The Hungarian film industry is booming, with a record 241 domestic productions — including feature films, shorts, documentaries and TV series — produced in 2021. Here’s a selection of top projects in the pipeline or being sold during the Cannes Market:
As Long as the Grass Grows
Director: Áron Gauder
Producer: Réka Temple (Cinemon Entertainment)
Annecy main prize winner Gauder (“The District”) spins an alternative creation myth, in which mankind is but one of many creatures in the animal kingdom, and offers a hopeful story that it’s not too late to correct course and save the planet.
Blockade
Director: Ádám Tősér
Producer: Tamás Lajos (Film Positive Productions)
Based on the true story of the country’s first democratically elected prime minister, the film follows József Antall’s journey from a freedom fighter during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 to the infamous 1990 taxi blockade that shook the nation.
Sales: Nfi World Sales
The Game...
As Long as the Grass Grows
Director: Áron Gauder
Producer: Réka Temple (Cinemon Entertainment)
Annecy main prize winner Gauder (“The District”) spins an alternative creation myth, in which mankind is but one of many creatures in the animal kingdom, and offers a hopeful story that it’s not too late to correct course and save the planet.
Blockade
Director: Ádám Tősér
Producer: Tamás Lajos (Film Positive Productions)
Based on the true story of the country’s first democratically elected prime minister, the film follows József Antall’s journey from a freedom fighter during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 to the infamous 1990 taxi blockade that shook the nation.
Sales: Nfi World Sales
The Game...
- 5/21/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
On the outskirts of Budapest, a big-budget period drama is recreating the fateful day that sparked the Hungarian war of independence in 1848. Construction is underway at the state-owned Mafilm studio complex on a massive set that will stand in for the Hungarian capital in the 19th century. With 100-plus shooting days planned through September, director Balázs Lóth describes “Now or Never!” as “the most ambitious Hungarian film ever made.”
That ambition is being matched by Hungary’s National Film Institute, which awarded “Now or Never!” a 12.5 million production grant — the largest amount given to a feature film since the fall of communism in 1989.
It’s the second big swing on a splashy historical drama taken by the Nfi in the past year, after it awarded 29 million to “Rise of the Raven,” an epic drama series produced by Robert Lantos’ Serendipity Point Films (“Crimes of the Future”) and Beta Film (“Gomorrah...
That ambition is being matched by Hungary’s National Film Institute, which awarded “Now or Never!” a 12.5 million production grant — the largest amount given to a feature film since the fall of communism in 1989.
It’s the second big swing on a splashy historical drama taken by the Nfi in the past year, after it awarded 29 million to “Rise of the Raven,” an epic drama series produced by Robert Lantos’ Serendipity Point Films (“Crimes of the Future”) and Beta Film (“Gomorrah...
- 5/21/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Keep track of all the submissions for best international feature at the 2022 Academy Awards.
Entries for the 2022 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry
The 94th Academy Awards will take place on March 27, 2022 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. This is the first time since 2018 that the ceremony will take place in March, having moved to avoid conflicting with the Winter Olympics.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly non-English dialogue...
Entries for the 2022 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry
The 94th Academy Awards will take place on March 27, 2022 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. This is the first time since 2018 that the ceremony will take place in March, having moved to avoid conflicting with the Winter Olympics.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly non-English dialogue...
- 10/5/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
When producer Robert Lantos began developing the big-budget historical drama series “Rise of the Raven,” adapting Hungarian author Bán Mór’s series of bestselling novels presented obvious challenges. “It’s an 11-volume novel, each volume being 500-600 pages long,” says Lantos. It took several writers and the better part of a decade to find a way forward, something the producer describes as “finding a creative solution to a jigsaw puzzle.”
With a budget that Lantos describes as “competitive with English-language productions of that scope and that size,” financing the series was the second challenge, with the producer determined to secure the majority of the show’s financing from the host country. “It’s ambitious. It’s certainly by far the biggest thing done in that part of the world, not just in Hungary,” he says. The last puzzle piece finally fell into place when Hungary’s National Film Institute (Nfi...
With a budget that Lantos describes as “competitive with English-language productions of that scope and that size,” financing the series was the second challenge, with the producer determined to secure the majority of the show’s financing from the host country. “It’s ambitious. It’s certainly by far the biggest thing done in that part of the world, not just in Hungary,” he says. The last puzzle piece finally fell into place when Hungary’s National Film Institute (Nfi...
- 9/7/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
“Rise of the Raven”
Producers: Robert Lantos (Serendipity Point Films) and Tibor Krsko
Showrunner: George Mihalka
Synopsis: An epic drama series about Janos Hunyadi, a fearless warrior who defeated the vast Ottoman army and defended Europe in 1456 at the Battle of Belgrade. The 10-hour series, based on the bestselling novels by author Bán Mór, is expected to be the biggest-budget Hungarian show ever.
“The School of Courage”
Producers: Judith Csernai and Dariusz Jablonski
Writer: Gábor Krigler
Synopsis: Amidst the horrors of World War II, hundreds of Polish children find refuge in a most unlikely place: a grammar school on the shore of Lake Balaton. But the impending Nazi occupation of Hungary threatens to shatter this idyll, and when the daughter of a leading member of the resistance arrives at the school, a secret agent finds himself in a race against time to save the students.
“The Grandson” (pictured)
Producer: Tamás S.
Producers: Robert Lantos (Serendipity Point Films) and Tibor Krsko
Showrunner: George Mihalka
Synopsis: An epic drama series about Janos Hunyadi, a fearless warrior who defeated the vast Ottoman army and defended Europe in 1456 at the Battle of Belgrade. The 10-hour series, based on the bestselling novels by author Bán Mór, is expected to be the biggest-budget Hungarian show ever.
“The School of Courage”
Producers: Judith Csernai and Dariusz Jablonski
Writer: Gábor Krigler
Synopsis: Amidst the horrors of World War II, hundreds of Polish children find refuge in a most unlikely place: a grammar school on the shore of Lake Balaton. But the impending Nazi occupation of Hungary threatens to shatter this idyll, and when the daughter of a leading member of the resistance arrives at the school, a secret agent finds himself in a race against time to save the students.
“The Grandson” (pictured)
Producer: Tamás S.
- 9/5/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
For the first time ever, two Hungarian films are competing for the Berlinale’s Golden Bear: “Forest – I See You Everywhere,” a standalone sequel to the 2003 Berlinale hit “Forest,” from veteran auteur Bence Fliegauf, and “Natural Light” from feature debutant Dénes Nagy. Csaba Káel, chairman of the National Film Institute of Hungary (Nfi), says, “I believe it demonstrates the vitality and strength of the Hungarian industry flourishing despite the unprecedented circumstances caused by the pandemic worldwide.”
The two films represent opposite poles of current Hungarian filmmaking. Brimming with discourse, the independently funded “Forest” tells multiple complex, engaging stories of contemporary life in Hungary. And as he did in his Berlinale-winner “Just the Wind” (2012), Fliegauf creates deep empathy for his characters who deliver standout performances.
On the other hand, “Natural Light,” with its minimal dialogue, harks back to an older tradition in Hungarian cinema where stunning cinematography leads the other formal elements.
The two films represent opposite poles of current Hungarian filmmaking. Brimming with discourse, the independently funded “Forest” tells multiple complex, engaging stories of contemporary life in Hungary. And as he did in his Berlinale-winner “Just the Wind” (2012), Fliegauf creates deep empathy for his characters who deliver standout performances.
On the other hand, “Natural Light,” with its minimal dialogue, harks back to an older tradition in Hungarian cinema where stunning cinematography leads the other formal elements.
- 3/3/2021
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
Hungarian writer-director Kristóf Deák, who won an Academy Award for best live-action short, has started shooting his debut theatrical feature, “The Grandson.”
The coming-of-age drama, disguised as a crime thriller, with darkly comic undertones, will shoot for 40 days on location in Budapest. Nfi World Sales is handling global distribution, with an expected release date in autumn 2021.
The cast includes emerging actor Gergely Blahó, and Tamás Jordán, who appeared in Oscar nominated “On Body and Soul” (2018), as well as “Time Stands Still” (1981), “Sweet Emma,” and “Dear Böbe” (1992).
The film centers on quiet 28 year-old office manager Rudi, the “nice guy” everyone can count on. When his beloved grandpa falls victim to a particularly ruthless scam, his comfortable world is turned upside down. Pushed by guilt and a desire to bring justice to the criminals, Rudi starts his own investigation, descending into the world of petty crime – and finding peculiar allies along the way.
The coming-of-age drama, disguised as a crime thriller, with darkly comic undertones, will shoot for 40 days on location in Budapest. Nfi World Sales is handling global distribution, with an expected release date in autumn 2021.
The cast includes emerging actor Gergely Blahó, and Tamás Jordán, who appeared in Oscar nominated “On Body and Soul” (2018), as well as “Time Stands Still” (1981), “Sweet Emma,” and “Dear Böbe” (1992).
The film centers on quiet 28 year-old office manager Rudi, the “nice guy” everyone can count on. When his beloved grandpa falls victim to a particularly ruthless scam, his comfortable world is turned upside down. Pushed by guilt and a desire to bring justice to the criminals, Rudi starts his own investigation, descending into the world of petty crime – and finding peculiar allies along the way.
- 10/6/2020
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Hungarian helmer Kristóf Deák, who won an Oscar for best live-action short film for “Sing,” has made his first feature-length movie, the Communist-era drama “Captives.”
Based on real events, the picture is set in Budapest, Hungary, during the Communist era, in 1951. It turns on the story of a family and the secret police who show up at their door, move in, and lock the family members up in their own home, along with anyone else who comes knocking. Days go by without any explanation and the situation grows more and more absurd as secrets, lies and paranoia begin to unravel the growing number of captives in the apartment.
The movie was predominantly shot in a single location in Budapest. It premiered in competition at the International Film Festival of India, which was held last month in Goa.
Deák has worked in short films and TV, directing episodes of popular Hungarian series “Hacktion.
Based on real events, the picture is set in Budapest, Hungary, during the Communist era, in 1951. It turns on the story of a family and the secret police who show up at their door, move in, and lock the family members up in their own home, along with anyone else who comes knocking. Days go by without any explanation and the situation grows more and more absurd as secrets, lies and paranoia begin to unravel the growing number of captives in the apartment.
The movie was predominantly shot in a single location in Budapest. It premiered in competition at the International Film Festival of India, which was held last month in Goa.
Deák has worked in short films and TV, directing episodes of popular Hungarian series “Hacktion.
- 12/10/2019
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
(L-) Marisa Martin, Bronwyn Kidd and Geraldine Martin.
Nathan Mewett and Curtis Taylor’s Yulubidyi – Until the End was named best Australian short and Marisa Martin’s Della Mortika: Carousel of Shame best Australian animated short at the 28th annual Flickerfest International Short Film Festival.
Among the other honorees announced on Sunday night at the Bondi Pavilion, Renée Marie Petropoulos took the prize for best direction in an Australian short for Tangles and Knots and Calling writer-director Miley Tunnecliffe was feted as outstanding emerging female director in honour of Samantha Rebillet.
Produced by Glen Stasiuk, Yulubidyi – Until The End follows Jarman, a young Aboriginal who is tasked with protecting his younger disabled brother in a harsh remote community. His father Thunder wants him to become the leader of the tribe and mocks any weakness in him.
Martin’s short, which was written by her mother Geraldine Martin, delves into the fantastical world of Della Mortika,...
Nathan Mewett and Curtis Taylor’s Yulubidyi – Until the End was named best Australian short and Marisa Martin’s Della Mortika: Carousel of Shame best Australian animated short at the 28th annual Flickerfest International Short Film Festival.
Among the other honorees announced on Sunday night at the Bondi Pavilion, Renée Marie Petropoulos took the prize for best direction in an Australian short for Tangles and Knots and Calling writer-director Miley Tunnecliffe was feted as outstanding emerging female director in honour of Samantha Rebillet.
Produced by Glen Stasiuk, Yulubidyi – Until The End follows Jarman, a young Aboriginal who is tasked with protecting his younger disabled brother in a harsh remote community. His father Thunder wants him to become the leader of the tribe and mocks any weakness in him.
Martin’s short, which was written by her mother Geraldine Martin, delves into the fantastical world of Della Mortika,...
- 1/20/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Hungary has selected László Nemes’ “Sunset,” which competed at the Venice Film Festival and was picked up for the U.S. by Sony Pictures Classics, as its entry in the race for the foreign-language film Academy Award. Nemes won the Oscar for Holocaust drama “Son of Saul” in 2016.
Russia has also chosen its candidate, “Sobibor,” based on the true story of a successful revolt at a Nazi concentration camp in Poland, the Tass news agency reported. The film is directed by Konstantin Khabensky.
“Sunset,” which was awarded the Fipresci Jury Prize at Venice for best film, is set in Budapest on the brink of World War I, and shows a refined world careening toward chaos. It stars Juli Jakab (“Son of Saul”) as Irisz Leiter, a young woman orphaned at an early age, who arrives in Budapest from Trieste looking for work at the elegant hat store that used to belong to her parents.
Russia has also chosen its candidate, “Sobibor,” based on the true story of a successful revolt at a Nazi concentration camp in Poland, the Tass news agency reported. The film is directed by Konstantin Khabensky.
“Sunset,” which was awarded the Fipresci Jury Prize at Venice for best film, is set in Budapest on the brink of World War I, and shows a refined world careening toward chaos. It stars Juli Jakab (“Son of Saul”) as Irisz Leiter, a young woman orphaned at an early age, who arrives in Budapest from Trieste looking for work at the elegant hat store that used to belong to her parents.
- 9/11/2018
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Modest drama “One Day” shows 36 hours in a disintegrating marriage from the point of view of the wife — a middle-class mother of three — who is already maximally stressed by the petty problems of her daily routine. It’s a confidently and naturalistically helmed feature debut by Zsófia Szilágyi (a former student of and assistant to Academy Award nominee Ildiko Enyedi) delivered in a precisely detailed, unhurried, hyper-real way. The film nabbed the Fipresci award from the international film critics for best first or second feature at the Cannes Film Festival. The prize should raise the profile of this intense, intimate work among festival programmers and European buyers, and marks the director as a talent to watch.
The central character, thirtysomething Anna (Zsófia Szamosi) is always forced into short-term problem-solving mode, and is so constantly on the go that she never has time to think about the big picture, let alone...
The central character, thirtysomething Anna (Zsófia Szamosi) is always forced into short-term problem-solving mode, and is so constantly on the go that she never has time to think about the big picture, let alone...
- 5/22/2018
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
Kristof Deak has signed with the Gotham Group for representation.
The news comes on the heels of his big win at the Academy Awards earlier this year when his project Sing picked up the Oscar for best live-action short film. Deak, who directed the film and shared writing credits with Bex Harvey and Christian Azzola, shared the trophy with his producer Anna Udvardy.
Sing traces the journey of Zsofi, a young girl struggling to fit in at her new school. Singing in the school’s legendary choir brings her joy, but the choir director may not be the inspirational teacher everyone thinks she...
The news comes on the heels of his big win at the Academy Awards earlier this year when his project Sing picked up the Oscar for best live-action short film. Deak, who directed the film and shared writing credits with Bex Harvey and Christian Azzola, shared the trophy with his producer Anna Udvardy.
Sing traces the journey of Zsofi, a young girl struggling to fit in at her new school. Singing in the school’s legendary choir brings her joy, but the choir director may not be the inspirational teacher everyone thinks she...
- 6/6/2017
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.
Lineup Announcements
– The 2017 HollyWeb Festival, sponsored by AMC Independent and running March 30 – April 2, has announced the full schedule of digital series, filmmaker panels, and events for this year’s edition of the festival, celebrating the world’s premiere digital content. 97 digital series will have episodes screened at AMC Universal CityWalk 19 (100 Universal City Plaza), the Universal Hilton (555 Universal Hollywood Drive), and the Fonda Theatre (6126 Hollywood Blvd.).
HollyWeb Festival Co-Director Daniel Doherty said, “From the beginning, the HollyWeb Festival has sought to shine a light on web series creators, honor their collective vision and work, as well as create a yearly event where they can gather and meet, exchange notes, and possibly form partnerships that will lead to even more outstanding and entertaining web series.” HollyWeb Co-Director Jennifer Doherty,...
Lineup Announcements
– The 2017 HollyWeb Festival, sponsored by AMC Independent and running March 30 – April 2, has announced the full schedule of digital series, filmmaker panels, and events for this year’s edition of the festival, celebrating the world’s premiere digital content. 97 digital series will have episodes screened at AMC Universal CityWalk 19 (100 Universal City Plaza), the Universal Hilton (555 Universal Hollywood Drive), and the Fonda Theatre (6126 Hollywood Blvd.).
HollyWeb Festival Co-Director Daniel Doherty said, “From the beginning, the HollyWeb Festival has sought to shine a light on web series creators, honor their collective vision and work, as well as create a yearly event where they can gather and meet, exchange notes, and possibly form partnerships that will lead to even more outstanding and entertaining web series.” HollyWeb Co-Director Jennifer Doherty,...
- 3/23/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
MaryAnn’s quick take… My favorite of the nominees is “Sing” [pictured], a movie for right-now with its pushback against a bullying authority figure and its gently effective defiance. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Moral dilemmas, standing up for friends old and new, navigating loneliness, and defying The Man and the systems that box us in: these are the motifs that wend their way through the five short live-action films nominated for the Oscar this year, to varying degrees of success.
My favorite of the bunch and the one I’d love to see win the Academy Award is the hugely engaging “Sing (Mindenki)” [IMDb|official site], from Hungarian filmmaker Kristóf Deák. Zsófi (Dóra Gáspárvalvi), around 10 years old, thinks she has found a place to belong in her new Budapest primary school, in its choir that sings so beautifully…...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Moral dilemmas, standing up for friends old and new, navigating loneliness, and defying The Man and the systems that box us in: these are the motifs that wend their way through the five short live-action films nominated for the Oscar this year, to varying degrees of success.
My favorite of the bunch and the one I’d love to see win the Academy Award is the hugely engaging “Sing (Mindenki)” [IMDb|official site], from Hungarian filmmaker Kristóf Deák. Zsófi (Dóra Gáspárvalvi), around 10 years old, thinks she has found a place to belong in her new Budapest primary school, in its choir that sings so beautifully…...
- 2/23/2017
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Kristóf DeákIf you've had a chance to catch the touring films in the Oscar nominated shorts program in select movie theaters now, we're willing to be that one of your favorites was the Hungarian short Sing written and directed by Kristóf Deák. This sweet well acted story is about a new girl in a children's choir whose teacher makes her feel less than welcome.
Sing, not to be confused with the current blockbuster cartoon about pop star wannabe talking animals, could well be a threat to win its category though competition is ever tough and unpredictable in the shorts categories. Kristóf has seen and enjoyed the "strong batch" competition, saying "I won't shed any tears if we don't take the statue home"
I had the opportunity to talk to the young director, currently in Los Angeles for the final push before Oscar, and though he doesn't know what's in store for his career,...
Sing, not to be confused with the current blockbuster cartoon about pop star wannabe talking animals, could well be a threat to win its category though competition is ever tough and unpredictable in the shorts categories. Kristóf has seen and enjoyed the "strong batch" competition, saying "I won't shed any tears if we don't take the statue home"
I had the opportunity to talk to the young director, currently in Los Angeles for the final push before Oscar, and though he doesn't know what's in store for his career,...
- 2/20/2017
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Ahead of the Academy Awards, we’re reviewing each short category. See the Live-Action section below and the other shorts sections here.
Ennemis intérieurs – France – 28 minutes
The definitive exchange in Hidden Figures—the one that defines America then and still today—is when Kirsten Dunst’s personnel manager tells Octavia Spencer’s yet-to-be-given-the-title supervisor, “Despite what you may think, I have nothing against y’all.” Spencer’s Dorothy Vaughan counters without missing a beat, “I know you probably believe that.” It’s such a perfect distillation of how racism permeates the very core of who we are to the point where we don’t even understand why we are racist. It happens all the time now, white people accusing black people of screaming racism as a knee-jerk reaction because they believe their racist actions are normal. Their fear has made it so other colors are inferior, dangerous, and untrustworthy. In...
Ennemis intérieurs – France – 28 minutes
The definitive exchange in Hidden Figures—the one that defines America then and still today—is when Kirsten Dunst’s personnel manager tells Octavia Spencer’s yet-to-be-given-the-title supervisor, “Despite what you may think, I have nothing against y’all.” Spencer’s Dorothy Vaughan counters without missing a beat, “I know you probably believe that.” It’s such a perfect distillation of how racism permeates the very core of who we are to the point where we don’t even understand why we are racist. It happens all the time now, white people accusing black people of screaming racism as a knee-jerk reaction because they believe their racist actions are normal. Their fear has made it so other colors are inferior, dangerous, and untrustworthy. In...
- 2/8/2017
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
As is awards season tradition, ShortsHD will be releasing this year’s short film Oscar nominees — including live-action, animated and documentary — into theaters around the country this week, all in hopes that cinephiles will spark to the idea of checking out a big batch of contenders they most likely haven’t yet had the chance to watch. This year’s live-action batch includes a number of intriguing foreign entries — and not an American offering in the bunch — all of which are loosely unified around such timely concepts as connection (emotional and physical) and the current political climate.
Read More: Oscars 2017 Live-Action Shorts: Jane Birkin vs. Six-Time Nominee Kim Magnusson
From stories about children’s choirs gone wild, unexpected romances and even a gut-churning immigration story that couldn’t be more prescient, this year’s live-action nominees fit together into a satisfying, smart little package.
“Ennemis Interieurs,” France (28 minutes)
This...
Read More: Oscars 2017 Live-Action Shorts: Jane Birkin vs. Six-Time Nominee Kim Magnusson
From stories about children’s choirs gone wild, unexpected romances and even a gut-churning immigration story that couldn’t be more prescient, this year’s live-action nominees fit together into a satisfying, smart little package.
“Ennemis Interieurs,” France (28 minutes)
This...
- 2/6/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
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