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Káel Csaba, Principal HungaryThe National Film Institute (NFI) hopes to emulate the 18th-century Magyar hussar heroes at this year’s Berlinale European Film Market. The bluffing Count Andras Hardik took Berlin for a day in 1757 – and in return he left 300,000 silver thalers without destroying the city.
Hardik’s adventures are the subject of one of the films NFI will be promoting at EFM. Káel plans to stay in Berlin for more than a day, but also wants the Hungarian producer to leave after the market with a solid sales book – without having to raise ransom like the handsome hussar.
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This is the NFI’s first EFM since its inception in 2020, when the pandemic hit until it closed the Berlinale market this year.
Káel is an award-winning director who has worked with renowned cinematographers including the late Vilmos Zsigmond. After the death of Budapest-born Hollywood producer Andy Vajna in 2019, he was appointed Hungarian government film commissioner. Hungarian National Film Fund. The NFI profile is broader than Vajna’s model, which focuses on the financing function.
“A lot of things have changed in recent years — streaming channels have emerged, and new ways of making movies have emerged, such as miniseries with high production values,” Káel said. While Hungarian television production is supported by subsidies offered through other structures, the relaunched NFI now subsidizes around $28.5 million per year for feature films (including documentaries and animation) and a total of $19 million for television production. The money goes towards grants for development, pre-production, production, marketing and distribution.
The cash enables NFI to support approximately 20 films and as many as 200 television productions annually, including series, shorts, documentaries and cartoons.
Káel said the NFI was “preparing for more than a day for our attack at EFM”—leading the way on three fronts, including selling a large number of films, promoting Hungarian locations and co-productions, and emphasizing that Budapest was second only to Service center to London as European production center.
“We have very special knowledge in Hungary – the biggest international blockbusters are filmed here.”
Last year, new productions brought in $690 million in Hungarian business, largely thanks to available services and generous tax incentives, which can add up to more than 30% when all factors are factored in.
Promoting Hungarian co-productions with other countries is also high on NFI’s agenda.
“It’s also important to take new approaches to distribution,” he said, adding that co-productions could be a way of expanding sales possibilities and showcasing “our European way of life”.
He added: “Distribution, distribution, distribution — that’s our future. If we have revenue, we can make better and more interesting movies. Revenue comes from distribution.”
The list of films provided by EFM includes the official selection features, what Káel calls the “past, present and future” of Hungarian cinema. Berlin Classics presents György Fehér’s 1989 children’s serial killer thriller “Twilight” (Szürkület), while animated climate sci-fi (co-produced with Slovakia) “White Plastic Sky” is featured in the “Encounters” section and students Sarka” (meaning “from my special point of view”) from the movie “Szemem” appears in Generation 14 Plus.
Films on the market include the animated, English-language version of “Four Souls of the Wolf”; medieval costume drama “Wonderland – The Age of Seduction”; the emotional adoption drama “Six Weeks”; story.
Réka Temple, executive producer at Cinemon, the studio behind Four Souls of Wolves, paid tribute to NFI’s wider brief: “Hungary has a long tradition in animation. A service provider for films. Fortunately, the NFI has been supporting local directors and studios in the development of feature film productions for the past few years.”
For “Coyote” director Alan Gold, the story of Native Americans protecting their land from the pipeline is personal, she added. “He grew up with a passion for Native American culture. ‘The Four Souls of the Coyote’ is a tamer creation myth in which humans are not at the top of the food chain — a reminder of the challenges we face as humans today.”
She noted that Native American experts from the Navajo and Cheyenne-Arapaho tribes were consulted in making the film. Judit Romwalter, a producer of “Six Weeks” and head of Sparks, one of the Hungarian camera and lighting companies, praised NFI for creating “a safe production environment, as well as a local to continue their work during the challenging times of the pandemic”
She added: “Hungary has always been attractive to foreigners…The National Cinema is very serious about supporting international co-productions, which can bring films to a wider audience.”
With a strong and talented technical and creative community in Hungary, filmmakers “are able to discover and tackle interesting topics beyond their borders. Six Weeks” was directed on a relatively small budget by director Noemi Veronica Sacconi. Produced by a new creative team led by Noémi Veronika Szakonyi, but it stands out due to the themes and artistic content it presents, and it is also attractive to international film festivals, for example, winning Youth Film at the 26th Tallinn Dark Night Film Festival in 2022 Just Film Award,” said Romwalter.
Adam Goodman, co-founder of service company Mid-Atlantic Films, which is currently producing Dune 2, said the interplay between the international services sector and the domestic production scene gave Hungary a clear advantage over other European locations.
“Filmmakers come to Hungary not only because of the effective 37.5% rebate, but because it now has a complex range of skill sets, infrastructure and studios. There are very few places in the world that can beat it on a level playing field.”
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