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Hungarian Panorama

When I have been invited to select the Hungarian films for the 5th Verzio, I knew that the task would be rather difficult due to the abundance of Hungarian documentaries. I have decided on - rather subjectively - these ten films that I found particularly precious, interesting and important in the hope that the audience will share my opinion.

Some of the films fascinated me with their visual, poetic beauty like Sándor Mohi's Prayer or Arthúr Bálint's Twins. Other films impressed me with their sensitive and insightful approach to an issue or conflict that seems puzzling at first, but becomes a revelation on screen. The Long Journey, A Village Romance, Ideas and Camps, The Right-Wing Jew, the Disloyal Mother and Mediation all disclose such revelations. I was enthralled not by the pure aestheticism of these fresh, yet often disturbing works, but their pulsating, crude sense of reality. The Hungarian Panorama also includes two films demonstrating a rare delight in recent Hungarian documentary cinema: humor. Butcher's Glory and The Sinking Village are both brilliant representatives of the genre.

Though historical films are less this year, those included in the program are true discoveries: The Imaginary Revolution presents a yet unknown chapter of Romanian history – the story of a surpassed anti-communist revolution. Three Missing Pages on the other hand is one of the most poignant documentaries made about the Holocaust. Péter Forgács's new work I am Von Höfler molds history with the private sphere, and documents with vision. Von Höfler is one of the most brilliant films in Forgács's greatly original and grandiose life-work.

There are countless documentarist approaches: lyrical and investigative, passionate and distant, composed and untamed, interfering and observational – this year's selection reflects this variety. All things considered, there are only two types of documentaries: good and bad ones. I have tried to select those dearest to me belonging to the first category.

György Báron
Curator of the Hungarian Program

The program

The Fidesz Jew, the Mother with No Sense of Nation and Mediation / A fideszes zsidó, a nemzeti érzés nélküli anya és a mediáció
Hajdú Eszter / Hungary / 2008 / 72 min / Hungarian
Can differing political views break up a marriage? The extremes of political friction in Hungary today.

The film is a pioneering effort to disclose the underlying mechanisms of the political conflict that has divided Hungary since the change of regime in 1989. It is the story of a broken friendship and a family that has completely fallen apart under the strain of differing political convictions. Two Jewish friends were separated when one of them became a right-wing party (Fidesz) representative. A right-wing Jew! Zsuzsa separated from her husband in 2002, after they had stopped talking to each other, and even her child ignored her. “There isn’t a drop of patriotism in you: you’re unfit to be a mother!”. Barely twenty years after the political changes raised such great expectations, all seems muddled. Feud, hatred and isolation. Is there a way out?

producer: János Vészi
editor: Balázs Féjja
camera: Viktor Németh, Péter Faragó, Dániel Szandtner
sound: Attila Borszéki, Gábor Sípos, Zsolt Ezer, Bob Martini

production info:
Fórum Film Alapítvány
Róna u. 174.
1145 Budapest
Hungary
forumfilm@invitel.hu
tel: +36 1 251 5666 / 608

filmography:
Otthonom, Tarnabod, 2005
http://www.hajdueszter.com/en/My_films/Documentary/The_Fidesz_Jew_and_the_mother_with_no_sense_of_nation_and_mediation.html

Full of Grease / Malaccal teljes
Kovács Kristóf / Hungary / 2008 / 53 min / Hungarian
Enthusiastic villagers set out to represent their village at an international butchers’ competition. A true story with pig killings and a happy end.

This film tells the story of how the Ormánság Quick Guys from a little village called Vajszó won second place at an international competition for butchers. Lajos Balogh, an enthusiastic local, decides that the village should take part in the competition and raise the fame of local meat products. He recruits a team, finds sponsors, orders uniforms. While the men prepare, the pigs run their course of life from birth to sausage. A true story with a happy ending, and those of us who are natives of the urban jungle have a rare chance to see a few pig killings.

producer: Judit Stalter
editor: Gábor Takács
camera: Dávid Szepesi, Gergõ Somogyvári
sound: Zoltán Vadon
music: Gergõ Barcza

production info:
Judit Stalter
Polluxfilm Kft.
Angyal utca 35.
1094 Budapest
Hungary
+3630 266 8099

filmography:
Willkommen, 2005

I Am von Höfler - Variation on Werther / Von Höfler vagyok - Werther variáció
Forgács Péter / Hungary / 2008 / 160 min / Hungarian
Tibor Von Höfler’s stories and family archival footage open up fascinating fates of the generations of the great Pécs leather manufacturer family.

A glimpse into the intricate and fascinating fates of the generations of the great Pécs leather manufacturing family via the archival footage and accounts of Tibor Von Höfler. A double tale with faded images bearing witness to the 250-year saga of the Hungarian von Höfler family - an elegy for the last member of the family. Researchers have recently claimed that Goethe modeled his famous Werther on one of Tibor Höfler’s ancestors: this film presents itself in time and space with this double twist. Though Goethe's hero Werther is quite different from the real 18th-century Jakob von Höfler, the threads of the old and new legends of the Höfler saga intertwine in a double spiral of destiny within the turmoil of 20th century Central Europe. The real and invisible images of the melancholic hero, Werther - a literary destiny - intersect with those of the real life protagonist. Von Höfler's life, love, family, and fate.

producer: Péter Forgács
editor: Péter Sass
camera: Tibor Höfler
music: Tibor Szemzõ, Gábor Melis

production info:
For-Creation Ltd.
H-1021 Budapest, Mese köz 10.
tel: +36 1 200 7624
info@forgacspeter.hu

selected filmography:
Látom, hogy nézek, 1978 / Avatás, 1980 / Dixi and Pixi, 1983 / Fekete Lyuk, 1984 / Aranykor, 1985 / Spinoza Rückwertz, 1985 / A Bartos család, 1988 / Dusi és Jenõ, 1989 / Vagy-vagy, 1990 / N. úr naplója, 1990 / Fényképezte Dudás László, 1991 / D-film, 1991 / Polgár szótár, 1993 / Egy úrinõ notesza, 1994 / Miközben valahol, 1995 / A semmi országa, 1997 / Az örvény, 1997 / OsztálySORSjegy, 1997 / A maalstrom, 1997 / Csermanek csókja, 1998 / A dunai Exodus, 1998 / Bibó breviárium, 2001 / A püspök kertje, 2002 / Fekete kutya, 2005 / Miss Universe 1929, 2006 / Saját halál, 2007

Ideas and Summer Camps / Koreszmék és táborok
Muhi Klára & Varga Ágota / Hungary / 2007 / 57 min / Hungarian
An unknown virus rears its head in a children's camp in Budapest. Scared to death, the kids later learn that the alarm was a joke played by camp entertainers. Extreme fun and moral ethics.

An unknown virus breaks out in a children's camp in Budapest. Within minutes the rumour spreads that the virus is deadly. Paramedics and doctors arrive and quarantine is declared. The younger children cry and tremble as all their belongings are taken from them. They are not even allowed to call home. The older children are suspicious… what if this is only a well-orchestrated hoax, one that even Candid Camera would envy? Ideas and extremes in a summer camp – and the consequences.

producer: András Muhi
editor: Gábor Takács
camera: György Pálos, Zoltán Lovasi

production info:
Inforg Studio
Kinizsi u. 11
1092 Budapest
Hungary
tel: +36 30 63 933 83
fax: +36 1 219 0961
inforg@inforgstudio.hu
www.inforgstudio.hu

selected filmography:
In memoriam Fábri Zoltán, 2007 / Így készült a Sorstalanság, 2004 / Magyar Filmműhelyek - Inforg Stúdió, 2004 / A Koltai napló 2001-2003, 2003

The Imaginary Revolution / Képzelt forradalom
Zágoni Balázs / Hungary / 2005 / 40 min / Hungarian
The Transylvanian cleric, the Securitate and a revolution that never happened.

The film looks at the events that reshaped the “relationship” between the Romanian security forces and the Hungarians living in Transylvania. The fact that from the 50’s onwards the Transylvanian Hungarians became a potential threat in the eyes of the Romanian secret services can be traced back to an attempted revolution supported both by Romanians and Hungarians in the country. Aladár Szoboszlay, a parson from Arad, founded a Christian labor party, promoted an Austro-Hungarian-Romanian state alliance, and set the exact date of a Romanian revolution for August 28, 1956. This film is a tribute to his revolution that never happened.

producer: János Vészi
editor: Balázs Zágoni
camera: Zsigmond Erdõs

production info:
Fórum Film Alapítvány
1145 Budapest
Róna u. 174.
Hungary
forumfilm@invitel.hu
tel: +36 1 251 5666/ 608

Last Bus Stop / Hosszú utazás
Böszörményi Zsuzsa & Kai Salminen / Hungary & Finland / 2007 / 52 min / Hungarian
Why would the inhabitants of Szelmenc need a visa to visit their relatives on the other side of the village? A tragic-comic story about geopolitical absurdities and those who suffer from them.

A village in Eastern Europe where for more than a century nationality has changed in a season-like cadenza: first it belonged to the Hapsburg Empire, then to Czechoslovakia, then to the Soviet Union. At the end of World War II, the Russians established a border that divided the village of Szelmenc between two separate countries. Families on one side live in Slovakia, which is now a member of European Union. On the other side, their relatives have to endure the unstable political and economic conditions in Ukraine. While the EU is setting up Schengen borders, people living on the Ukrainian side have become even more isolated with the plans to open a new border crossing. A tragicomic story of geopolitical absurdities and those who suffer from them.

producer: Böszörményi Zsuzsa, Mikael Walhforss
camera: Dobóczy Balázs
editor: Eszlári Beáta
music: Andrej Makarevich, Sonoton

production info:
BGB Film Kft.
Budapest, 1126 Böszörményi út 3/a
bgb@t-online.hu

sales info:
Lombardo Films GmbH
Siegesstr. 23 - D- 80802 München

selected filmography:
Zsuzsa Böszörményi: Mélyen õrzött titkok, 2004 / Vörös Colibri, 1995 / Egyszer volt, hol nem volt, 1991 / Biharsarok, 1990

Prayer / Imádság
Mohi Sándor / Hungary / 2007 / 27 min / Hungarian
The last five years of an elderly farming couple.

Old age is hard. Old age is easy. Old age is dignified. Old age is humiliating. Old age is squalid and unnatural. Old age is clean and natural. Old age is gnarled fingers and swollen legs. Old age is work and struggle until death. Old age has to be accepted. Director and cameraman Sándor Mohi’s painful yet elevating 30-minute documentary about the last five years of an elderly farmer couple.

producer: Sándor Buglya
editor: Péter Szalay
camera: Sándor Mohi
sound: Vince Kapcsos

production info:
Dunatáj Alapítvány
1016 Budapest, Mészáros u. 48- 54.
Tel.: 1/ 489 15 29
dunataj@gmail.com

selected filmography:
Se künn, se benn... / Neither Outside Nor Inside…, 2003 / Muszáj / It’s a Must, 2003 / A ház emlékei / The Memories of the House, 2002 / Ahogy az Isten elrendeli... / As God Hath Foreordained, 2001 / Gyöngyökkel gyökereztél / Rooted with Pearls, 1998

The Sinking Village / A süllyedő falu
Szirmai Márton / Hungary / 2007 / 23 min / Hungarian & English
The Hungarian village of Medgyesbodzás is slowly sinking. Is the EU the last hope of the villagers?

The Hungarian village of Medgyesbodzás is slowly sinking, and the inhabitants are baffled. The village receives very little help from the national authorities, so they turn to the European Union. The middle-aged József does his best to learn English, so when they file a request for EU assistance, he can submit a short film in which he and the other villagers tell their story. But in the meantime, young people are moving away from the village and a solution seems farther away than ever. Moreover, the reason why the village is sinking is not clear either. Medgyesbodzás thus becomes a symbol of the Hungarian rural areas in this humorous and provocative short.

producer: György Pálos
editor: Márton Szirmai
camera: Gergely Pálos
music: Attila Fodor

production info:
Instant Filmek Műhelye
www.instantfilmek.hu
szmarci@gmail.com
Közgáz Vizuális Brigád
Mátyás Király Tér 6/A.
1165 Budapest
Hungary
tel: +36 1 407 3925
www.kvb.hu

selected filmography:
Született lúzer, 2007 / Mecsek Kincse, 2006 / Szalontüdő, 2006 / Becsöngettek, 2005 / Minden nap egy új kaland, 2005

Three Missing Pages / Három hiányzó oldal
Schuster Richárd / Hungary / 2007 / 45 min / Hungarian
Vera parted with her love when he was sent to a forced labor camp. For sixty years she kept silent; now, at the request of her grandson, she tells her story.

At the age of 86, Vera sets out to find three missing pages of a book, the last chapter of her tragic love story. Albert Csillag is an illustrator of children’s books, one of the most gifted graphic artists of his time. On 19th December 1937 he meets 16 year-old Veronika Benisch at a lawyers’s ball. It is love at first sight, but Albert, a Jew, is drafted into a forced labor unit, from where he secretly sends Vera love letters with drawings and poems as well as an engagement ring. Albert never returns from the camp. Many years later Vera finds a book about the Bor labor camp, but three “dreadful” pages – the story of Albert – have been torn out by her sister. Vera searches for those three pages to find the last chapter of the great love of her life. For sixty years she kept silent; now, at the request of her grandson – the cameraman of the documentary – she tells her story.

producer: Dr. Tamás Lajos
camera: Ádám Fillenz
editor : Wanda Kiss
sound: Gábor Balázs

production info:
Szupermodern Stúdió Kft.
1021 Budapest
Völgy utca 19.
Tel.: +36 1/ 238 02 01

selected filmography:
Babszi, 2005 / Az öreg gúnya, 2004 / Messziről jött ember, 2002

Twins / Ikrek
Bálint Arthur / Hungary / 2005 / 72 min / Hungarian
Sándor and Lajos live in a quiet Transylvanian village by their own rules, close to nature. The ordinary joys of ordinary people.

Sándor and Lajos live in a quiet Transylvanian village by their own rules, close to nature. Lajos likes to draw lying in the hay while his brother Sándor writes love poems and they both yearn for the woman who is missing from their lives. After a hard day’s work they always find the time to read, write a poem or sketch a drawing. They can recite Hungarian classic poems by heart. They don’t long for wealth or a different life, but use each moment to enjoy what they have. They are free men. One day they are invited to a class reunion and their quiet routine goes upside-down. A film about the ordinary joys of ordinary people.

producer: Szederkényi Miklós
Camera: Bálint Arthur
Editor: Simó Csaba

production info:
Dunatáj Alapítvány
1016 Budapest
Mészáros u. 48- 54.
tel: +36 1 489 15 29
dunataj@gmail.com

selected filmography:
Kisvárosi Mozi, 2007 / Nők a hinta körül, 2007 / Piine = kenyér, 2007 / Poros öltöny, 2007

A Village Romance / Falusi románc
Bódis Kriszta / Hungary / 2006 / 50 min / Hungarian
Bitter-sweet love story between a middle-aged lesbian and a married Roma woman in a remote Hungarian village.

A dead-end village, one time home of a lesbian community that decided to leave the city. By today little of the community remains. One of them, Mari, lives in poverty but in a very expensive house. She falls in love with M., the poor Roma woman and mother of three next door, who lives miserably with her drunken, abusive husband. Although heterosexual, M. returns Mari’s love, fueling the contempt of the village, which already hates her badly enough for being a Roma. “I have never been loved for who I am” she says. Now she waits for her husband to leave her, so that she and her children can move in with her lover.

producer: András Muhi
editor: László Gyimesi
camera: Mária Takács
sound: Orsolya Lacházi
music: Cserepes, Palya Bea Quintet

production info:
Inforg Studio
Kinizsi u. 11
1092 Budapest
Hungary
tel: +36 30 63 933 83
fax: +36 1 219 0961
inforg@inforgstudio.hu
www.inforgstudio.hu

selected filmography:
Báriséj (Nagylány), 2007 / Amari kris - Az eskü törvénye, 2004 / Rabszolgavásár, 2002