Hungarian films made their way into screenings in 77 countries in 2009, at diverse cinematic events. Hungarian feature, short, animation and documentary films received over one hundred international recognitions in 34 countries. The upcoming 41st Film Week kicking off on February 2nd launches brand new Magyar features.
16 new feature films will compete for the Golden Reel Award at the 41st Hungarian Film Week, February 2nd-8th, in Budapest, at the city’s Palace Mom Park Cinema and Uránia National Film Theater. The traditional competition, showcasing Magyar cinematography’s finest, offers the world premieres of 13 full-length features, among them five directorial debuts.
Altogether, 95 productions will compete in five categories (feature, short, documentary, scientific, television), and the festival’s a great opportunity to experience contemporary Magyar cinema directly alongside the film makers themselves, in the nation’s capital.
The competition titles have been selected from 356 Hungarian productions completed in the last 12 months. The selected 16 full length features will compete for the contest’s main prize, the Golden Reel – including directorial debuts like Dénes Orosz’s Poligamy, as well as established Magyar movie greats like Tamás Sas, who has two films in the lineup this year – Espresso 10 Years and Lull, alongside current Hungarian thriller, like Krisztián Károly Köves’ Deathwaltz.
Besides providing a platform for fresh talent, the Hungarian Film Week will screen the latest works of renowned filmmakers, including Márta Mészáros, Károly Makk and Miklós Jancsó. The legendary latter’s latest work, So Much For Justice! (a 15th-century Hungary-set Hungarian-Austrian-Polish co-production) will open the festival on February 2nd.
In 2009, Hungarian films received over 1,000 invites from international film festivals. Hungarian film directors, screenwriters, actors and artists won about a hundred prizes and awards abroad. The many recognitions included the Hamburg Short Film Award, won by Gyula Nemes for his experimental Lost World; the Main Prize, received by Karchi Perlmann for his The Dinner in Palm Springs; the Silver Leopard, received by Krisztina Esztergályos for her diploma film, Variations in Locarno and Chicago’s Gold Hugo Main Prize, won by Bálint Kenyeres. Roland Vranik enjoyed success in Seville, with his film Transmission making him the first Hungarian to be awarded the Best Director Prize in Spain. As far as documentary films went, Ferenc Moldoványi’s Another Planet received the most international recognition, and Karchi Perlmann’s grotesque The Dinner topped the short films list. In May, Bálint Kenyeres’s short The History of Aviation premiered in Cannes, while Krisztina Goda’s Chameleon was first screened at the A category festival of Shanghai and Péter Gárdos’ Prank (an adaptation of the novel by Dezső Kosztolányi) was first shown at the Moscow IFF.
The latest work of György Pálfi, Áron Mátyássy, Árpád Sopsits and Gergely Fonyó premiered at the region’s most important film event, the Karlovy Vary IFF, and Pater Sparrow’s sci-fi feature 1 was first screened in October in Sitges, Spain, at the region’s largest fantasy film competition. János Edelényi’s Prima Primavera and Tamás Almási’s Puskás Hungary were first presented at Seminci in Valladolid, with the latter receiving the trophy awarded to the best documentary at the prestigious Spanish festival. It didn’t stop there, as Simon Szabó’s first feature, Paper Planes was in competition in Sao Paulo, at one of the most important film events in South America, while Viktor Nagy’s Father’s Acre was first screened for an international audience in Thessaloniki. Besides retrospective series presenting the life-works of celebrated Hungarian film directors, the prestigious film forum in Wroclaw, Poland and Les Arcs film festival on the snow-capped peaks of the Alps paid much attention to Hungarian cinema.
As they say (we’re sure), the world can’t be wrong; so, head to the festival to find out what all the fuss is about!
41st Film Week February 2-8
Palace Mom Park Cinemas 1123 Budapest, Alkotás út 53. Tel.: +36.1.999.6161
Uránia National Film Theater 1088 Budapest, Rákóczi út 21. Tel.: +36.1.486.3413