Hungarian Verzio

Hungarian Verzio

It is too early to talk about tradition, when the festival is only two years old. But we do want to stress that our aims have not changed since last year. This year there will be fewer Hungarian films, but the ones we have selected certainly deserve attention. Most of them are the work of young directors whose names some cinema-goers would know. Róbert Lakatos's excellent The Kingdom of Silence was shown last year's Verzió; this year we will screen his latest experimental documentary: Spílerek or Casino Transsilvaniae. Lehel Oláh's Junking avoids traditional approaches too: both can be watched as unusual "city movies". The first shows Cluj, the second Budapest, each from the director's unique point of view. Grinder, another new film by Norbert Komenczi, belongs to the group of "strictly defined" human rights documentaries. It portrays a tragedy: the result of a violation of law, but through well-chosen cinematographic devices. We have selected two "older" films: one of them, Golden Hut, is from Dezső Zsigmond's rich oeuvre. Made in 2003, it is the fruit of a year spent filming with Emilke Karácsony, a young shepherd boy in Hidegség, Transylvania. The last of the Hungarian films is Safari, a short documentary made by a talented, independent pair of filmmakers: Róbert and Boglárka Pölcz. Beautiful images, constructed with exceptional sensitivity and empathy, and a playful approach that is unusual in works depicting poverty, make this an outstanding film.

These, then, are the domestic flavours of Verzio 2005: taste them and enjoy!

Andrea Pócsik
Hungarian Program Director