As a seasoned film enthusiast who’s traveled the globe attending numerous film festivals, I must say that this year’s Venice Film Festival lineup is nothing short of intriguing. The diversity and depth of stories being told are truly remarkable.
Initially, it might not appear that Pablo Larraín’s highly anticipated Maria Callas biopic, “Maria,” featuring Angelina Jolie in the title role, and Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist,” a lengthy 215-minute film about a Holocaust survivor rebuilding life in America, have much in common. Despite premiering at this year’s Venice Film Festival where they are both contenders for the Golden Lion, these films share very few similarities in most aspects.
However, both films are heavily influenced by the creative skills of Hungarian artists, adding to a list of recent award-winning movies and box office hits filmed in Central Europe. This list includes Yorgos Lanthimos’ multiple Oscar-winning “Poor Things” as well as both installments of Denis Villeneuve’s science fiction epic “Dune.” The 30% cash rebate certainly plays a role, but it also reflects the rich heritage and technical proficiency in the Hungarian film industry – a quality that Hungarian Film Commissioner Csaba Káel refers to as Hungary’s unique “cinematic genetic code.”
Instead of choosing the conventional format for his epic drama, Corbet decided on the recently trendy 70mm format. This choice was inspired by films such as “Oppenheimer” directed by Christopher Nolan and “Dune: Part Two” from Villeneuve, which have ignited a resurgence in this format. Corbet explains to EbMaster before his film’s debut that the 70mm format makes the visuals seem more expansive and authentic, reflecting the efforts of the director, colorist, and technicians to create the most accurate depiction of the film as a completed product.
For the movie “The Brutalist”, which consists of a total of 26 reels weighing around 300 pounds, the film processing was carried out at NFI Filmlab in Budapest. This lab has recently received significant investment to modernize its post-production facilities. Similarly, the celluloid for Larraín’s Venice festival contender was also processed there. Likewise, Lanthimos entrusted Hungarian artisans and behind-the-scenes talents to construct the opulent setting of his Academy Award-nominated film “Poor Things”. When it came time to process this movie’s 35mm film stock, Lanthimos also chose the Budapest lab.
Meanwhile, Hungarian filmmakers are also basking in the spotlight, with László Nemes, who won an Oscar for his 2015 Holocaust drama “Son of Saul”, and Ildikó Enyedi, winner of the Berlinale Golden Bear for her movie “On Body and Soul”, both working on their upcoming projects. Nemes’ film, titled “Orphan”, is a period drama set in the 1950s, taking place a year after Hungary’s uprising against its Communist regime. According to producer Ildikó Kemény of Pioneer Stillking Films based in Budapest, “Orphan” is approximately halfway through its ten-week filming schedule.
The four-nation collaboration for the production of this film, involving Hungary, the U.K., France, and Germany, gained support from the individual national film funds of each country, with Kemény expressing his delight: “It’s quite unique that we were able to make this happen.” On the other hand, Ildikó Enyedi’s movie “Silent Friend” is being produced by the German production house Pandora Film, in collaboration with Hungarian producer Monika Mécs at Inform M and M, along with French producer Nicolas Elghozi at Galatée Films and Meng Xie from Rediance in China.
These extensive joint productions partially mirror the difficult terrain for movie funding in Hungary, but Mécs points out that they also foster artistic partnerships. As she puts it, “It’s a fantastic market advantage. Collaborating with fellow filmmakers from Europe – or beyond – is always beneficial.”
Due to the difficulties faced in the industry, many have grown pickier about the projects they choose to devote their time and funds to. For instance, Lili Horvát, a versatile talent known for “Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time,” who co-founded Poste Restante with her producing partner Dóra Csernátony, is serving as the lead producer on “January 2.” This is an intimately crafted drama about separation, directed by Zsófia Szilágyi. The film was financed through the Venice Film Festival’s Biennale College Cinema program.
Horvát openly confesses that the movie holds a deeply emotional significance for her, as she and Csernátony will only accept projects that genuinely resonate with them.
She also mentions that they put a significant amount of thought and imagination into it, as it’s crucial that it holds great meaning for them.
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2024-09-01 08:46