Deep Winter in the Old World: the photos of Tamás Hajdu

In Transylvania the snow is deeper, the nights are darker, and everything just appears a bit stranger. At least it does through the eyes of veterinarian and photographer Dr. Tamás Hajdu, whose photographs of the area have brought him much international attention. While the area around Nagybánya, where the photographer lives, falls within Romanian borders, it was formerly part of Hungary, and many villages retain their Hungarian identity in language and culture. But you won't find Gothic castles or vampire allusions here: Hajdu specializes in capturing the unexpected in everyday life, and doesn't let a cold snowy day keep him from his craft.

You can find more of these stunning photos on Dr. Hajdu's blog here, or follow him on Facebook here. Click on the photos to enlarge. 

Flatpack Films is based in Budapest, Hungary. We are a film company that offers an inspiring and professional work atmosphere for our local and international clients. Since our inception, our focus has been providing the best of the best in terms of local production resources, locations, cast, and technical teams to ensure that whatever the production we facilitate, we do to highest standard possible.

Krampus Conquers America and Beyond

Much like Budapest as a filming location over the past few years, the seasonal monster known as Krampus, the ‘Christmas Devil’, has gotten a lot of play in the media. A holdover from ancient European pagan traditions, Krampus has emerged as an unlikely Christmas anti-hero, beloved by Westerners who have grown weary of the sugar-coated commercialization of the holiday season. It seems that the goatlike demon has become a star of new media–with his own twitter account–as well as making appearances on the silver screen and television.

If you haven’t heard, Krampus is St. Nick’s macabre sidekick, the guy who does the dirty work when Santa has to attend to children on the ‘naughty’ list. This coal-colored, devil-tongued and chain wielding half-goat, half-man demon is known to sneak into children’s bedrooms and kidnap them in a sack, spiriting them away to a fiery corner of the underworld, where they languish for a year.

Though Krampus has long been part of the Christmas tradition in Hungary, its origins can be traced back to Alpine Austria and Germany. In small mountain towns the shadowy figure of Krampus is so ingrained in the culture that there are celebratory parades around this time of year when townsfolk dress in Krampus costumes and masks, arming themselves with gold-painted switches to harass spectators. Krampus parades and ceremonies have recently been taken up by forward-thinking, less traditional communities in America like Portland, Oregon as well as San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington DC. It seems like soon Krampus will be as well traveled as Santa Claus.

It should be noted that the Krampus movie, which came out last year, was so successful (despite not being filmed in Hungary) that there is already a sequel planned. We’re not sure why this age-old Christmas antihero of Central Europe is having his close-up moment now, but you can be sure that his celebrity will only grow. In short, to steal the tagline from the Christmas carol “Santa Claus is coming to town"…you better watch out…

The author, Matt Henderson Ellis gives manuscript critiques and writes about Budapest and other things real and imagined.

Budapest Burger Conquers Brooklyn!

If you live in or have been to Budapest recently, you know the city has undergone a street-food revolution, with the once-humble hamburger on the front lines. Five years ago, you couldn’t get a good burger in this city outside of the Gresham Palace Four Seasons Hotel bar. Now there seem to be burger shacks on every corner, each trying to outdo each other for flavorful, inventive hamburgers. We’ve seen goose-liver burgers, spicy paprika burgers, burgers served on bagels, pretzels, and donuts. Burgers have come so far that even the simpler, blander Hungarian Retro Burgers of yore are returning to popularity: limp patties on huge buns complete with Hungarian pickled cabbage coleslaw. In this sizzling golden age of burger, is there anything left to do? Have we not hit peak burger?

We need to look Stateside for the next step forward, where good-intentioned Eastern/Central Europeans have emigrated, taking ideas from their own cuisine and fusing them with American street-food traditions. This cultural melding has brought us the first lángos (deep fried flat bread) burger, where-by a burger patty, hand-formed ground beef, is attended to on the grill, then bundled into lángos doe and dipped in the deep fryer. Hot Hungarian peppers as a condiment are optional. This ungodly (or divine, depending) creation is the brainchild of Korzo’s, a Hungarian/Slovak American outpost in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The burger is known as the 'Deep Fried Burger' and comes in multiple variations. This Hungarian/American hybrid has thus far been rated the best in America by Inside Edition and best in New York by the Village Voice. With that kind of hype, and with the local willingness to evolve their tastes in this territory, it is only a matter of time before the lángos burger makes an appearance on menus in Budapest, where to competition is fierce, and the burger battle is always hotting up. 

But don't take our word for it: have a look at the cooking of the Deep Fried Burger here:

Flatpack Films is based in Budapest, Hungary. We are a film company that offers an inspiring and professional work atmosphere for our local and international clients. Since our inception, our focus has been providing the best of the best in terms of local production resources, locations, cast, and technical teams to ensure that whatever the production we facilitate, we do to highest standard possible.

A Ride Through the Past: A Brief Trams in Budapest

One of the things that makes Budapest such a great city to live in, work in, and visit, is its comprehensive and dependable public transportation system, the oldest of which is the network of tramlines. Why waste money on bus tours when the city’s tram system can take you to the most scenic locations in Budapest for around a Euro? Like blood vessels through the body, the trams run everywhere, delivering a staggering 10 million passengers a year to their destinations around Buda and Pest.

With many of the trams currently under 10 years old, it is also a modern system. It’s hard to believe that the very first trams in Budapest were neither electric, gas, nor steam, but actually horse powered. This was back in 1866 when the inaugural tram ran from inner Pest to an outer northern suburb. The system was quickly expanded to include fifteen more lines, as well as a steam-powered commuter rail. The horses had a short run, being replaced by the city's first electrical tram a mere eleven years later. This system was quickly expanded until it became the city-wide one we know today.

Instead of the numbered tram lines we currently use, the original lines were color-coded, using circular discs with a symbol on it or a strip across it to signify the line. But this proved too complicated when by 1900 there were more than 30 tram lines in use. Confusingly, there were two different companies presiding over the system. One was granted the use of even numbers, the other the use of odd numbers for their lines.

It could be said that the tram system had its heyday in the years of 1939-44 when it operated 66 lines. This was of course before WWII, and before the underground metro was constructed, which took a good deal of burden off the evermore crowded trams, not to mention the introduction of gas-powered buses and electric trolleys. Still, the trams of Budapest’s 33 tramlines are consistently replaced with more modern carriages, making it an efficient, even thrilling way to travel across the city.

For a more in-depth history of the trams in Budapest in addition to a deep photo archive of trams old and new, see this excellent site.

Matt Henderson Ellis is a free-lance writer based in Budapest.

Flatpack Films is based in Budapest, Hungary. We are a film company that offers an inspiring and professional work atmosphere for our local and international clients. Since our inception, our focus has been providing the best of the best in terms of local production resources, locations, cast, and technical teams to ensure that whatever the production we facilitate, we do to highest standard possible.

Star Géza: a Hungarian Actor in Fashion

Last year was a big one for Hungarian-born actor/writer/educator Géza Röhrig, with the unexpected Best Foreign Film Oscar win for Hungary’s entry Son of Saul. Röhrig visited over 20 countries to publicize the film, sat on a panel with the Pope, and was awarded Hungary’s highest honor in the field of culture. But perhaps one of the more unlikely venues he popped up in was the pages of glossy magazines as a model for the high fashion brand and department store Barney’s.

With eight books of poetry published in Hungary, he is now writing a novel, the content of which involves several generations of a Hungarian Roma family. No stranger to hardship himself, the actor spent the first portion of his life in foster care, and was eventually adopted by a Jewish family in Budapest. Though he has a strong background in theology (with a degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, and time spent at a Yeshiva in Israel) he also has a degree from the Academy of Film and Theater in Budapest where he studied under fellow Oscar-winner István Szabó, as well as a Masters in Eastern European Literature. In his youth he spent time in anti-authoritarian punk rock bands and boxing.

Though it brings less fame, it is writing that drives Röhrig as an artist.  He tells Barney’s of the eight books of poetry he has published in Hungary: “Poetry has been my main focus, my lifeblood. But [you] accumulate things that are more prosaic as you get older. I got through stuff. I lost things and people. I lost a marriage. There are these things that I can’t poet out of my system, so to speak. I have to prose them out. Because they’re still sitting with me, you know?”

Röhrig is a recipient of the prestigious Kossuth Prize, given by the Hungarian State as recognition for the highest achievement in Hungarian culture. But Röhrig does not focus on such accolades. As he told the Times of Israel: “The joy is not in recognition. The joy is actually creating something.” Either way, it looks good on him.

All photos via thewindow.barneys.com

Flatpack Films is based in Budapest, Hungary. We are a film company that offers an inspiring and professional work atmosphere for our local and international clients. Since our inception, our focus has been providing the best of the best in terms of local production resources, locations, cast, and technical teams to ensure that whatever the production we facilitate, we do to highest standard possible.

Location Spotter: Vajdahunyad Castle, City Park, Budapest

Sometimes it takes an outsider’s eye to appreciate what has been in front of you all along. Take, for instance, the City Park, a place that is often overlooked for flashier locations in Budapest. One thing that stands out in this huge green space is the historic and curious history of the Vajdahunyad Castle, which is fast achieving a place as a top tourist site and ever-more intriguing location, so much so that it was recently the subject of a profile on the ultra-hip and in-the-know travel site Atlas Obscura.  

Most passersby don’t recognize that the Vajdahunyad Castle wasn’t intended to be a residential castle at all, but rather was only for show (it now houses the much-overlooked agricultural museum). Utilizing four styles of architecture: Gothic, Baroque, Renaissance, and Romanesque, the structure was originally constructed out of wooden planks and cardboard, for the Millennial Exhibition (Hungary’s 1000th year birthday), and though it was slated to be torn down, was reconstructed with proper building materials due to its popularity with locals.

According to the castle’s official site: “The concept of Vajdahunyad Castle Budapest was to blend the various architectural styles into one composite castle. The design of Ignác Alpár contains the architectural details of 21 buildings, some only in minor additions, while others as main characters.” While Atlas Obscura describes the building as having a funhouse quality and ‘dreamy ambivalence’ it is in fact a more serious affair, lending a sinister and Medieval air to its surroundings. While the Vajdahunyad Castle may fit the bill perfectly as the pied-a-terre of a wealthy vampire, and it has been speculated that Bram Stoker visited the place and took inspiration from it for his creation, there is no real proof of this, though it is interesting to note that there is a bust of Bela Lugosi, the Hungarian actor who originated the role of Dracula, outside the castle. Just like with Dracula, the profile of the castle only grows with time.

All images via vajdahunyadcastle.com and wiki commons.

Flatpack Films is based in Budapest, Hungary. We are a film company that offers an inspiring and professional work atmosphere for our local and international clients. Since our inception, our focus has been providing the best of the best in terms of local production resources, locations, cast, and technical teams to ensure that whatever the production we facilitate, we do to highest standard possible.

Olympics 2024: Project Budapest

We love seeing creative minds apply themselves to the cityscape of Budapest, because there is just so much possibility here. It is a city that constantly re-invents itself, yet somehow stays true to its own unique spirit. This is why the pictures released by the 2024 Budapest Olympic Bid committee were so thrilling. They have taken historic and iconic sites from around Budapest and recontextualized them to show how adaptable the city is, in this case for venues that would host the 2024 summer games.

via budapest2024.org

For the first time in recent history, Budapest is considered to be one of the main contenders for the honor of hosting the games, along with more obvious choices like Paris, Los Angeles, and Rome (with Hamburg recently dropping their bid).  The winner will be announced at the IOC's September 2017 conference in Lima, Peru. That’s not so far away, and when it comes to Olympic planning, neither is 2024.

via budapest2024.org

It should be stated that while the team behind the bid are optimistic, Budapest is considered the underdog. Paris, though having already hosted two Olympics, is a sentimental favorite, having rebounded from last year’s terrorist attacks, though smart money is on LA, as the summer games have not been in LA in almost 30 years and the city already has much of the necessary infrastructure in place. One advantage Budapest may have is that the Olympic committee is stressing sustainability this time around. As it is a compact, cozy city, all the venues would be not far from each other, cutting down on transportation needs.

via budapest2024.orgbudapest2024.org

It is true that much infrastructure would have to be built in Budapest to make the games viable, but the photos reveal that the games would also benefit from a classical setting, one that cleans up and adapts itself so well to each new incarnation. No matter what decision is taken, there is no doubt that we have gamily thrown our hat into the ring and will be take seriously as a global venue for entertainment that extends past film.

via budapest2024.org

Flatpack Films is based in Budapest, Hungary. We are a film company that offers an inspiring and professional work atmosphere for our local and international clients. Since our inception, our focus has been providing the best of the best in terms of local production resources, locations, cast, and technical teams to ensure that whatever the production we facilitate, we do to highest standard possible.

Blade Runner 2: the Budapest Proposition

It’s not new news that Blade Runner II has been shooting in Budapest at Origo Studios for the better part of 2016, making use of the amazing sound stages and crews Hungary has to offer. Not much is known of the plot of the long awaited sequel, except what the director Denis Villeneuve told Entertainment Weekly when she briefly discussed the film, revealing that the story is set a few decades after the original, and that it will take place in Los Angeles again. "The climate has gone berserk — the ocean, the rain, the snow is all toxic," she said in the interview.

The shoot has been kept under the tightest secrecy, with no scripts being leaked or pictures from the set posted on social media. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t visit the Blade Runner II set. It was announced in late September that a raffle is being held to benefit a number of worthy causes, the prize including a visit to Budapest and tour of the set with tour guide/ occasional movie star Ryan Gossling. Here is the actor himself pitching the charitable contest, which will benefit Enough Project, Imerman Angels, and the Hummingbirds Foundation in their missions.

Meanwhile Harrison Ford, making the most of Budapest in the autumn, has been spotted around town, from picking up a bike to grabbing a bowl of famous Hungarian Fisherman’s soup and sampling Hungarian red wine (apparently the Villanyi producer Gere was choice of the night).

via Facebook/ Blade Runner 2049

Ridley Scott, director of the first Blade Runner is producing the sequel. In addition to Ryan Gosling, Jared Leto, Robin Wright, and Mackenzie Davis star in the project, based on the writing of Philip K. Dick. It is set for an October 2017 release.

Donate and enter for your chance for the ultimate insider trip to Budapest at Omaze.com.

It’s not new news that Blade Runner II has been shooting in Budapest at Origo Studios for the better part of 2016, making use of the amazing sound stages and crews shooting in Hungary has to offer. Not much is known of the plot, except what the director Denis Villeneuve told Entertainment Weekly briefly discussed the film, revealing it's set a few decades after the original. It'll take place in Los Angeles again, and the earth's atmosphere will be different. "The climate has gone berserk — the ocean, the rain, the snow is all toxic". The shoot has been kept under the tightest secrecy, with no scripts being leaked or pictures from the set posted on social media. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t visit the Blade Runner II set. It was announced in late September that a raffle is being held to benefit a number of worthy causes, the prize being a visit to Budapest and tour of the set with tour guide/ movie star Ryan Gossling. Here is the actor himself pitching the charitable contest, which will benefit Enough Project, Imerman Angels, and the Hummingbirds Foundation in their missions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3N0kwYr43g

Meanwhile Harrison Ford, making the most of Budapest in the autumn, has been spotted around town, from picking up a bike to grabbing a bowl of famous Hungarian Fisherman’s soup and sampling Hungarian red wine (apparently the Villanyi producer Gere was choice of the night.

The Blade Runner sequel is being directed by Denis Villeneuve with Blade Runner director Ridley Scott producing. In addition to Ryan Gosling, Jared Leto, Robin Wright, and Mackenzie Davis star in the project, based on the writing of Philip K. Dick and is set for an October 2017 release.

Donate and enter for your chance for the ultimate insider trip to Budapest at Omaze.com.

Snow-covered Budapest From Above: A Bird's Eye View on Winter

Just because winter is fast approaching doesn’t mean we can’t find things about Budapest to love. This stunning video comes from dronemediastudio.hu, where they specialize in professionally shot drone footage. It is impossible not to see just how magical the city is when under a fresh blanket of snow. The footage captures some of the city’s most prominent and photogenic settings, beginning with the Palace, then later with shots on the Chain Bridge and the Danube, snaking between Pest and Buda. The parliament looks appropriately huge and austere from above the river. Back on the Buda side, we can see Clark Adams Square with its tunnel and funicular. Later there are shots of less covered locations like the newly renovated Széll Kálmán Square and Millenáris Park.

In short, you can cover Budapest in snow, but you can’t hide the beauty of the city, which is photogenic, friendly, and imminently atmospheric year-round.

Flatpack Films is based in Budapest, Hungary. We are a film company that offers an inspiring and professional work atmosphere for our local and international clients. Since our inception, our focus has been providing the best of the best in terms of local production resources, locations, cast, and technical teams to ensure that whatever the production we facilitate, we do to highest standard possible.

Hungary by the Bite: My Virgin Kitchen Takes on Hungarian Snack Food

It must be said that the hungry/Hungary pun gets a little old (as in ‘I am a hungry Hungarian'). Just about everybody in front of a camera or mic who arrives in Hungary tries it on nonetheless. We don’t mind, so long as they also offer something original and fun. Luckily, Barry of the You Tube munchie-gorging channel My Virgin Kitchen, also has some chops (sorry for a bad pun of our own) when it comes to sampling and describing Hungarian snack food. Though the selection of snack-food on offer in the video (bake rolls, cookies) is not terribly inspired, the host’s pronunciation is. He mistakes brands for products, but the fact that he has a little black pug looking on in boredom makes it all forgivable. That he disdains marzipan, which Hungarians are known for, endears him to no local, but his enthusiasm for Túró Rudi almost makes up for this momentary digression in taste.

Túró Rudi is a national treasure that – as a visitor – you will either love or hate. Literally translated as ‘curd rod’ it is just that: cheese curd dipped in rich chocolate. Mostly sweet but kind of savory, it is uniquely Hungarian. It can be spotted by its distinctive red-and-white polka-dot packaging. It’s enough to make a bad pun seem very tasty indeed.

Have a look at the full video below. Thank you My Virgin Kitchen and happy snacking.

Flight to Freedom: A Daring Escape from Hungary

Hungarians take great pride in their inventions. And with good reason: many ingenious items were hatched in the minds of Hungarians, from the atom bomb to the Rubik’s Cube. But did you know that the concept of air-plane hijacking was also ‘invented’ by a Hungarian. Detailed in his book Free for All to Freedom, Hungarian-born Frank Iszak tells of how he and his cohort George Polyak forcibly commandeered a flight over Hungary in order to jump the Iron Curtain and escape the oppressive communist controlled country to get to the West, making their plot the first recorded hi-jacking of a commercial flight.

Boarding a 1956 a twin engine DC-3 on a commercial flight on Friday 13th of July in 1956, Iszak, a Hungarian forced laborer who worked in a brick factory, and his companion were in the company of other passengers, who were all in on the plot, except for one who happened to be a KGB agent. In midair they would have to overcome faulty firearms and a violent struggle in order to commandeer the plane, then later would need to weave through the peaks of the treacherous Alps as the plane ran out of gas. But in the end, they were successful, and freedom was theirs as they crossed into the West, landing in West Germany, where several of the conspirators were taken to the hospital, having sustained injuries while taking possession of the plane.

Iszak told WBUR.org "The door to the outside was cracked open, so we couldn’t close it fully. So the plane had to stay at 10,000 feet, and we started to run into thunderstorms. Sometimes I looked out the window - it was as close to the next mountain that I ever wanted to see. So we’re flying through the Alps for an hour and a half without any navigation - total soup, 10,000 feet when the mountains could be 11,000 feet. And then eventually we run out of fuel, so now you have to descend from 10,000 feet to 300 and some. When we finally broke out of the clouds, it was the most harrowing experience you can even dream of."

It is an incredible story, one that has garnered interest from Hollywood. There is currently a plan to turn Iszak’s memoir of the event into a film by director Endre Hules, who enlisted actors David Kross and Sam Neil.

Frank Iszak calls the day the plane landed on a NATO airstrip his "second birthday". Iszak has led a full life since escaping the Soviet Union. Once in the USA, he went on to found an advertising studio, run a yoga foundation, and work as a private investigator.

Have a look at the news clip documenting the event - the world's first hijacking - here:

Bookstores Budapest

Apologies for the pause in regular programming, but we were lost among the bookshelves of a few of the most charming and personable bookstores on the planet. But lucky you, we took some photos along the way, just to show off. As locations, the bookstores in Budapest conjure up dreamy afternoons spent in some romantic reverie. Just what you would expect from a location in Budapest.

First up is Atlantisz bookshop. Located in the heart of the Jewish quarter, even though it is a relatively new bookstore, the space is drenched with old-world atmosphere and romantic lighting that calls to mind the Travel Bookshop from the film Notting Hill.

via Atlantisz Bookshop

Massolit Books is a used-books bookstore, also in the Jewish Quarter, that doubles as a café.  The space has five-meter high ceilings and huge windows that brighten the room with lots of natural light. It is a youthful place that also blends well into the old buildings of central Pest.

via Massolit Bookstore

The prize bookstore in Budapest might be the flagship of the Alexandra publishing house. As a bookstore it is large and somewhat impersonal, like a European Barnes and Noble superstore. But it is the café in the back, the Lotz Hall, also known as the Book Café, that steals the show. Originally opened in was was called the Grande Parisienne Department store in the early 1900s, it was part of the first department store in Budapest. The interior of the cafe, which will have you craning your neck looking up, has been painstakingly restored and is a museum piece in itself. This Neo-Renaissance building is one of the most opulent and elegant on Budapest’s great Andrássy Avenue.

So now that we have gotten our heads out from in between the pages of books old and new, and found our way from the aisles of Budapest’s most picturesque bookstores, we will happily resume this blog next week. Until then, happy browsing.

Starry Night Budapest

Stars rain on Hungary! No, not Tom Hanks and Matt Damon, both whom were here shooting productions in Budapest not so long ago, but tastier stars of theMichelin sort. Last week saw Budapest receive its fifth star from the esteemed dining guide, in the Michelin’s new Main Cities of Europe 2016 edition. This star went to Costes Downtown, the second outpost of the District 9 eatery Costes, which was the first restaurant in Budapest to attain a star, as well as having the distinction of being named one of the 25 top restaurants in the world, according to The Trip Advisor Travelers’ Choice Awards.

via Trip Advisor

This is a huge honor for the restaurant, which was opened just one year ago in Budapest’s Prestige Hotel in District 5. Odds were in their favor, however, with the team of the original Costes – owner Károly Gerendai and Portuguese Executive Chef Miguel Rocha Vieira – working together to deliver the same high-quality but casual French menu that made Costes so famous.

via xpatloop.com

It was a big month for culinary Budapest, with Onyx chef Tamás Széll winning the national selection for Bocuse d’Or competition, which recently took place in Budapest, qualifying him to advance to face off against 20 other European chefs in the May semi-finals, which also take place in Budapest. Széll’s Onyx, along with restaurants Tanti, Borkoynha, and of course the original Costes, comprise the list of Michelin star establishments. With five stars, Hungary had more than any other country in the former Soviet Bloc; two more than the Czech Republic and three more than Poland.

There is no question that at the street-food level as well as the fine-dining level, Budapest has lots to offer anybody who is shooting or working on film production in Hungary. Congratulations to Costes Downtown and all of culinary Budapest.

Huge Academy Award Win for Hungarian Film!

Congratulations to the Oscar-winning Son of Saul.

It seemed inevitable yet still came as a surprise: Hungary brought home its second Best Foreign Film Academy Award last night after the highly lauded Son of Saul won in that category. Accepting the award, director László Nemes gave this brief but moving speech: “I want to share this with Géza Röhrig, my main actor, and the incredible cast and crew that believed in this project when no one else did," he said. "You know, even in the darkest hours of mankind ... there might be a voice within us, that allows us to remain human. That’s the hope of this film. Thank you very much, thank you."

The film has been called the best Holocaust-themed film since Schindler’s List, with some critics calling it the best Holocaust film ever. With wins at Cannes, the Golden Globes, the Independent Spirit Awards, and now the Oscars, this represents a spectacular achievement for the film-makers and the world of Hungarian film. Though Hungarian films have been nominated eight times for the award in the past, this is the first win since István Szabó’s now classic Mephisto took home the prize in 1981.

The story of Son of Saul revolves around a ‘Sonderkommando’ at one of the Auschwitz crematoriums who is charged with burning the bodies of his people, and tries to maintain a moral foothold by giving a burial to the body of a child he believes to be his own. Filmed in Hungary, it has become an international hit, one that will only be propelled to greater heights by this phenomenal Academy Award win. We at Flatpack Films join all of Budapest, Hungary, if not the world, in sending huge congratulations to the makers of Son of Saul.

A Martian in Hungary: Lists, Awards, and More!

Recently, the Hollywood Reporter ran an article about the top five Eastern European countries to film in – and save money. Would it be any surprise that Hungary is on the list? This year Hungary is particularly visible, with Oscar forerunners The Martian and Son of Saul having their origins here.

The availability of a world-class studio, in this case Korda Studios, directly outside of Budapest in Etyek, 'Hungary’s Napa Valley,' was instrumental in bringing the production to Hungary. According to the article, it was chosen for the size of its sound stages, 64,3000 square feet in this case, for the infrastructure they could provide, for the expertise of the local technicians and crew, and the hefty tax incentive, which can total up to 30 percent of the production. They had so much space, that they even maintained a small potato farm on the lot, to have access to potatoes at all stages of growth, as called for by the script. Originally slated to be shot in Australia, the production was brought to Hungary (and Jordan) when the film-makers found the conditions more agreeable here.

In addition to prime studio space, there was no shortage extra-curricular activities for cast, who were able to do things like practice indoor skydiving in Budapest at the SkyWard center’s gravity-defying, 260km-wind tunnel. Matt Damon was spotted at several nightspots around town, including one of the more posh ‘Ruin Pubs’ in downtown, Ötkert. In an interview with Showbiz & TV, Damon went so far as to claim he would live in Budapest – if it were an American city: “Oh yes, I’ve been here [in Budapest] for a month, and I adore it. I think this is one of the world’s biggest walking cities, and people are very nice. It’s similar to Prague, where I worked comparably a lot, and I’m delighted. I was just on the phone with one of my American friends yesterday, and when he asked me about Budapest I told him that if this city had been in America, I would have definitely moved there.”

With seven Academy Award nominations, and having already won big at the Golden Globes, including Best Picture and Best Actor awards, the film's association with Hungary will only make the country hotter as a film location.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Location Spotter: 3 Hundred-plus Year Old Restaurants

Budapest has been getting a lot of buzz for its sudden appearance on the international culinary scene since the Michelin guide began throwing stars in our direction like a foodie ninja. While this is all great and flattering, it’s important not to overlook the long history of elegant dining to be had in Budapest's 'old school' restaurants, all of which have weathered multiple wars and oppressive regimes. In terms of film locations in Budapest, in this list of three restaurants that are over 100 years old, you can find fastidiously restored interiors and old-world charm. Have a look below for a taste of Budapest’s oldest, grandest restaurants.

Apostolok

The eatery known as the ‘Apostles’ has been around since 1902, when it opened as a beer hall specializing in German brew.  Popular with actors, writers and poets, its location in the heart of central Pest also made it a popular tourist destination (no surprise, it still is). The grand room's interiors have been lovingly preserved but also kept up to date with a recent restoration.  

via visit-hungary.com

Central Kávéház

A mainstay for writers of the golden era of Hungarian literature, the Nyugat, or Western movement, the Central Coffeehouse has been running on and off since 1887. While it suffered under the Socialist era, it has made a comeback as a first-class restaurant while at the same time keeping itself available to more bohemian types as a casual coffee house. The huge and open interior, laden with history and the scents drifting in from the kitchen, make for one of the city’s more sophisticated dining experiences.

Karpatia Restaurant

If you like Gypsy music and goose liver, Karpatia is your place. Open since 1877, the restaurant is a city landmark. The intricate hand painted and gilded walls have been around since the 1920s, a well-preserved example of fin-de-siècle design, Karpatia communicates the atmosphere of a Transylvanian lodge.

via Karpatia.hu

via karpatia.hu

In terms of film locations in Budapest, the city's oldest restaurants are up to the task an readily available.

M. Ellis is a writer and gives manuscript critiques.

Austria, 1953

Austria 1953

Perhaps it is not known to everyone that similar to Germany, Austria was divided into four occupation zones after World War II, with Vienna being divided into sectors, much as Berlin was. If the Soviets had stayed a little longer, the Hungarian refugees of 1956 would have had no chance to flee to the West.

Headquarters of the Soviet military government in Vienna.

In the final hours of World War II the Soviet troops were still in Austria. The incursion of the Americans took place from Germany resulting in their occupation of the western area of the country. Although Stalin acknowledged Austria as part of the western sphere of influence, the Soviet troops grabbed the opportunity and established themselves in Vienna, Burgenland, and Lower Austria, even snatching a small part of Upper Austria. After World War II came to an end, armies of the winning powers invaded Austria and the country, divided into four occupation zones, remained under occupation for a decade until 1955.

 Vienna, just like Berlin, was subdivided into sectors:

Illustration credit: wikipedia

Austria was fortunate enough not to be regarded as a collaborator of Germany but as a state conquered by the Nazi state after the war. This explains how the country could keep its 1938 borders and was not obliged to pay compensation. Over five percent of of the Marshall Plan funds landed in the country, which amounted to 726 million USD at the time.

The Soviets marched out of Austria in 1955, like the troops of the other occupying allies, so it is from this date that the country was once again considered an independent republic.

 Communist influence increased in the Soviet sector (as well as in Salzburgland, Tirol, and Carinthia) after the war. The communists participated in Austrian legislation with gradually decreasing support until 1959.

Johann Koplenig, leader of the Austrian Communist Party, the KPÖ, organised a nationwide general strike in 1950 (only implicitly supported by the Soviets) and attempted a bloodless coup in order to seize power. After they failed for the second time in 1955, the Soviets finally abandoned their efforts to politically influence Austria and, little more than one year before the Hungarian revolution was suppressed, they left the country.

These photos were taken by Irma Louise Carter, about whom we were unable to collect any information. Most probably she was an American woman who had travelled to Vienna from the American sector. Unique color photos follow.

Monument of the 17 thousand Soviet soldiers who died in the battles fought for Vienna. When the Soviets left the country in 1955, they had the permanent integrity of the statue included in the Austrian State Treaty.

 New apartments are being built in the Soviet sector. It is unbelievable that its name is still Karl-Marx Hof.

 A building damaged in a bomb attack serving as advertisement surface

 Ruins are cleaned and reconstruction is under way along Donaukanal

 Construction everywhere

 Soviet military patrol boats on the Danube

 Entry to the Soviet zone

 The rebuilt Parliament on the Ring

 City Hall park

 Burgring

 Mozart monument

 Old meets new

 Der Liebe Augustin, the oldest inn in Vienna, still open today

 Marching of the police orchestra

 The new Westbahnhof

 Schönbrunn

 Schönbrunn

 Cobenzl Restaurant

This article was translated from an article originally posted in Hungarian by Jtom on the blog ritkanlathatototenelem.hu

The photos are sourced from the collection of P D Thorne at Found Slides.

Happy New Year from Flatpack Films

New Year’s Day may be just around the corner, but our work doesn’t stop. Particularly when it comes to informing you about a few of the traditions and superstitions that might not be so widely known or practiced outside of Central Europe. Note that other than the culinary recommendations, these are simply mentioned as traditions, and not practiced in earnest. Hungary is rooted in a deep and textured heritage, but still forward thinking.

New Year’s in Hungary also goes by the name Szilvester, like the cat, or the action-movie hero. It is not out of a love of American cartoons or Rambo, but because December 31 coincides with the name day of the boy’s name Sylvester. If you are named Szilvester, then you are quite lucky, and can become even luckier if you eat lentils, which are supposed to bring wealth, while eating pork is said to increase luck even more. Add stuffed cabbage and nothing can possibly go wrong. Fish, on the other hand, is avoided, as it might swim away, carrying your luck with it, and chickens are in danger of pecking away luck, so no fish and chips or Buffalo wings.

And speaking of luck, there is no shortage of superstitions that will make your upcoming year unstoppably fortunate or healthy. Even if you don’t believe in the power of superstition, we recommend trying a few, just to be on the safe side.

Laundry or sewing must not be done on New Year’s day, as bad luck is sure to follow. Doctors must not be sought out on the first day of the year, as it is thought to bring bad health. If the first visitor on New Year’s day is male, it heralds good luck, females bring the opposite.

And all that noise outside New Year’s night comes from people setting of firecrackers, which, while fun to do, also was once thought to scare away demons and evil spirits, which are neither healthy nor harbingers of good luck.

All this is great and useful knowledge, but somewhat redundant for Hungarians, because if you are in Budapest, you already know you are lucky.