The closing reception of Made in Hungary was held on Monday, October 28th at the Melrose Rooftop Theatre, where for the first time ever, the Best International Production Filmed in Hungary was awarded.
The newly introduced award went to the British Irish American co-production Poor Things by director Jorgos Lánthimos, produced in Hungary by Pioneer Pictures under the direction of Ildikó Kemény, with production design by Zsuzsa Mihalek.
During the event, Government Commissioner for the Development of the Hungarian Film Industry Csaba Káel pledged that Hungary’s film support system, which is the basis for the success of the country’s domestic film industry, will be secured through 2030.
“It is a great pleasure and pride that in recent years, Hungarian film professionals have contributed their world-renowned talents to several top-class Oscar-winning films and have spread the Hungarian film industry’s reputation in the world. We are celebrating them, the international partners of our film industry, the film tax incentive that has been operating successfully for 20 years and the fact that following the approval of the European Commission, the Hungarian film support system is secured for another six years, until the end of 2030, which is the basis of our dynamically developing film industry that generates significant revenues at the national level,” said Csaba Káel during the event.
On the occasion of the anniversary of the first film tax incentive in our region in 2004, National Film Institute Hungary launched the international event series themed Made in Hungary, the first of which was held recently in London and continued with a film festival and professional forum in Los Angeles.
Made In Hungary’s opening night film, held at the iconic Lumiere Cinema in Beverly Hills, was Now or Never!, attended by lead actress Sára Mosolygó. The festival also showcased seven outstanding Hungarian films for audiences in Los Angeles. On Sunday evening, festival awards were presented to Franciska Törőcsik for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Cat Call, László Szacsvay for Best Actor for a Leading Role for Some Birds, and White Plastic Sky, directed by Tibor Bánóczki and Sarolta Szabó, won Best Picture.
The Made in Hungary event series was initiated by the National Film Institute Hungary, in collaboration with its United States partner, the Liszt Institute New York.
In a speech at the Los Angeles event, Csenge Palotai, Director of the Liszt Institute New York said, “We are committed to supporting new partnerships between the Hungarian and American film industries and to showcasing the best of Hungarian cinema internationally. This tradition-making festival is an exceptional opportunity to take cultural relations between Hungary and Hollywood to a new level by leveraging the potential of bilateral diplomacy and local representation of Hungarian interests.”
*Photos Courtesy of Justin Foyle
