and honesty.
Apró mesék (Hu) historical thriller DIRECTED BY ATTILA SZÁSZ PRODUCED BY ÁBEL KÖVES, TAMÁS LAJOS / FILM POSITIVE
TALL TALES Set in Hungary in 1945, shortly after the end of World War II, when chaos and insecurity reign supreme in the country, 'Tall Tales' tells the story of a conman who is trying to take advantage of these confused times, when an unexpected encounter changes the course of his life. This twist-filled historical thriller with a romantic plot at its centre is the fourth collaboration between director Attila Szász and screenwriter Norbert Köbli, following swiftly on from multiaward winning TV productions including 'Demimonde' and 'The Ambassador to Bern'.
X - A rendszerből törölve (Hu) thriller, drama DIRECTED BY KÁROLY UJJ MÉSZÁROS PRODUCED BY ATTILA TŐZSÉR, ANDRÁS MUHI / FOCUSFOX
X – The eXploited Personal dramas and a murder mystery unfold in present-day Budapest, where the demonstrations of an angry new generation are part of the pre-election life of a city; where the historical and recent past still haunts its people, resulting in concealed and horrendous crimes. It is a city where nothing seems honest and true, except an emotionally unstable policewoman and her misfit daughter who wants to know who her father truly was. This drama-thriller is the second feature film by the director of the multi-award-winning, 2015 box-office hit, 'Liza, the Fox-Fairy'. HUNGARIAN FILM MAGAZINE
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Hungarian Film Magazine
Published by
Hungarian National Film Fund (MNF)
Founding editors-in-chief: Dániel Deák, Gábor Osváth Executive editor:
Anita Libor
Contributors:
Dávid Dercsényi, András Huszár, Bálint Kovács, Tamás Soós, Ferenc Varga
Art director:
Zoltán Bukovics
Photographer:
Gábor Valuska
Proofreader:
Ildikó Szemők
Hungarian Film Magazine is published by Hungarian National Film Fund. Published in Hungary May 2018. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is forbidden save with the written permission of the publishers. On the cover: Juli Jakab in 'Sunset' (directed by László Nemes)
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