Discoveries from Hungary World Cinema

A student film by Béla Tarr, from 1979. Presumed lost until very recently.

A new glamour girl, Král Bori, comes to the 6/B class, clever and impertinently charming. Oma, the gang-leader, likes the girl very much. He lives under dreary circumstances, but dreams of becoming a conductor or making a circus carrier. He definitely wants to attract attention. Bori, however, ignores him, but is very nice to his best friend, Totyi.

Tomi is fleeing. While he’s running away from his past, he relives his traumas, the controversial relationship with his father and his elder brother. The silhouette of a family tragedy oppresses him.

After the loss of Marlenka, Soma's soul is in eternal winter. Can a new woman overwrite the past, or will he forever mourn his great love?

Emese, a wealthy old lady returning from Switzerland, invites her seven surviving classmates, all graduates of the 1930s, to a belated 50th reunion at her own expense. All but one of them live abroad, and they gather at the hotel on Margaret Island from all over Europe, where the hour of honesty arrives for all. During their days together, they confront themselves and their sins of the past decades. This is Hédi Váradi's last work for television, and her classmates Hilda Gobbi, Zsuzsa Gordon, Teri Náray, Juci Komlós, Erzsi Pártos and Zsuzsa Bánki all give excellent and long-lasting character performances.

A very loose adaptation of Master and Margarita, but for all that, it is explicitly based on Bulgakov's novel, in a thoroughly experimental way. What you see in this film is documentary-like scenes shot with a simple video camera in Moscow and Budapest, and New York, and these scenes are linked to the novel by some explicit links, and by these, the film goes beyond the level of being but a visual documentary which would only have reminded the viewer of The Master and Margarita.

When the court astrologer warns the king that the stars predict his imminent murder, the terrified monarch dons a beggar’s disguise and flees the palace, seeking refuge in the cupbearer’s home. Unbeknownst to him, the very assassin his own court magician hired lies in wait under the same roof.

An elderly, bedridden man battling with dementia and his own body tries to piece together what's happening around him, the only clue being a kind woman visiting him.

Anti is an 18-year-old gypsy boy with a passion for playing the guitar. He lives in a gypsy slum in a remote corner of Hungary. By an unexpected opportunity he has a chance to break out now from his hopeless situation. He gets selected to the Snétberger Music Talent Center among sixty other young talents. He is mesmerized by the chance of a better life and hopes for a miracle. Although it turns out soon that he has a huge disadvantage compared to the others, even to the gypsy students. He can't read the music sheets and he is not used to regular practice. The sensitive and lovable boy's story is full of unexpected twists and turns. The viewer is carried with his honesty and special humor. Through Anti's story the feature-length documentary gives a glimpse into the work of the Snétberger Music Talent Center with great music and memorable moments from the life of the Talent Camp.

Béla, the bad guy, is released from prison and decides to get back on the right track. But the first person he encounters is his old friend, Feri Buczella, whose brother has just arrived home from America with a suitcase of dollars.

Anna sets out on a curious exploration into the forest, where she encounters a rabbit and begins to play with it joyfully. But in the heat of the moment, she fails to recognize the boundaries of the game and accidentally kills the animal. Desperate to make amends, she embarks on a journey that awakens deep emotional processes, unconsciously connecting her to the transgenerational traumas of her family.

The Devil, in the guise of a human, meets a young couple who remark upon looking at a Renaissance painting of a martyr that Evil could never triumph over Good.

Silence ('Csend') is an experimental short film by Károly Bárdos from 1968. A short film of associations of images and shapes, sound effects and wonderful compositions.

Adam tries to end his loneliness with the help of dating apps, but instead he becomes even more isolated.

Plante is a slow lifestyle plantshop in the heart of Budapest, Hungary that was forced to think beyond their physical store. Réka Bucsi captures this moment of transition through animated flora.

Irma arrives at her 18th birthday in a reform school.

Gabor is a successful, life-loving gallery owner, part of the artistic high society of Budapest. He is always busy, surrounded by many people, constantly marching towards higher and higher goals. One day his seemingly perfect life is shaken by a hurtful breakup and the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

András comes to Budapest because he failed at his school-leaving exam and he would like his aunt, a maths teacher to prepare him for the next exam. The boy wants to be an actor and intends to get to Hollywood once. His cousins and friends are making a film.

Waking in a messy room, a figure discovers a baby stroller outside.

The main character begins to feel deeper emotions for a guy, but she is afraid of falling in love again because of what happened before with her first love.

Never miss a satire if you'd like to have a wider view of the 60's or 70's (and maybe the 80's) Eastern Europe. Both the regime and behavior of people are pilloried, with many-many hints that show deeper details of the correlation of the two. And the creators didn't miss to have some words about the West and it's part of this history. But don't sit down to see the film if you'd like to have a light funny evening movie, 'cause that will lash up your feelings alright. The director is that same Peter Bacso, who directed the legendary satire 'A tanu' (The witness) which deals with the same historical era, the same relations between politics and the people, just from a little different point of view.

"Once Upon a Time in Hungarian Comics" provides a comprehensive picture of Hungarian comic culture, touching on the history of comics from the beginning to the present day, focusing on the development of Hungarian comics.

There is a phantom lurking in the forest. It is almost impossible to spot him, but his traces give him away. His footsteps in the snow tell us that he was heading towards the valley. The hole with the dry leaves was his ambush during the day. And the leftover of the prey shows what he was hunting for. As we follow his traces, we get to know the forest where he lives. We walk through river valleys, canyons, sunny crags and misty hills – this is the Northern Low Mountain Range, a transition zone between the Carpathians and the Great Plain, on the border of Hungary and Slovakia.

Lifelong pranksters who once left summer camps in flames and terrified counselors, a group of old friends - now all but Marcell, the wealthy but unhappy engineer - plots a daring art heist: sneak a bizarre painting into the century’s biggest auction. They even rope in their estranged buddy and a professional thief, but their “perfect” plan quickly unravels into chaos, wild adventures and plenty of frog–eating mayhem, which suits them just fine.

Early Curtiz film from Hungary

A mother telling about the difficulties raising her five young children in Hungary.

Luciano, the clown of a circus, can predict who will win in the snooker. His mathematical algorithm seems to be working in every gamble provided that the gamma factor is present. This latter is a woman in the bed. He uses his special skill for his country therefore he, as a secret weapon, is moved to the west with three support staff. The goal of their task is to plunder Western Europe. The plan works and Bondoros, the city he came from became a metropolis. Does it look like a dream?

Shulamith was written in 1883 by the father of modern Yiddish theatre, Abraham Goldfaden. The opera, based on an ancient legend, tells the story of Shulamith, a girl who is trapped in a well in the desert and falls in love with her rescuer. Although they vow to be faithful he marries someone else, but years later are reunited. Shulamith was the opening performance at the Hebrew Dramatic Club in Princes Street in 1886 and ever-popular with the crowds, it returned to the Yiddish stage in London a number of times in the 1910s and 20s. The well-loved lullaby Raisins and Almonds was written by Goldfaden for the opera.

Immediately after 9/11, rumors emerged of someone who had 'surfed' the debris to safety. A Discovery Channel documentary on the 11th anniversary of the tragedy told the story of survivor Pasquale Buzzelli, who may or may not be the surfer.

Liu Liu is living in a strange new land. While his mother looks after the shop, he goes exploring. Encountering a ghost monster, a fierce battle begins. Behind the shop counter, Liu Liu’s mother listens to audiotapes to teach herself Hungarian. Bored and frustrated, Liu Liu goes in search of adventure. Exploring this new and foreign land, he encounters a mysterious monster.

The hot-headed petty criminal Miki, after a botched debt collection, turns to his much more level-headed brother Áron for help in resolving the problem. In the tense situation, the two brothers get into a fierce argument, and Miki ends up putting not only himself but also Áron in mortal danger.

The people's college movement started in the early forties and after a brief flourishing it was finished by the end of the decade, as it was banished by the Rákosi dictatorship. However, its impact is still felt today, as many excellent people emerged from these colleges for advanced studies.

The film weaves together three stories from Hortobágy. It takes a sacred approach to the honesty, fallibility, stubbornness and deep emotions of the ancient people of Hortobágy. The director was inspired by Zsigmond Móricz's short story "Komor Ló" and the writer's realistic yet mystical vision to film two other stories told by the people of the Hortobágy, set in 1945 and after the communist coup.

Léna, a confused teenager preoccupied with weight issues, is preparing for her prom, but she doesn't have the perfect dress yet, and she hasn't found a chaperone. He is under constant pressure from his classmates and his mother. How can Rubens help a confused teenager?

Geri is a serious drug addict, using designer drugs intravenously. Between two flashes, he lives an active social life on the streets of Budapest, in a subculture that "normal" people cannot see.

Painted and drawn figures and shapes move to a soundtrack of rapidly changing radio broadcasts.

Exciting documentary about Katinka Hosszu aka the Iron Lady, 3x Olympic champion, 26x World Champion and world record holder swimmer!

The story takes place nowadays, somewhere in Northern Hungary. Juli leaves home one day on a bicycle. She starts toward the North. Cycles comfortably on the bending mountain roads. She left the compass home, however, so she gets lost soon. On the road, she meets strange figures.

The legendary production by János Taub is one of the most successful productions of all time at the Radnóti Theatre. The ancient comedy of Plautus is made unforgettable by brilliant staging and a frenetic performance.

The skeletal remains of factories on People’s Island today serve only as mementos of a time when this landscape was considered a prime industrial area of Budapest and the Danube. The rust belt is dynamically transforming, taking on a new face each year. Change is inevitable, but in whose interest is the island being transformed? And what impact does this transformation have on the people living on the island? 'Songs from People’s Island’ is a visual study and musical panorama with elements of absurdist tragicomedy, exploring the changes occurring on the island from the perspective of a homeless islander.

The 23-year-old, lonely and shy Dávid finds himself in the crossfire of questions and lectures at a family lunch because he does not have a girlfriend. The situation is further complicated by the fact that his beloved brother tell, that he proposed his partner. Mom cheers, dad runs to the booze, Dávid stares in front of him on the sofa. Our protagonist is looking for a solution in online dating. But can cure his loneliness, that the little mouse is pretending to be a lion?

Csutak gets a role in a children's radio play, but has to face trouble when the star of the show turns out to be a juvenile mobster, who practices extortion on the local kids.

A documentary about the Gulag

Often, poor girls are forced into arranged marriages. Even poor Anna is willing to marry István Pap, the ageing lawyer of the radio company, just to save her father's failing radio shop. The wealthy groom is not averse to marriage, and he emphasises his status with an engagement gift. But the platinum brooch disappears without a trace. It is snatched by a pickpocket, who sets off on a "ring wander..."

Five minutes before his big performance, the Maestro and his persistent mechanical assistant are getting ready. As the clock ticks, life at the top is not all it seems.

The work consists of two parts: a photogram series of ten letters and a video. I wrote these letters to my grandmother, whom I have never met before because she lives in Afghanistan. We do not share a common language, we do not share a common culture. Yet, now I tell her everything about myself, completely honestly and without fear.

A hitman is hired in the middle of the night to eliminate someone and clean up the crime scene, but upon arrival he is confronted with the fact, that he must kill his own apprentice.

Professor Leo has a surprise for Peter’s birthday: a spaceship. Peter, along with his uncle Kati and their little doggie, set off on a fun trip through space. They soon find themselves tangled up in all sorts of adventures: they produce rainbow raindrops in a cloud, they play ball on the Big Dipper, take a merry-go-round trip on the rings of Saturn...