We are an award-winning full-service film production company based in BUDAPEST and LOS ANGELES .
Founded in 2004, Moviebar quickly became one of Hungary’s foremost producers for high-profile ad campaigns and providing producing services since 2013 for international TV and film productions. In 2015, Moviebar founded its division to create original content in addition to our production service slate. We approach every project with individualized attention and believe in creating quality through collaboration with our filmmakers.
WHO WE ARE?
WHY FILM IN HUNGARY?
WHY WORK WITH MOVIEBAR?
WHO WE ARE? THE FOUNDERS OF MOVIEBAR
ESTHER TURAN is a founding member of Moviebar. As an SZFE (University of Film and Theatre) graduate with a background in directing, Esther is deeply involved in the creative process of all Moviebar projects. Her production experience ranges from American and European feature films and TV series to major TVCs and world wide campaigns. She created and directed the award winning documentary series BP Underground. Esther splits her time between Moviebar’s Los Angeles and Budapest offices serving as a bridge between American and European filmmakers.
After being a production manager for over a decade, VIKTORIA TREPPER became a producer and the founding member of Moviebar. Besides focusing on producing and developing large-scale international TVCs, recently she also worked as the service producer for various TV series and feature films. Her goal is to realise remarkable works of art, while ensuring that the production side runs smoothly thanks to her established experience in producing.
ESTHER TURAN VIKTORIA TREPPER
TROLL 2 SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
ACTION / ADVENTURE / DRAMA / FANTASY, 2025
Troll 2 will follow on from the first movie, which follows a group of paleontologists who come face-to-face with an ancient troll in Norway’s Dovre mountains. At the end of Troll, it is revealed that the beast finally felled by Nora (Ine Marie Willmann) and Kris (Mads Sjøgård Pettersen) was just the first of many, teasing sequels galore. With Tomb Raider and The Wave director Roar Uthaug at the helm, Troll 2 can not only match the quality of its predecessor but even surpass the excellent giant monster movie.
Director: Roar Uthaug
DOP: Oskar Dahlsbakken
Producers: Espen Horn, Kristian Strand Sinkerud
Co-Producer: Esther Turan
HELICOPTER HEIST
TV MINI SERIES, 8 EPISODE, 2024
The Helicopter Heist is a reality-based and character-driven suspense series in eight parts about the drama behind one of the most spectacular heists in history, a grand and fast paced Icarus tale about winning, or losing, it all.
The Helicopter Heist is written by Ronnie Sandahl, directed by Daniel Espinosa and stars Mahmut Suvakci, Ardalan Esmaili, and Iskra Kostic in the leading roles.
Director: Daniel Espinosa
DOP: Juan G. Sarmiento
Producers: Johannes Åhlund, Johann Lindström, Karen Baumbach
Co-Producer: Esther Turan
VIENNA BLOOD SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
3 x 90 MIN., TV SERIES, SEASON 3, 2022
Max Liebermann, a medical student and protegé of Sigmund Freud, helps Detective Rheinhardt in the investigation of a series of disturbing murders around 1900s Vienna.
Director: Robert Dornhelm
DOP: Ádám Fillenz, Máté Herbai
Producers: Oliver Auspitz, Andreas Kamm, Jez Swimmer
Service Producers: Viktoria Trepper, Esther Turan
THE RECKONING
105 MIN., DRAMA/HORROR, 2020
The Reckoning is the new horror movie of Neil Marshall, director of the cultic ‘The Descent’ and ‘Game of Thrones’. It’s set around the witch hunts and the great plague in England in 1665 and follows Grace Haverstock, a young widow, haunted by the recent suicide of her husband Joseph. She is falsely accused of being a witch by her jealous Landlord, Squire Pendleton, after she rejects his unwanted advances.
Director: Neil Marshall
DOP: Luke Bryant
Producers: Steffen Wild, Esther Turan, Daniel-Konrad Cooper, Michael Marks
Executive Producer: Matthew Helderman
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
SWOON ELD & LAGOR
90 MIN., ROMANCE, 2019
Set in the imaginary universe of the magical and sparking wonderland of two rivalling amusement parks, a story of war and forbidden love unravels.
Director: Måns Mårlind, Björn Stein
DOP: Aril Wretblad
Producer: Kristina Åberg
Co-producer: Esther Turan
BP UNDERGROUND
DOCUMENTARY SERIES, 4 EPISODES, 2017-2021
BP Underground is a documentary series exploring the underground youth subcultures of Budapest, Hungary in the 90s and 2000s, right after the iron curtain fell. The series deals with the community building aspects of these groups, and how they affected our societyand still do today.
The Field Guide to Evil is the highly anticipated follow-up from the creators of the cult classic ABCs of Death series. The ambitious global anthology will unveil a series of myths, lore, and folktales that have captivated, galvanized, and frightened communities throughout history. Backstopped by Drafthouse Films, the distribution arm of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, The Field Guide to Evil was helmed by eight of today’s most talented genre filmmakers from around the world. They are known as myths, lore, and folktales. Created to give logic to mankind’s darkest fears, these stories laid the foundation for what we now know as the horror genre, exploring the strange tales from all over the globe. Each filmmaker make a short about a myth from their country and it all stitches together in a feature film.
Directors of The Field Guide to Evil: Ashim Ahluwalia, Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala, Agnieszka Smoczynska, Katrin Gebbe, Can Evrenol, Calvin Reeder, Yannis Veslemes, Peter Strickland.
Director: Peter Strickland
DOP: Márk Győri
Producers: Andy Starke, Ant Timpson, Esther Turan
(SEGMENT)
Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival
Sydney Film Festival
MAXIMILIAN
TV MINI-SERIES, DRAMA/HISTORY, 2017
Maximilian is a TV drama series based on the life of the first Habsburg Emperor, Maximilian the First. An ORF-ZDF co-production, which was partly shot in Hungary.
Director: Andreas Prochaska
DOP: Thomas W. Kiennast
Producers: Oliver Auspitz, Andreas Kamm, Kurt J. Mrkwicka
Co-Producers: Ferdinand Dohna, Jan Mojto Service Producers: Esther Turan, Viktoria Trepper
ROMY award for the best TV Movie
Nominated for the IMAGO International Award for Best Cinematography
WHY FILM IN HUNGARY?
ANY METROPOLITAN CITY CAN BE EASILY RECREATED IN BUDAPEST
STOCKHOLM
ROME PARIS BERLIN
ACCESS TO TOP CLASS FACILITIES
POST PRODUCTION STUDIOS
• 6 Major Studio Complexes
• 35 sound stages, up to 64,600 square feet in size
• 3 indoor water tanks – the largest in Europe
• 2 Virtual Reality studios with up to 200 sqm floor-to-ceiling LED walls
• Backlots: a full Brooklyn street block, a 1-hectare Renaissance village, a Medieval castle court and cloisters, a Medieval town, village streets and squares, the Wild West, newly built American suburb streets, and 19th-century historic streets
• Brand new 2,000-25,000 sqm sound stages, designed to be flexible enough to accommodate a variety of productions, with proximity to the backlot sets and support facilities like props and wardrobe
Hungary offers comprehensive analogue and digital postproduction services, including two 16/35 mm negative development labs. All raw stock materials are readily available.
• Prosthetics
• Puppets and Human Dummies
• Special Make-up & Creatures
• Food Models
• Mock-ups and Props
• Costumes and Bodysuits
CREW
We provide an experienced, English-speaking professional crew, working 12-hour shifts, with no union restrictions. Several renowned Hungarian crew members, for examle production designers and costume designers have been nominated for multiple Emmy Awards and Oscars. (e.g: Zsuzsa Michalek won the 2024 Academy Awards in the category of Production Design/Scene Design, for the film Poor Things directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.)
RENTAL HOUSES
• Panavision, Arri Alexa LF, Arri Alexa Studio, Arri Alexa Mini, XT Plus, Phantom 4K, etc. and wide range of lenses and accessories
• Techno Crane 30 and 50, Motion Control/Bolt system, Galaxy Crane (17m), all kind of professional lights & accessories incl. balloon lights
VR STUDIOS
Both VR studios in Budapest are equipped with up to 200 sqm of LED walls, including ceiling and flooring solutions capable of supporting the weight of a car. All setups can be curved or customized as per request.
The combination of a built-in truss system, a high-end camera tracking system, and specialized LED panels (such as ROE Visual Black Pearl) has proven to be the ideal solution for creating a brilliant look for your project.
BACKLOTS
BROOKLYN STREET
BACKLOTS
19 TH CENTURY BACKLOT
BACKLOTS
THE CASTLE
BACKLOTS
THE CLOISTER AND THE DUNGEON
BACKLOTS
THE MILL AND THE VILLAGE
BACKLOTS
MEDIEVAL EXTERIOR
BACKLOTS
MEDIEVAL INTERIOR
BACKLOTS
WESTERN VILLAGE AND AMERICAN SUBURBAN BACKLOT
THE LARGEST OUTDOOR WATERTANK IN EUROPE
UNIQUE LOCATIONS
UNIQUE LOCATIONS
UNIQUE LOCATIONS
TAX REBATE SYSTEM
MOTION PICTURE ACT AND CORPORATE TAX ACT
Introduced by the Hungarian government in 2004, this act provides favourable conditions for shooting films on location in Hungary.
THIS FINANCIAL SUPPORT SYSTEM HAS TWO PILLARS
indirect state support (tax incentives for films and related projects) and direct state support (for local films or co-productions Feature films, short films, documentaries, science, nature and animated films, TV movies and TV series are eligible for indirect state support. Feature films, animated films and documentaries (min. 70 minutes) are eligible for direct state support.
COST BENEFITS
Foreign Producers can reduce their costs up to 37,5% of expenses incurred directly in Hungary. Eligible expenses include all payments contained in the budget that were paid to Hungarian and partially to non-Hungarian taxpayers.
NEXT STEPS
1. INITIAL APPROACH
Your script is sent to Moviebar.
3. COST ESTIMATE
Budget and location photos arrive in two weeks to our partners.
2. BRAINSTORMING
Producer, production manager and location manager discuss possible location options based on our own location archive, and how to execute the project in the most creative and cost-effective way. We’d even consider suggestions not only in Hungary but elsewhere in Europe if the script needs to be shot somewhere else.
4. PRODUCTION AGREEMENT
Your project is assigned to one of our fluent English-speaking production managers.
We can consider pre-financing up to 30% of the Hungarian budget.
5.
PROJECT KICKOFF IN BUDAPEST
Every crew member is selected carefully, considering the specific needs of your project. We will make sure you’ll have a pleasant stay alongside the professional filming experience! Our crew members all speak English.
WHO WE WORK WITH? THEY HAVE ALREADY CHOSEN
MOVIEBAR PRODUCTIONS
CHLOÉ ZHAO DIRECTOR
MÁTYÁS ERDÉLY CINEMATOGRAPHER
ANTHONY DOD MANTLE CINEMATOGRAPHER
ROMAN VASYANOV CINEMATOGRAPHER
ROBERT DORNHELM DIRECTOR / WRITER
MÅNS MÅRLIND DIRECTOR
ROAR UTHAUG DIRECTOR
HOYTE VAN HOYTEMA CINEMATOGRAPHER
NEIL MARSHALL DIRECTOR
ESPINOSA DIRECTOR
W. KIENNAST CINEMATOGRAPHER
JOHN MATHIESON CINEMATOGRAPHER
THOMAS
DANIEL
JOE MCNALLY PHOTOGRAPHER
MARCELL RÉV CINEMATOGRAPHER
NATHANIEL MÉCHALY COMPOSER
ROGER ROSENBERG PRODUCTION DESIGNER
ANDREAS NILSSON DIRECTOR STEVE THOMPSON WRITER
YORICK LE SAUX CINEMATOGRAPHER
BJÖRN STEIN DIRECTOR
PETER STRICKLAND DIRECTOR ANT TIMPSON DIRECTOR TRAKTOR FILMING COLLECTIVE