Meet the. and its upcoming feature films

Transcription

1 Meet the and its upcoming feature films

2 Hungarian National Film Fund funding and guiding film projects from development through production to release The Hungarian National Film Fund (Magyar Nemzeti Film alap MNF) is the new public film funding organization of Hungary, conceived by Andrew G. Vajna, the government commissioner for the renewal of the Hungarian film industry. The fund is a public institution governed by Hungarian law and its activities are regulated according to the Motion Picture Act (II) of 2004, which was last amended in December, 2013, and came into effect with the latest modifications on 1 January, The fund s main purpose is to support the production and distribution of Hungarian films and co-productions that provide art and entertainment for moviegoers and achieving significant success both domestically and internationally. It also focuses on the development of the national film industry and represents Hungary at international film forums. The Hungarian National Film Fund was founded by the Hungarian Government. The chief executive of the fund is Agnes Havas, who was appointed by the founder. The financing for the fund is automatically derived from the tax revenue earned by the No.6 National Lottery. The fund s budget for 2014 is HUF 5.1 billion (EUR 17.6 million). DISTRIBUTING STATE FUNDING The fund provides financial and professional support for script development, progress to production development, and the production of full-length feature films (screen length of at least 85 minutes), documentaries (screen length of at least 70 minutes) and animated movies (screen length of at least 85 minutes) on a selective basis through its continuous submission system. Decisions are made by a 5- member board. Script/project development support is limited to HUF 7.5 million (EUR ) and is based on the submission of either a synopsis or treatment. When granting production support, the fund shares the distribution rights and revenues of the film as a co-production partner. The Hungarian National Film Fund has the ability to provide as much as 90% of budgets* (including the 20% tax rebate) for low budget movies** and movies made in the Hungarian language. Funding may reach as much as 100% for certain genres (documentary and animated features), while other films may receive up to 50% of the production budget. Marketing support is provided to assist completed Hungarian films or majority Hungarian co-productions, which are *total production costs or Hungarian contribution of international co-productions **EUR 1, for Hungarian films, EUR 1, for international co-productions ready for cinema release and repayable via the film s distribution revenues. Student films and diploma films are also supported both financially and in-kind to participating universities that offer academic courses in film studies. THE FUND IS DIVIDED INTO SEVEN DIVISIONS ENABLING IT TO FULFIL A SERIES OF DIVERSE RESPONSIBILITIES ßDevelopment Division headed by Réka Divinyi ßoperates the 5-member development team, which assists and oversees the development process in order to strengthen the quality of scripts/projects ßoperates the 8-member reader team, which evaluates projects and forwards them to the film board ßProduction Division headed by Péter Miskolczi ßassists and oversees the entire film production providing professional support across the various stages of the process (pre-, in-, and post-production) ßprovides a transparent accounting system in accordance with guidelines issued by the National Film Office to administrate production costs ßco-operates with other public supporters and co-producers ßInternational Division headed by Csaba Bereczki ßrepresents Hungarian cinema around the globe, handling worldwide rights of national films produced before 1989 and new films supported by the fund ßits sales unit acts as a sales agent providing emphasis to the marketing and distribution of Hungarian cinema on an international level ßmanages the distribution activities of the National Film Archive ßoperates Hungarian representation of Eurimages ßsupervises Hungarian representation of Creative Europe Programme ßFinancial Division headed by Orsolya Surguta ßadministrates all financial aspects of the fund s activities ßMafilm Studios Division headed by Tamás Zákonyi S. ßnow over 50 years old, Mafilm Studios served the Hungarian filmmaking industry through its most prolific period from 1960 to 1985, when a staggering domestic, international, and TV film projects were produced here every year. Mafilm continues to provide a major base for Hungarian films, TV productions, commercials, production services and education on two sites with a total of 5 stages and

3 3 backlots. Mafilm also boasts an extensive wardrobe store with more than 100,000 costumes, set dressing and prop store, as well as weaponary services. As a major subsidiary, Mafilm Audio provides an array of audio services for domestic and international productions. ßHungarian Filmlab Division headed by László Aradi ßthe most experienced film laboratory in Hungary, providing complete post-production services, combining traditional laboratory services with the most up-to-date Digital Intermediate procedures. ßLegal Division headed by Balázs Zachar ßadministrates all legal aspects of the fund s activities. THE FUND S DECISION-MAKING COMMITTEE IS THE 5-MEMBER FILM BOARD ßconsisting of industry experts specialized in the following fields: screenwriting, producing, international activities, science/education ßreviews all submissions by applicants forwarded via the reading team ßdecides upon applications for project funding by vote As of the end of 2013, the fund has granted production funding for 25 feature films, including 7 debut features, and 4 documentaries, and more than 90 projects got development support. A P P L I C A T I O N S Production companies or other eligible individuals (writers, producers, director-writers) can submit their applications continuously. SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT PRE-PRODUCTION PRODUCTION INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT MARKETING Head of Development synopses treatments scripts Head of Production financial plans and budgets e.g.: participation in /organization of film related events refundable (only for producers of projects supported by the Fund ) Development Team Readers comments comments Decision Making Committee UPCOMING FEATURE FILMS 2014 ßAFTERLIFE / Utóélet (Hu) DIRECTED VIRáG ZOMBORáCZ PRODUCED By FERENC PUSZTAI / KMH FILM The story portrays a pastor s family and focuses on the relationship between the father and his son. The father is now dead and the son has to work out what s keeping the annoying ghost of his father in the earthly dimension. He takes advice from a professional medium and starts to sew up a series of loose ends to set the ghost free. Such an unusual grieving process finally affects the life of the whole family. ßARGO 2 (Hu) DIRECTED AND PRODUCED By ATTILA árpa / ARGO 2 PRODUCTION Argo 2 is the sequel to Argo, a Hungarian blockbuster released in 2004 and considered to be the first genuine Hungarian action comedy. No other Hungarian film offers to provide as many stunts, high-speed car chases, explosions, gore or explicit language as Argo 2. Take Tarantino and Guy Ritchie, a bunch of retarded thugs, and pour a huge portion of spicy Goulash over the whole thing. Now you get an idea of what Argo means to Hungarian audiences.

4 ßCAR PARK / Parkoló (Hu/Sk/Pl) DIRECTED By BENCE MIKLAUZIC PRODUCED By IVáN ANGELUSZ, PéTER REICH / KATAPULT FILM Anyone can park wherever they like in the car park, except for one place: the spot where Legionnaire, the owner of the lot, buries dead blackbirds. But then a man appears who wants to obtain that exact place for his 1968 Ford Mustang at any cost. ßWHAT EvER HAPPENED TO TIMI / Megdönteni Hajnal Tímeát (Hu) DIRECTED By ATTILA HERCZEG PRODUCED By GáBOR FERENCZy / MHT PRODUCTION Dani Horváth is preparing for his wedding day. Everything s looking just perfect. But then he attends a school reunion and bumps into Timi who is now a stunning super model. It s no big deal. It could happen to anyone. The real trouble starts when it turns out that their fellow classmate, the disgusting and equally unscrupulous Bögöcs, has captured the whole thing on tape. It seems that Bögöcs has what he needs to achieve his high school fantasy of... banging Timi. ßLAND OF STORMS / viharsarok (Hu/De DIRECTED By ádám CSáSZI PRODUCED By VIKTóRIA PETRáNyI, ESZTER GyáRFáS / PROTON CINEMA COMPLETED The search for our true selves takes us to unknown territories far away from everything we believed in. Szabolcs plays in a German football team, as does Bernard. They are roommates, best friends, inseparable. A lost match and an ugly argument make Szabolcs reconsider his life abroad and he ventures back to Hungary in the hope that life back home will be a little more straightforward. But he is not alone for long because he soon meets áron and a mutual attraction between the two boys develops ßLIZA, THE FOX FAIRY / Liza, a rókatündér (Hu) DIRECTED KáROLy UJJ MéSZáROS PRODUCED By ISTVáN MAJOR / FILMTEAM COMPLETED Fox-fairies are evil demons from Japanese folklore, who rob men of their lives. Liza, a 30-year-old nurse, goes in search of love, but when her ill-fated admirers all die on the first date she is convinced she is a foxfairy! A peculiar, poigant comedy set in a fictionalized 1970s Hungary A sarcastic fairy tale for grownups. ßNO MAN S ISLAND / Senki szigete (Hu) DIRECTED By FERENC TöRöK / PRODUCED By PáL SáNDOR / FILM STREET Vera is a cabdriver who has been saving up for years to buy a house and settle on No Man's Island in the Pacific and eventually escape from the world in which she lives. Zoli has what it takes to become a professional basketball player, but beats a cowardly retreat from his own talent. These two youngsters, each on the run in their own way, are then joined by Mia, the runaway bride. Their three lives clash and intermingle as they journey towards an unexpected solution. The film is a modern fairy tale about young people in search of true happiness who, through Mia s ethereal purity, come to love themselves and find a way to realise their dreams.

5 ßMIRAGE / Délibáb (Hu/UK/Sk) DIRECTED By SZABLOCS HAJDU PRODUCED By ANDREA TASCHLER / MIRAGE FILM STUDIO AND ági PATAKI, GáBOR KOVáCS / PARTNERSFILM Mirage tells the story of an African football player in a small Hungarian town who commits a crime and has to flee. He finds refuge on a farm out on the Hungarian Plain. He soon realizes that the farm is a modern slave camp where he is forced to fight for his freedom and ultimately his life. ßPAW / Mancs (Hu) DIRECTED By ROBERT PEJO PRODUCED By LáSZLó KáNTOR / ÚJ BUDAPEST FILMSTÚDIó A sweet, humorous tale about a German shepherd dog that travels around the world and saves lives, rewarded by nothing more than a pat on the head from his loving handler. Paw is orphaned at birth and suffers a long and gruelling journey before he eventually finds sanctuary with a caring family and becomes a canine hero. ßPICTURESqUE EPOCHS (working title) / Festői korszakok (Hu) DIRECTED By PéTER FORGáCS PRODUCED By LáSZLó KáNTOR / MATRIx FILM IN PRODUCTION... home movies of Hungarian painters such as Mácsai and Breznay can perhaps provide the viewer with an alternative insight into the hidden world of life and art as it was in Hungary between 1945 and Inclusion of these films and Soviet-style art so typical of the post-war era will enable Péter Forgács to compose a film that portrays the private universe of an artist and outline how pre- and post-war Hungarian culture was shaped and shifted by a communist dictatorship as it moved from radical ruthlessness to latter-day (until 1989) soft repression. Péter Forgács s latest film project aims to address these questions through the lives and works of a handful of Hungarian artists such as István Mácsai ( ) and their personal collections of amateur film footage of family events, the birth of their children and holidays together as well as their life as working artists under a constant though ever-changing regime in the north-western corner of the Balkans, on the perimeter of Europe. ßSWING (Hu) DIRECTED By CSABA FAZEKAS PRODUCED By ISTVáN BODZSáR / UNIO FILM Sometimes you have to make a fool of yourself to be taken seriously. Swing is the story of three women from three different generations who sing in an all-girl act, bound together by a passion for music and a desperate need for quick cash. Starring a trio of accomplished Hungarian actresses led by the iconoclastic Mari Törőcsik who have collected awards for Best Actress in Cannes, Chicago, Karlovy Vary and Monte Carlo.

6 ßTHE WEDNESDAY CHILD / A szerdai gyerek (Hu) DIRECTED By By LILI HORVáTH PRODUCED By KáROLy FEHéR / POPFILM Maja and Krisz are both 19 and live as a couple on the outskirts of Budapest. They get by as best they can although they don t always respect the letter of the law. They grew up in an orphanage together and have a four-year-old son who still lives there. Krisz doesn t want to hear about their kid because he s practically still a kid himself and he wants to get on with the rest of his life. Maja is the exact opposite and, despite being an irresponsible teenage mother, she is desperate to regain custody of her growing baby boy and is determined not to see her son live the life she has been forced to accept as her fate. Then she wins a grant from a microcredit scheme to help disadvantaged entrepreneurs and she at last sees a chance to start life anew. ßWEEKEND (Hu) DIRECTED By áron MáTyáSSy, PRODUCED By SáNDOR CSORTOS SZABó / BUDAPEST FILM PRODUKCIóS LTD. AND FERENC PUSZTAI / KMH FILM Three highly successful professionals go on a hunting weekend and have an unfortunate accident. Panic leads to bad decisions, and that s when the real hunt begins. Cross a border, and there's no turning back: some things can never be forgiven. ßWHITE GOD / Fehér Isten (Hu/De/Se) DIRECTED By KORNéL MUNDRUCZó PRODUCED By VIKTóRIA PETRáNyI, ESZTER GyáRFáS / PROTON CINEMA Mundruczó s sixth feature film tells the story of the adventures of a girl and her best friend, a dog, in a world in which there are chosen ones and losers, in which pedigree is a decisive factor again, but where true affection can triumph and the minority of the time can revolt against their unjust fate. It is a film made to advocate the hope for peace the hope that the eternal war of superior lives and inferior ones may end one day. ßZERO (Hu/Cz/De) DIRECTED By AND PRODUCED By GyULA NEMES / PLAyTIME ZERO Zero is a parable; a provoking and anarchistic caricature of modern consumer society. The director of a commercial honey-bottling plant has his life completely transformed by a bee. Now he s tasted real honey, he decides to leave the factory and move to the forest where he can at last work with bees in a meaningful way. It is here that he establishes an environmentalist commune and begins a battle to prevent pollution and save his beloved bees. filmfund.hu filmalap@filmalap.hu Phone: Fax: Mailing address: Budapest 1365 Pf. 748., Hungary 2014 Magyar Nemzeti Filmalap Közhasznú Nonprofit Zrt. / Hungarian National Film Fund