Budapest Classics Film Marathon 2025

Since 2017, the Budapest Classics Film Marathon has been celebrating restored movie favourites every year for a week in autumn. This year, as well as commemorating some classic films, the festival also honoured esteemed Hungarian-Canadian director, Robert Lantos, and hosted three great directors he has collaborated with repeatedly over the span of his illustrious career.

Via NFI.

Honouring Producer Robert Lantos

Organized by the NFI (National Film Institute of Hungary), the film marathon this year presented a special retrospective, screening the films of renowned film producer Robert Lantos. Lantos has more recently been one of the driving forces behind the historical epic tv series, Rise of the Raven.

This year’s film marathon also hosted two Canadian filmmakers who have worked in close collaboration with the producer: David Cronenberg and Atom Egoyan, as well as legendary Hungarian director, István Szabó.

Fourteen films that Lantos produced were screened, including Cronenberg’s Crash (1996) and Eastern Promises (2007); Egoyan’s Oscar-nominated The Sweet Hereafter (1997) and Szabó’s Sunshine (1999) and Being Julia (2004).

During a roundtable discussion, the filmmakers shared their experiences and opinions on the delicate relationship between producer and director. Lantos revealed how he has chosen his projects in the past, seeking out films that added to the conversation, rather than rehashing what’s already been said before. In addition to his commercial successes, the producer has also endeavoured to make at least one or two more artistically-inclined films a year, ones that interest him personally. 

It was also interesting to hear first-hand about the initial significant controversy Cronenberg’s film Crash stirred when it premiered at Cannes in 1996. Both Lantos and the director remembered being surprised at the scandal it caused among the press corps, especially considering it was based on a well-known novel by J. G. Ballard. In fact, Cronenberg went on to reveal that Ballard, also present at the premier, hit back at critics claiming that he thought the film was even better than the original book.

Picture via Imdb.

Focus of Budapest Classics Film Marathon 2025

This year the festival also paid special tribute to Hungarian director, Károly Makk as well as celebrated Hungarian-born screenwriter, Joe Eszterhas, whose film credits include Flashdance (1983) and Basic Instinct(1992) – and who we’ve recently written about here. Additionally, as part of the festival’s principal aim to bring archived material back to life, a restored 1943 film, Light and Shadow, from one of Hungary’s first female directors, Klára Tüdős Zsindelyné, was also screened and proved to be one of the highlights of the program.

The Lumière Brothers: where it all began

Another high point of the festival was presented by Thierry Frémaux, Artistic Director of the Cannes Film Festival and President of the Lumière Institute, in the form of a screening of Lumière! The Adventure Continues. This featured restored footage from the dawn of cinema 130 years ago.

The Lumière Brothers are widely considered to be the pioneering founding fathers of “cinématographe” using a device they invented – a portable camera, developer and projector which used 35 mmm film. The brothers screened the first cinematic experience in 1895 in Paris: a film of workers leaving the Lumière factory and a train arriving at a station.

This year’s festival included 122 screening, 26 student sessions (where David Cronenberg met with students at the University of Theatre and Film and reportedly revealed aspects of his creative process), six roundtables and four ciné-concerts with live music.

With films shown across a range of venues in Budapest – including a huge open-air cinema in beautiful Szent István square using the basilica as a backdrop – we’re already counting down for the next one in 2026.

Sources & further information

NFI

Deccan Herald

Flatpack Films has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Writer, Novelist and Screenwriter: Hungary’s László Krasznahorkai Wins the 2025 Nobel Prize for Literature

On 9th October 2025, the Swedish Academy awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature to László Krasznahorkai, praising “his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art.”

László Krasznahorkai. Photo via Wikipedia.

The Swedish Academy went on to say in a statement that, “Laszlo Krasznahorkai is a great epic writer in the Central European tradition that extends through Kafka to Thomas Bernhard and is characterised by absurdism and grotesque excess."

The 71-year-old writer of nine novels as well as many short stories, essays and screenplays is renowned for not only his pessimistic – although at times darkly humorous – work, but also his never-ending sentences. His 400-page novel of 2022, “Herscht 07769”, is allegedly written in a single sentence (we haven’t read that one yet, so are unable to confirm). The words that typically characterize Krasznahorkai’s work: dystopian and surreal. Susan Sonntag labelled the author “the master of apocalypse.” His novels move with slow deliberation, often portraying moments when societies are on the brink of collapse.

Krasznahorkai’s stories capture the absurdity of the world we live in; it should come as no surprise then that the author is deeply influenced by Kafka, and in particular “The Castle”. In 2013 Krasznahorkai told the White Review, "When I am not reading Kafka, I am thinking about Kafka. When I am not thinking about Kafka, I miss thinking about him." While speaking to Swedish Radio, he also revealed that, as a novelist, “bitterness” was his greatest inspiration.

Published in 1985, Krasznahorkai’s first novel “Sátántangó” is set in a remote rural area of Hungary where a group of poverty-stricken residents live on an abandoned collective farm. The author admitted that he had only planned on writing this one book. However, upon re-reading it, he decided to start another in the hope of improving, adding, "My life is a permanent correction". Wise words we should all live by.

Film poster via Wikipedia.

This first novel was turned into a film in 1994 by legendary Hungarian film director Béla Tarr, with Krasznahorkai writing the screenplay of the seven-hour film. He also adapted his second novel into a screenplay, “The Melancholy of Resistance” for the director, which was released as WERCKMEISTER HARMONIES (2000). Frequent collaborators – Tarr has only made films from screenplays written by Krasznahorkai – the two men co-wrote several films  together including DAMNATION (1988), THE MAN FROM LONDON (2007) and THE TURIN HORSE (2011).

Born and bred in the small town of Gyula in south-east Hungary near the Romanian border, Krasznahorkai studied in Szeged and Budapest before spending a year in West Berlin in 1987 as part of a student exchange program. The experiences of living under communism and the ensuing change of regime in 1989 clearly impacted him deeply. Frequently going back and forth to reside in either Germany or Hungary, the writer has also travelled widely through Europe and the United States. Spending significant periods of time in China and Japan has also informed his work.

Krasznahorkai’s latest novel was released in 2024, ”Zsomle is Waiting”. Also set in rural Hungary, it’s a tale about 91-year-old Uncle Józsi Kada, a retired electrician and descendant of King Béla IV and Genghis Khan. Although he could lay claim to the Hungarian throne, he goes to great lengths to disappear – until he’s found by his faithful followers. We’ve put it on our TBR pile of books!

Sources and further information:

White Review 

 Wikipedia

 Euronews

Financial Times

Reuters

Flatpack Films has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Game of Throne’s Star Filming in Budapest

Kit Harington, who played Jon Snow in Game of Thrones, utterer of the famous line, “Winter is coming,” is the latest in a line of famous faces gracing the streets of Budapest over the last few months.

Kit Harington. Picture via Wikipedia

According to Daily News Hungary, Harington was spotted at a sandwich shop, Sarki Fűszeres, tucked away on Pozsonyi út near Szent István Park in the thirteenth district. The actor is in Budapest filming the BBC One drama based on Charles Dickens’ classic novel, A Tale of Two Cities.

He’s not the only famous face getting out and about in the city. Other stars such as Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, his squeeze Kyle Jenner, and Anya Taylor-Joy have also been seen in various restaurants, shops and cafés casually living their lives in Budapest due to the many major international TV and film productions that get to call the capital home for a few months.

Who’ll be spotted next?

Sources and further information:

The Cinemaholic

 Daily News Hungary

Flatpack Films has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Acclaimed Hungarian-American Screenwriter Lands $4 Million Amazon Script Deal

In what is being touted as the most lucrative spec deal of the year, Joe Eszterhas, legendary screenwriter of hit films from the 1980s and 1990s, has been asked to pen a reboot of his now iconic erotic thriller, Basic Instinct (1992).

Joe Eszterhas. Photo via Wikipedia.

In a story first reported by The Wrap, it’s been revealed that Amazon MGM Studios’ United Artists and producer Scott Stuber have acquired the rights to the film, Basic Instinct, one of the big hits of the 90s. Joe Eszterhas, writer of the original who will also write the new film, is reported as saying that the reboot will be “…. about serial killers. It’s about copycats. There’s a demonic element to it that I think will be spooky.”

According to the interview in The Wrap, it seems Eszterhas is hoping that Sharon Stone might co-star in the new film. If she did, she’d be reprising her role of Catherine Tramell, a crime novelist and serial killer who, in the original film, has an affair with the detective (played by Michael Douglas) investigating a brutal murder.

Eszterhas is being paid the eyewatering sum of $2 million to write the script and will receive a total of $4 million should the project go into production. In a wry acknowledgment of his age–Eszterhas is 80–he explained that he’ll be leaning heavily on his “writing partner”. This “twisted little man” (essentially his alter-ego) remains stagnant at 29 years of age and, according to Eszterhas, is sure to provide a “wild and orgasmic ride”.

A journalist-turned-screenwriter, Eszterhas was born in Hungary in 1944 and moved in 1950 to Cleveland, Ohio where his family struggled to make ends meet. Growing up with a self-described, "chip on his shoulder”, Eszterhas admits that it was his father who convinced him to get into reading rather than continue brawling in the back streets of Cleveland. After university, Eszterhas became a journalist, writing for newspapers and Rolling Stone Magazine before publishing a novel. Encouraged by a producer to try his hand at scripts, Eszterhas was, by the early 90s, the highest-paid screenwriter in Hollywood.

Eszterhas does not shy away from controversial themes. Riding a wave of success in the 80s and 90s, he was behind other hits such as Flashdance (which he co-wrote), Jagged Edge and Showgirls. In 2004 he published a memoir detailing his years in Tinseltown, Hollywood Animal (2004). He also wrote a feature that was partly filmed in Budapest, Music Box (1989), about a Hungarian immigrant accused of committing war crimes during WWII who is defended by his lawyer-daughter. The film contains a twist at the end, but perhaps the greatest twist was that ten years after writing the film, Eszterhas made a shocking discovery about his own father and the role he played during WWII.

Having seen a live interview with Joe Eszterhas when he was in Budapest some ten years ago, we can confirm that the man is certainly a larger-than-life character. We’re curious to see what he makes of the Basic Instinct reboot.

Sources & further information

The Wrap

 Deadline

BBJ

Flatpack Films has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Filmed in Hungary: Newly Released TV Series 2025

Budapest has long been favoured by international productions as a filming location, repeatedly proving its ability to stand in for a range of places. In these newly released (or soon to be) TV shows, we’ll be able to watch parts of our favourite city morph into Italy, a town in the U.K. and Vienna.

Via Wikipedia.

The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox (Hulu & Disney+)

This true-crime limited series dramatizes the story of Amanda Knox, the woman who was wrongfully convicted for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher in Italy in 2007. Before being acquitted in 2011, Knox (along with her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito) spent four years in prison. The show delves into the emotional toll the media frenzy of the time took on Knox and her family while they relentlessly struggled for justice.

Filming for the series took place in Italy, Hungary and British Columbia. Scenes involving the police station and prison were filmed in Budapest, as the city became the second base for the production. Well-known as being a major filming hub in Europe, Budapest made sense as a filming location to shoot interior scenes and to stand in as a replacement for places that could not be shot in Italy.

Via Imdb.

The Rumour (Channel 5)

Five-part crime thriller THE RUMOUR has recently been broadcast on channel 5 in the U.K. Based on a bestselling novel written by Lesley Kara, the series revolves around a single mother who moves to the quiet town of Flinstead. When rumour gets out about a child killer who might be living in the area, fear begins to impact the lives of people in the town and things quickly unravel from there.

Although this show is set in a small British (fictional) town, it was primarily filmed in Hungary in late 2024. Again, demonstrating its chameleon-like ability, Budapest took up the challenge by supplying homes, courtyards and forests that could convincingly pass as a small-town in Sussex. Popular down-town establishment Gerlóczy Kávéház was also used by the production, standing in as a local café. It was reported that director Richard Clark was able to efficiently solve cost and logistical issues by filming in Budapest, commenting in the TV Guide that, 

 “The Hungarian crew were outstanding. We had one of the best crews I’ve ever worked with in terms of temperament and efficiency. They were an absolute joy. A lot of them had just come off big, big Hollywood feature films. They are very, very skilled.”

Clark also commended the art department, mentioning that they did an “astonishing job” on a very tight budget.

Image via Sky Group.

 Amadeus (Sky TV)

You remember the legendary film, now you’ll be able to rewatch the story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart through this limited, five-part series that will reportedly be released sometime before the end of the year. The story is based on Peter Shaffer’s award-winning stage play which examines the ups and downs of one of the world’s greatest composers. 

First look images from the production have recently been released showing Will Sharpe in the title role and Paul Bettany as his secret nemesis, Antonio Salieri. No surprises that the show was filmed in Budapest; standing in for 18th century Vienna is at this point child’s play for the city.

We can’t wait to binge-watch this series and more while playing the game that is now second nature to local viewers: where in Hungary was this filmed?

 Sources & further information

Soap Central

The Cinemaholic

 High on Film

 TV Guide 

Televisual

The Hollywood Reporter

Flatpack Films has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach.  

Hungary Shines at Venice Film Festival: A Big Year for Hungarian Cinema

Hungary arrived at the Venice Film Festival with not one but two films in competition for the Golden Lion, claiming some well-deserved international limelight on the Lido.

Picture via Imdb

It’s been over half a century since two Hungarian films ran side by side in Venice’s main competition. This year, László Nemes’s ORPHAN (Árva) and Ildikó Enyedi’s SILENT FRIEND did just that.

Nemes, already acclaimed for his Oscar-winning film SON OF SAUL, returned with ORPHAN, a Hungarian-British-French-German co-production. Shot on 35mm film in Hungary, it tells the story of a boy navigating the post-1956-revolution era in Budapest while searching for his father.

Enyedi is an Oscar-nominated director who won the Golden Bear at the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival for ON BODY & SOUL. Her newest film, SILENT FRIEND, is a poetic tale playing across three timelines about the relationship between humans and plants. The feature, starring an international cast (Léa Seydoux, Tony Leung, and Luna Wedler), captivated critics and audiences alike in Venice. The film won not only the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Wedler but also secured five major collateral prizes, including the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Film in Competition and the Green Drop Award.

Shooting on 35mm in Hungary: A Growing Trend

Both Hungarian competition films share another connection: they were shot on film and developed at the NFI Filmlab in Budapest. The NFI Filmlab, part of the National Film Institute Hungary, is one of the very few facilities worldwide still offering analogue film processing services — from 16mm, 35mm, and 65mm film development to positive printing and efilm cutting.

With over 60 years of expertise, this Budapest-based facility has become the most experienced film laboratory in Central Europe. With analogue making a come-back, international productions such as THE BRUTALIST continue to rely on the Filmlab’s unique services.

Ildikó Enyedi and the Philosophy Behind Silent Friend

In an interview with Marta Balaga for Variety, Enyedi explained her fascination with plant communication — an idea rooted in the “flower power” era of the 1970s and further explored in SILENT FRIEND. The film spans 1908, 1972, and 2020 at a German university, weaving together stories of a pioneering student, a love-struck caretaker, and a neuroscientist (Tony Leung) obsessed with a mysterious ginkgo tree.

For Enyedi, the film is not an overt ecological statement but rather an invitation to rethink how we perceive the world around us. “Many changes in our life could happen effortlessly if we just shifted our point of view a little,” she says.

Sources & further information

Variety

Screen Daily

Budapest Reporter

Flatpack Films has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach.

10 Films and TV Series Filming in Hungary 2025

Hungary has long been considered one of the top filming destinations in Europe for international productions. As summer draws to a close, we’ve scoured industry news to get more details on some of the major international films and TV series filmed in Hungary so far this year and when we can expect to see them released.

Stock Image.

It’s been a busy, busy year for Hungary. We’ve taken stock of 2025 to bring you up to date on the wide range of TV and feature projects that have called Hungary home (at least for a little while) while being filming here in 2025.

THE ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM IS DOWN

The year kicked off with acclaimed Swedish director Ruben Östlund arriving in Budapest with a decommissioned (and deconstructed) Boeing 747 which became the set for his newest feature. A social satire, the film follows the fate of bored passengers on a long-haul flight from London to Sydney devoid of functioning screens to keep them occupied.  The film, starring Keanu Reeves, Kirsten Dunst and Daniel Brühl, is slated for release in 2026, potentially in time for the Cannes Film Festival.

MATCHBOX

No doubt hoping to replicate the success of the Barbie film, this action-adventure feature is based on the Matchbox toy brand and follows the story of a former soldier and his childhood mates who rediscover their friendship while on a high-stakes adventure trying to clear their names.  Directed by Sam Hargrave and filmed partly in Hungary in the first part of the year, the film stars John Cena, Jessica Biel, Corey Stoll, Danai Gurira, Sam Richardson, Teyonah Parris, and Arturo Castro. Release is expected next year.

ALPHA GANG 

Another heady mix of big-name actors descended on Hungary earlier this year for the filming of this sci-fi comedy. The film, by writer-director duo Nathan and David Zellner, is about alien beings attacking Earth but then taking pity on humanity. It stars Cate Blanchett, Léa Seydoux, Dave Bautista, and Riley Keough. Here’s hoping that if we ever do face such a situation, life will imitate art and we’ll be spared. The film is reportedly currently in post-production.

PONIES

We’ve written before about how apt Hungary is location-wise to host any Cold War spy story. So, it’s no surprise that this espionage-thriller TV series, set in Moscow of the 1970s, found a home filming here in Budapest. Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson star, playing two secretaries at the American embassy who become CIA operatives after their husbands are killed. Filming wrapped in the middle of summer. An official release date has not yet been announced.

DUNE: PART THREE

Hungary has attracted further A-list talent thanks to the filming of DUNE: Part Three since July 2025. There have been frequent sightings of stars such as Zendaya and Anya Taylor-Joy on the streets of Budapest shopping or having a meal. Meanwhile, Jason Momoa took advantage of his time in the city by staging a concert with his band Öof Tatata at popular downtown nightspot, Aquarium Klub. Timothee Chalamet was also spotted casually having coffee with his girlfriend Kylie Jenner in a café. The film is scheduled for release December 18th, 2026.

Stock Image.

BRIDES

It’s also been reported that the psychological horror feature BRIDES starring Olivia Cooke is also filming in Hungary through the summer. Written and directed by Chloe Okuno, the script apparently draws some of its inspiration from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Set in the 1960s, the story involves a woman recovering from a nervous breakdown in a remote part of Italy with her husband. Attracting the attention of the mysterious villa owner where they are staying, she introduces her feminist ways to his other vampire brides. No release date has been announced yet.

3 BODY PROBLEM

Netflix has recently confirmed that season two of the sci-fi series 3 BODY PROBLEM is currently filming in Hungary with season three also planned to shoot here. This follows the successful debut of the first season in 2024. Based on the novels by Cixin Liu, the plot follows an astrophysicist’s decision to contact an alien civilization in 1960s China which triggers an existential threat to Earth in the present day. Season two is expected to hit our screens sometime in 2026.

12/12/12

This cat and mouse heist drama, a co-production between Skydance Television and Anonymous Content, is reported to be currently filming in Budapest. The story runs across three intertwined timelines, incorporating the 12 months’ planning in the run-up to the heist, the 12 hours of the actual heist, and the 12 days that follow (hence the title of the series). Set against a backdrop of several European locations, the series is set to be released on Apple TV+ sometime in 2026.

BILLION DOLLAR SPY

More Cold War espionage–this one is a thriller starring Russell Crowe and has also been reportedly filming in Budapest across the summer months. Directed by BAFTA-winner Amma Asante, the feature is based on the 2015 non-fiction book of the same name by David E. Hoffman which chronicles the story of Adolf Tolkachev, one of the CIA’s most valuable Soviet assets of the era (Tolkachev passed thousands of pages of top-secret information to the U.S.). No confirmation as yet on a release date.

TURNCOAT

Also reportedly filming in Budapest since August 2025 is this psychological thriller directed by Christian Pichler and written by Renee L. Logan. Revolving around a psychotic mastermind who manipulates a group of interconnected strangers with deadly consequences, the film is slated for release in 2026.

What’s filming in Budapest next? We’ll be monitoring the news for reports on what’s coming to film in Hungary for the last quarter of 2025. Stay tuned!

Sources & further information

Budapest Reporter

Hungary Today

Film New Europe

 Screen Daily

Flatpack Films has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Hungarian Film Talent on Display at the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival

The Sarajevo Film Festival 2025 is currently underway, showcasing the best of regional and world cinema, including several Hungarian films that are in competition.

The 31st Sarajevo Film Festival

Founded in 1995 during the siege of Sarajevo, the festival has grown into one of the largest film festivals in Southeast Europe and one of the most prestigious in Europe. Each year, it attracts more than 100,000 visitors and some of the biggest names in international cinema.

Bálint Kenyeres Competes with THE SPECTACLE

This year features Hungarian filmmakers with five films competing across categories, including a short film from Bálint Kenyeres, THE SPECTACLE. Flatpack Films’ very own Zita Kisgergely is one of the co-producers of the film.  

A Hungarian-French co-production, the story follows a Roma boy with a unique talent who is suddenly thrust into the public eye after a television crew come to film him. Touching upon themes of identity and media influence, Kenyeres has been open about the origins of the short film and explained that the idea came to him in a dream. Upon waking, he felt compelled to turn it into a short film. You can read more about the film and its production here.

Hungarian writer & director, Bálint Kenyeres

Hungarian Films Across All Sections

Feature Competition: The world premiere of Renátó Olasz’s debut feature MINDEN CSILLAG (ALL THE STARS) tells the story of two siblings returning from Budapest to their hometown for Christmas, only to find that nothing is as they remember.

Documentary Competition: Katalin Bársony’s SUNO DIKHLEM, a Belgian-Hungarian co-production, portrays the struggle of a Kosovar Roma boy facing deportation from Germany.

Student Films: Two young Hungarian talents join the lineup. Mirjana Balogh’s WISH YOU WERE EAR, an animated short about how relationships shape identity, and Jakob Ladányi Jancsó’s LIVING STONES, set in an isolated rehabilitation facility. Both submissions add fresh voices to the festival.

The 31st Sarajevo Film Festival

The festival this year opened with the world premiere of THE PAVILION. The film is a Bosnian black comedy from Dino Mustafić, who, as well as being the former artistic director of drama at the National Theatre Sarajevo, has extensive experience directing theatre and documentaries. The feature, written by Viktor Ivančić, follows a group of poorly treated elderly residents of a retirement home who exact revenge on their abusers by staging an armed rebellion.

In other news from the festival, veteran Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård has received the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo. It was presented to the actor by Mirsad Purivatra, founder of the Sarajevo Film Festival.

The festival runs from August 15th to August 22nd

Sources & further information:

Sarajevo Film Festival

Variety

Budapest Reporter

Flatpack Films has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Location Scout in Budapest: Parisi Udvar

A Lavishly ornate building built at the beginning of the 1900s that housed shops, bank offices and apartments, fell into disrepair during the Communist years but regained its former glory after extensive restoration work in 2019.

Parisi Udvar

The building was constructed on the site of a former department store, Brudern House, one of the first of its kind in Hungary. The shopping corridor there had been designed on the model of the Passage des Panoramas in Paris, which is why people began to refer to it colloquially as the “Parisian House”. After the Brudern House was demolished at the turn of the 20th Century, the land was bought by the inner city’s savings bank (Belvárosi Takarékpénztár) in 1906 in order to build and establish a new HQ there.

A Brief History

Nestled in the heart of downtown Budapest and dripping in Gothic-inspired detail, Parisi Udvar, or "Paris Courtyard", finished construction in 1913. Featuring an intricate glass ceilings and dome, the ground-floor of the building was originally designed to function as a shopping arcade with open pedestrian entrances at either side, reflecting the elegance of Parisian shopping arcades.

With its tiled façade, ornate mosaics and gargoyles, this eclectic building is a fusion of Gothic and Moorish-elements. It’s no surprise that it was designed by German-born architect Henrik Schmahl, the man behind the similarly remarkable Uránia Cinema in Budapest’s 7th district. We’ve written about the Urania before, which shares this distinctive Moorish ornamental architectural style with the Parisi Udvar.

Urania Cinema. Picture from Wikipedia.

Falling into disrepair after the Second World War and during Hungary’s Communist era, the building was patched up from time-to-time. However, it wasn’t until it was purchased by the Mellow Mood Group of investors in 2014 that the site began to be lovingly restored to its former glory using high-quality, appropriate materials and an extensive team of craftsmen. The renovations, concluded in 2019, reportedly cost 12 billion HUF (52 million euro in today’s terms), including the purchase price of the building.

Parisi Udvar now functions as a five star hotel, part of the Unbound Collection of the Hyatt group.

Párisi Udvar in Films

Budapest is already well-established in the film world for its versatility and ability to stand in for diverse locations. It’s doubled for Berlin, Munich, Moscow, Paris and even cities in the U.K. and U.S. Before its restoration, Parisi Udvar also featured in the movie series UNDERWORLD (2003) about vampires (which was visually heavy on the Gothic elements), as well as the film, TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY (2011), an espionage thriller set during the Cold War.

Flatpack Films has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Venice Film Festival 2025: Spotlight on Hungarian Talent

The 82nd Venice Film Festival has announced an impressive lineup of new features from several big-name directors, including two veterans from Hungary: Ildikó Enyedi and László Nemes.

One of the world’s oldest film festivals, and one of the “Big Five” worldwide (the others being Cannes, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance), the 82nd Venice Film Festival will run from August 27 to September 9, 2025, debuting exciting new features from world-renowned directors. Highlights include Guillermo del Toro’s FRANKENSTEIN, Yorgos Lanthimos’ BUGONIA with Emma Stone, Luca Guadagnino’s AFTER THE HUNT, Kathryn Bigelow’s A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE, Jim Jarmusch’s FATHER MOTHER SISTER with Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver and Charlotte Rampling, and Park Chan-wook’s NO OTHER CHOICE.

Additionally, esteemed Hungarian directors Ildikó Enyedi and László Nemes also have films screening in the main competition: Enyedi's SILENT FRIEND is a collaboration between Germany, France, and Hungary, while Nemes' ORPHAN is a joint effort between Hungary, the UK, Germany, and France. 

Ildikó Enyedi

Ildikó Enyedi, celebrated for her thought-provoking and visually stunning films, is best known for her 2017 feature ON BODY AND SOUL which tells the story of a neurodivergent woman who finds love and connection through a shared dream with a colleague at an abattoir. The film won the Golden Bear award at the Berlin International Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Her 2021 film, THE STORY OF MY WIFE, is based on a novel by Milán Füst and follows a sea captain who becomes obsessed with his spouse despite his indifferent attitude towards marriage.

Born in 1955, Enyedi studied at the Academy of Drama and Film in Budapest after earning a B.A. in Economics. She won the Golden Camera award at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival for her film MY 20th CENTURY and received her doctorate from the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest in 2011.

Her sensitive and philosophical exploration of the human condition and our place in the world continues with her new feature to be presented in Venice, SILENT FRIEND. The story spans across three time periods in the 20th and 21st centuries, following the lives of individuals who are drawn to a tree located in a botanical garden in Marburg, Germany.

László Nemes

László Nemes, born Nemes Jeles László in 1977, is a Hungarian filmmaker and screenwriter who spent his formative teenage years in Paris. After studying History, International Relations and Screenwriting, Nemes worked as an Assistant Director in Hungary and France for various shorts and features, and for two years was Béla Tarr’s assistant while filming THE MAN FROM LONDON.

His first feature film, SON OF SAUL, premiered in main competition at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, where it received the Grand Prix. The feature, which was also the second Hungarian film to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, is the harrowing account of Saul, a Jewish prisoner working at an Auschwitz crematorium, determined to give a deceased young boy a proper Jewish burial. Nemes is also the first Hungarian director to have secured a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film.

His second feature, SUNSET, is a period piece about a young woman who uncovers family secrets while trying to secure work at an illustrious hat company in Budapest during the last days of the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1913.

Nemes’ third feature to be unveiled in Venice, ORPHAN, is also an historical drama, set in the aftermath of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. The story centres on a 12-year-old boy who is confronted by the truth of an idolized father he thought was dead.

Romanian director Cristian Mungiu will serve on the Competition Jury, led by Alexander Payne.

Here is the Venice Film Festival lineup for 2025:

In Competition

The Wizard of the Kremlin, dir. Olivier Assayas (France)
Jay Kelly, dir. Noah Baumbach (USA, UK, Italy)
The Voice of Hind Rajab, dir. Kaouther Ben Hania (Tunisia, France)
A House of Dynamite, dir. Kathryn Bigelow (USA)
Sun Rises on Us All, dir. Cai Shangjun (China)
Frankenstein, dir. Guillermo Del Toro (USA)
Elisa, dir. Leonardo Di Costanzo (Italy, Switzerland)
À pied d’œuvre, dir. Valérie Donzelli (France)
Silent Friend, dir. Ildikó Enyedi (Germany, France, Hungary)
The Testament of Ann Lee, dir. Mona Fastvold (UK)
Father Mother Sister Brother, dir. Jim Jarmusch (USA, Ireland, France)
Bugonia, dir. Yorgos Lanthimos (United Kingdom)
Duse, dir. Pietro Marcello (Italy)
Un film fatto per Bene, dir. Franco Maresco (Italy)
Orphan, dir. László Nemes (Hungary, United Kingdom, Germany, France)
The Stranger, dir. François Ozon (France)
No Other Choice, dir. Park Chan-wook (South Korea)
Sotto le nuvole, dir. Gianfranco Rosi (Italy)
The Smashing Machine, dir. Benny Safdie (Canada, USA, Japan)
Girl, dir. Shu Qi (Taipei)
La Grazia, dir. Paolo Sorrentino (Italy)

Sources & further information:

82nd Venice Film Festival: Full list of films in competition.

Film New Europe

Flatpack Films has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach.

THE ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM IS DOWN and MATCHBOX: Both Filmed in Budapest

News from two high-profile (and very different) films that wrapped production in Budapest over the last few months: Ruben Östlund’s THE ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM IS DOWN and the MATCHBOX film from director Sam Hargrave.

Parliament in Budapest.

The Entertainment System is Down

As reported by Screen Daily, Östlund was recently in Croatia participating in Slano Film Days while he edited his most recent film on his laptop and his family enjoyed some beach time.

The celebrated Swedish director’s second English language film shot in Budapest over 70 days at the beginning of the year. The film’s story takes place almost exclusively on a long-haul flight where the passengers are confronted with in-flight screens that stop working. To ensure the utmost authenticity, Östlund and his producers (Erik Hemmendorff and Philippe Bober) purchased a decommissioned Boeing 747 which they dismantled and shipped to Budapest where it was reassembled into a working set.

The film stars include Keanu Reeves, Kirsten Dunst, Daniel Bruhl, Nicholas Braun, Tobias Menzies and Julie Delpy, as well as a cast of 150 extras. Despite calling it a “tough shoot” due to the single set and sheer numbers of extras involved in every shot, Östlund added that, “Technically and production-wise, everything worked very well”. 

To overcome the difficulty of filming inside the tight quarters of an airplane, Östlund used what he referred to as a "robot"—a programmable mechanical arm operated with a PlayStation controller. This device could extend into cramped areas where it would be impossible for both a camera and its operator to both fit .

Although Östlund had used similar tech in the past, this project marked a significant expansion in its application. “They’re now compact enough to work in very tight spots,” he said. Working alongside cinematographer Fredrik Wenzel, he helped program the device to handle complex shots. “It was a huge asset,” he noted.

Known for his Palme d’Or-winning films The Square and Triangle of Sadness, Östlund is aiming to premiere The Entertainment System Is Down as his sixth out of seven features at Cannes. He also repeated his goal of sparking “the biggest walkout in the history of the Cannes Film Festival,” referencing a single-take sequence where a young girl is forced to go 15 minutes without her family’s iPad.

Matchbox

Meanwhile, in an interview with Collider, John Cena (star of the upcoming Matchbox feature that also filmed partly in Budapest), has called the movie “kick-ass” and commended the storytelling chops of director Sam Hargrave. The actor explained, “What really stood out to me about Matchbox is that Sam gets to show more of his storytelling skills.”

Matchbox is the first time Cena has worked with Hargrave, who’s known for his stunt coordination work on major franchises like Marvel, The Hunger Games, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Cena spoke highly of the experience, both on a personal and professional level.

“The biggest thing I took from working on this film is that I gained a friend and developed huge respect for Sam Hargrave,” he said. “He’s someone I look up to—he brings out the best in everyone, every single day. I admire his drive and work ethic. After seeing how dedicated he is, it makes sense why his films look the way they do. I’m really hoping we get to team up again. Matchbox is a powerhouse of a movie, and Sam really had the chance to dig deeper into storytelling, not just focus on jaw-dropping stunts.”

The cast joining Cena includes Jessica Biel, Corey Stoll, Danai Gurira, Sam Richardson, Teyonah Parris, and Arturo Castro. The screenplay was written by David Coggeshall and Jonathan Tropper—the latter also working on a future Star Wars project.

Although an official release date hasn’t been announced, Matchbox is currently in post-production.

Sources & further information

Screen Daily

Collider

Flatpack Films has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach.

DUNE: Part Three Filming in Budapest

The third instalment of the sci-fi saga DUNE officially kicked off production in Budapest at Origo Studios this week.

From Imdb.

Turns out the rumours were true. Sightings of Zendaya (who plays Chani in the previous DUNE films) in Budapest over the last few days had led to suspicions that DUNE: Part Three was about to start filming in the Hungarian capital. Zendaya was snapped in a café as well as petting someone’s dog on the street a few days ago, while a post on IG featured a photo of the star spending time at the Neroli luxury perfumery on Andrássy Avenue.

Additionally, there had been reports on social media that Timothée Chalamet had shaved his head–although the actor seemed to be trying to keep it, literally, under wraps with a headscarf and baseball cap. This sent devoted fans into a fit of speculation that he was in prep to reprise his role of Paul Atreides. Turns out, the fans were right.

Based on the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert, the two previous instalments of DUNE were also partly filmed in Hungary. The director behind this cinematic vision of the franchise, Denis Villeneuve, is using material in the second novel of the series (DUNE MESSIAH) for the third instalment which follows the story of Paul Atreides. (Incidentally, Villeneuve is also slated to direct the next James Bond film, the first one since Amazon-MGM Studios took over creative control of the franchise).

On X (formerly Twitter), the official DUNE account described the new DUNE film as "a journey into that land where we walk without footprints". The quote, taken from the second novel, describes the character Paul Atreides’ spiritual transformation beyond the physical as he graduates to a near-prophetic state.

DUNE: Part Three is expected to again involve an extensive multi-location, multi-month-long shoot. It sees the return of Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, and Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho.

Fun Facts about the original film

Released in 1984, the first DUNE film was directed and written by David Lynch. Production took place in Mexico City at Churubusco Studios and the cast featured a range of prominent actors of the time, including Kyle MacLachlan–who would go on to star in Lynch’s TWIN PEAKS.

With a budget estimated at between $40 and $42 million, the film struggled commercially when it was released, earning just under $31 million. Multiple versions of the movie were released, with Lynch distancing himself from the project and removing his name from some. But despite this controversy, the film has since gained a cult following.

Sources & further information

Screen Daily

Screen Rant

Hungary Today

MSN

Wikipedia

Flatpack Films has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Movies & Thermal Baths in July in Budapest

It’s heating up and we’re not just talking about the weather, or even the number of international productions filming in Budapest. It’s been announced that CineSpa is back, an event that combines two of our favourite activities.

Széchenyi Baths. Picture via Wikipedia.

Hungary has a rich thermal bath culture thanks to an abundance of natural hot springs, over 100 just in Budapest alone. As a result, the city (already a well-established hub for filmmakers looking for professional crews, state-of-the-art sound stages and diverse locations) has also become a mecca for spa lovers the world over.

Budapest has seven thermal baths open to the public, three of which were built over 100 years ago: Széchenyi, Gellért and Lukács. Four of the city’s baths hark back several hundred years to the time of the Ottoman occupation: Rudas, Király, Veli bej and Rácz (see our previous blog post to explore these places further).

If you’ve never been to a thermal bath, then it can take some time to wrap your head around the notion. Unlike a public swimming pool, in a thermal bath patrons tend to not move very much. There’s a lot of sitting in one place basically guarding your underwater perch like it’s a piece of prime real estate. But there’s certainly nothing more relaxing when combined with the array of steam, sauna and plunge pools that can be found in every establishment.

In an effort to continuously push the envelope in the realm of relaxation, the organization that operates these baths (Budapest Spa and Thermal Baths Co.) recently announced that CineSpa is back for July. This is an event that combines soaking in the neo-baroque vibes (as well as some essential minerals) of the Széchenyi Baths while re-watching classic films.

Movie night, but in a communal bath

Every Tuesday in July, the Széchenyi Thermal Bath will host a movie night, running under the catchy slogan: “CineSpa – Immersed in Films”. You’ll be able to watch a series of open-air movie screenings in the outdoor pool, with this years’ line-up including cult classics as well as crowd-pleasers:

A Star is Born (July 1st)

The Greatest Showman (July 8th)

Pulp Fiction (July 15th)

Snatch (July 29th)

It’s a rare chance to float under the stars while watching big hits of the past. Screenings start at 9 p.m. Budapest locals with a residence card can take advantage of a 50% discount.

Welcome to the concept of the Spa Party

But there will be other opportunities to have a soak after dark this summer. At least one of the thermal baths in the city will remain open until 10 p.m. daily throughout the season. What better way for film crews in Budapest to unwind after a shooting day?

Incidentally, there are party nights held into the wee hours at Széchenyi on Saturday nights (tickets can be purchased through a third-party operator). Strictly for those who want a touch more decadence with their relaxation,

Sources & further information:

Daily News Hungary

trademagazin.hu

Thermal Hungary

Flatpack Films has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach.  

Hungarian Short Film "The Spectacle" in Competition in Cannes

Only 11 short films were selected from a whopping 4,700 global entries at this year’s 7 Cannes Film Festival. One of the lucky selected films was from Hungarian filmmaker, Bálint Kenyeres with “The Spectacle”.

On set of the short film, “The Spectacle”. Photo via Anna Vághy

The Story Behind The Film

As was revealed in magyar.film.hu, Kenyeres has been very open in revealing what inspired the film. It quite literally came to him in a dream. Upon awakening, the writer-director knew that he had to bring it to life and commit it to the screen, especially since its themes are so very relevant to the world we live in today.

The Spectacle tells the story of a young Roma boy with a unique ability who, thanks to his unexpected appearance on a TV show, finds himself thrust into the limelight. The film explores issues surrounding identity, media exposure, and the negative impact of instant fame.  

A Fast and Friendly Shoot

Shot in only two days in Monor in January, The Spectacle was financed with independent funding under the banner of Anabanana Productions. The cinematography was handled by Thimios Bakatakis, known for his work on The Killing of a Sacred Deer and The Lobster, which no doubt added major visual impact to the short.

Leaning heavily into realism to ensure emotional authenticity, the film stars non-professional actors Vilmos Jónás and Jolika Oláh Józsefné, alongside Soma Sándor, Tímea Udvari-Kardos, and Gábor Váradi. A tight-knit crew behind the scenes handled everything from costumes to post-production, with Anna Vághy editing, Sandra Sztevanovity designing the sets, and Annamari Nagy on costumes.

Produced by Anna Bartók, Flatpack’s very own Zita Kisgergely, Tamás Hutlassa, Jeremy Zelnik, and Judit Romwalter, and cast by Hermina Fátyol, the film is a testament to what focused filmmaking can achieve—even on a limited budget.

A Cannes Comeback

Although the film missed out on an award this time round, going to Cannes was a return to familiar ground for Kenyeres. Back in 2005, his short film Before Dawn debuted at Cannes and went on to a successful global festival run. His 2009 short The History of Aviation was featured in the Directors' Fortnight, and in 2011, the screenplay for his feature Yesterday received recognition from Cannes’ L’Atelier program.

Hungary’s Film Industry

As a Budapest-based film production service company, Flatpack Films see firsthand how much talent and vision flows through Hungary’s creative veins. From world-class cinematographers to innovative directors and set designers, Hungary continues to be a prime destination for international film production–The Spectacle is just another example of that.

The Spectacle will reach Hungarian audiences this autumn.

Sources & further information

magyar.film.hu

Flatpack Films has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Friss Hús Budapest: Hungary’s First Oscar-Qualifying Short Film Festival

The Friss Hús (Fresh Meat) Budapest International Film Festival has just concluded its program for 2025. As the first Oscar-qualifying film festival in Hungary, this means its winners in Best Hungarian Live-Action Short Film and Best Hungarian Animated Short Film categories will now be eligible for Oscar consideration.

This prestigious honour that was granted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences upon this little but mighty film festival puts it in the same league as the likes of Cannes, Venice, and Berlin, as well as respected short film showcases like Vienna Shorts and Tokyo Short Shorts. To put this in perspective, from the tens of thousands of film festivals worldwide, only around 100-150 hold this title—making this inclusion of Friss Hús kind of a big deal for the Hungarian film industry.

Humble Beginnings

Founded in 2013 by filmmaker Dániel Deák, Friss Hús started as a two-day screening event at Budapest’s Toldi Cinema. In its early days, the festival was a response to demand from local short filmmakers eager to showcase their work. Since that time, it has grown into Hungary’s largest short film festival, attracting over 10,000 visitors annually and expanding to include international competitions, thematic sections, workshops, exhibitions, and panel discussions.

This year’s 13th edition ran from May 29 to June 4, 2025, at the Puskin Cinema.

Hungary Steps into the Oscar’s Spotlight

Receiving Oscar-qualifying status was a surprise even to the organizers. Deák explains:

“We applied without expectations, and to our amazement, the Academy said yes.”

This means that two Hungarian films will now automatically enter consideration for an Academy Award every year. This is a heady opportunity in a region with very few such qualifying festivals.

At this year’s event, the top awards went to:

Best Hungarian Live-Action Short: Dögsúly by Bese Komáromy

Best Hungarian Animated Short: Üvegház by Katalin Sárdi

These two films are now one step closer to the Oscars.

Other Rising Stars

Further winners from this year’s competition include Zsófia Tóth, who won Best Actress for Világvége, and Benjámin Lengyel, who took Best Actor for Két felnőtt. The Magyar Telekom Award for Most Promising Director Under 30 went to Kristóf Zsolt Tóth for Túlpart and Denisa.

Hungary: An Established Player in International Film

With its rising global profile, the levelling-up of Friss Hús’ international status is yet another indicator of Hungary’s position as a vibrant filming hub, and not just for locations, studios, crew and talent, but for storytelling nous.

Sources and further information

Friss Hús

Euronews

Flatpack Films has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach.

House of Music in Budapest Celebrates Global Music with New Exhibit

Hungary’s House of Music has opened an exciting new temporary exhibition–LISTEN. Touted as a musical journey around the world, LISTEN was born of a decade-long global filmmaking project by Japanese producer Tomoko Yamaguchi and American director Garry Bassin.

House of Music, Hungary

While attending the opening of the exhibit back in March, the filmmaker explained that the project had been intended as a sort of musical time capsule for the planet. He further reflected that the LISTEN series (the first part of which was filmed in Hungary), shows how no matter where people live in the world, humans strive to covey human emotions through music

From musical expressions of identity by Greek migrants in Turkey in the early twentieth century to Inuit throat singing in the Canadian arctic circle (and everything in between), the exhibition is a rare visual and oratory feast documented through installations, photographs, film and musical instruments. The film was shot in thirty countries with over 100 musicians over a span of more than ten years.

Capturing raw, powerful performances in a space of 1,000 square metres, this ambitious project delves into how music shapes human life—from birth to death—highlighting both our differences as well as our shared love of music. The exhibits feature renowned international and Hungarian artists (including Hungary’s Márta Sebestyén and Portugal’s Carminho–the most recognized representative of Portuguese fado). Hungarian talents like cinematographer Attila Csoboth and photographer Péter Rákossy also helped bring the project to life.

House of Music, Hungary

Budapest’s House of Music (HoM) Hungary was opened on the edge of City Park in 2022. With its striking architecture–the building’s head-turning modern design was designed by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto–it represents a unique space for concerts and immersive experiences. HoM recently earned special recognition at the prestigious European Museum of the Year Awards where the jury commended HoM’s bold, interactive approach and praised it as a model for making music culture accessible to all.

With concerts, educational programs, and exhibitions spanning genres (see our post on its outstanding DIVAS exhibition held last year), the House of Music is much more than just a venue and rather a tribute to sound, creativity and cultural exchange.

LISTEN can be experienced until 31st August 2025

Sources and further information

House of Music, Hungary

Architonic

Flatpack Films has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach.

István Szabó’s SUNSHINE Rises Again at Cannes

Restored by the NFI’s Film Archive and Filmlab, István Szabó’s 1999 award-winning film SUNSHINE gets a new lease on life as it screens in Cannes Classics this year.

Legendary Hungarian director István Szabó will be in attendance at the Cannes Film Festival where he’s set to receive a special lifetime tribute award as part of the centenary celebration of FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics. Szabó was also a recipient of a FIPRESCI prize in Cannes in 1981 for Mephisto, which went on to win Hungary its first Academy Award for best foreign-language film.

Szabó has presented films for competition in Cannes five times. Apart from his wins with Mephisto in 1981, he won the jury prize in 1985 for Colonel Redl and participated as a jury member in 1986.

Director of the Filmlab in Hungary Viktória Sovák revealed that the meticulous and time-consuming restoration of Sunshine was done specially in preparation for the film’s screening in Cannes. She further explained that the frames of the film had been partially corrupted and spotted with white blotches and colour imbalances.

Hungarian director, István Szabó. Picture via Imdb.

The film’s original cinematographer Lajos Koltai (another giant of the Hungarian film industry) was able to make adjustments to the digital version thanks to advances in technology since the time the film was shot. This meant that new, minute and hitherto invisible background details of the film were able to be highlighted.

Sunshine, which stars Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz and Jennifer Ehle, is a sweeping narrative that follows five generations of a Hungarian-Jewish family from the Austro-Hungarian Empire of the mid-19th century to the Cold War era and fall of the Iron Curtain. After its premier in 1999, Sunshine went on to secure three European Film Awards.

The ambitious 4K digital revamp of Sunshine is part of a broader film restoration program that began in the 1990s. Since that time, over 400 feature films, documentaries and animations have been completely restored, along with the digitization of 55 volumes of historic newsreels. Other important works that have been given a new lease on life include films by iconic directors Miklós Jancsó, Márta Mészáros and Béla Tarr. The restoration program is not only reintroducing classic films to a global audience but also underlines Hungary’s capacity in film restoration and post-production services.

For international production companies seeking expertise in filmmaking, diverse locations rich in period details and state-of-the-art facilities, filming in Hungary offers a complete package—from soundstage to screening. Recent international productions such as Pablo Larraín’s Maria, Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things, and Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist have utilized Hungary’s top-tier production and post-production capabilities.

More Hungarian classics are sure to be reborn soon. Don’t miss the Budapest Classics Film Marathon this September where Szabó’s Being Julia will also make its restored debut.

Sources & further information

Cannes Classic 2025   

Variety

Screen Daily

Imdb

Flatpack Films has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Hungarian Animation and Live Action Films Having a Moment at International Film Festivals

That’s right, not one, but two Hungarian films are currently making waves on the circuit. I ACCIDENTALLY WROTE A BOOK (Véletlenül írtam egy könyvet) from writer-director Nóra Lakos, and PELIKAN BLUE, Hungary’s first ever animated feature-documentary, have both taken home awards recently from various international festivals

Via Imdb

I Accidentally Wrote a Book

A very personal story revolving around a young teen girl (Nina) who uncovers the power of self-expression through creativity. Nina starts to write and in doing so uncovers stories from her family’s history. But there’s more to this than connecting with family lore. The healing power of the written word is celebrated in this touching film as Nina begins to process the loss of her mother.

Incorporating classic coming-of-age elements, the film allows the audience to witness how every decision Nina makes impacts the narrative going forward. There are conflicts with her younger brother as well as the experience surrounding f first love and growing up. The story of the film is illustrated through a unique visual style that mixes live action and animation.

This is feel-good family film from writer-director Nóra Lakos has been hitting home runs in North America and Europe. The film won Audience Favorite at the Tumbleweeds Film Festival in Utah. Just days later, the film snapped up the award for Best European Feature-Length Children’s Film at Norway’s Kristiansand International Children’s Film Festival—a huge cultural event for young audiences. The European Children’s Film Association (ECFA) jury praised the film’s dreamlike visual tone and emotional depth, calling it a “pan-European film with extraordinary potential.” That accolade also secured the film a nomination for CFA’s Best European Children’s Film of the Year, to be announced during the prestigious 2026 Berlinale.

Adding to its international success, the film also won the Grand Prix at the Montréal International Children’s Film Festival, and star Villő Demeter took home Best Young European Talent at Poland’s Ale Kino! Festival.

Backed by Hungary’s National Film Institute (NFI) and distributed by JUNO 11 Distribution and the Human Rights and Cultural Foundation, Lakos’ film has already drawn over 155,000 viewers in Hungarian cinemas and is currently streaming on Netflix. It’s the first green production supported by the NFI, co-produced with the Dutch studio BIND and funded by Eurimages and the Netherlands Film Fund. Notable names behind the scenes include producer Claudia Sümeghy, cinematographer Dániel Reich, and composer duo Jacob Meijer and Alexander Reumers.

Pelikan Blue

Via Imdb

This unique animated documentary-feature film tells the story of three young men in the 1990s with a hankering to discover the world that’s just opened up to them after the collapse of Communism. Big on dreams but short on funds, they hit upon a scheme that will allow them to see Europe by forging Hungarian Railways international tickets using blue indigo paper. Needless to say, things start to spiral out of control…

We’ve written about our love for this film before, and it’s not just us. It recently won the AniMovie Award at Germany’s Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film. The film also won multiple accolades after its release in 2024, including the Golden Dove Award at the DOK Leipzig Festival, and has screened globally at festivals like Annecy, Hot Docs Toronto, and the Silk Road International Film Festival in China.

Directed by László Csáki, the film is a creative blend of animation and real-life storytelling, incorporating audio interviews from the 2010s. Set to a soundtrack of classic Hungarian hits, Pelikan Blue is more than an off-the-wall (and very Hungarian) nostalgia trip. It’s a light-hearted yet insightful look at freedom, rebellion, and post-socialist identity, combined successfully with playful visuals and a dynamic soundtrack. The Stuttgart jury called it “fun and entertaining,” with engaging characters and contemporary flair.

Produced by Umbrella Entertainment and supported by the NFI, the film’s producers are Ádám Felszeghy and Miklós Kázmér, cinematographer Árpád Horváth, and editor Dániel Szabó. The film is currently streaming on HBO Max.

Sources & further information:

I Accidentally Wrote a Book

Pelikan Blue

Flatpack Films has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach.

Why Are So Many Productions Filmed in Hungary?

Following Donald Trump’s comments heralding tariffs on films made abroad, there’s been a lot of chatter about why a significant number of U.S. productions choose to film in foreign locations such as Hungary. Let’s break it down.

Hollywood has been hit by a series of setbacks over the past five years such as the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 followed by the writers’ and actors’ strikes of 2023. According to last year’s report by production technology and research company ProdPro (first published by The Los Angeles Times), the number of global film and television productions is down 20% from 2022. With U.S. film and TV production still significantly below 2022 levels, studios are looking to cut costs by filming abroad in places that offer better deals.

Currently, the top filming spots worldwide are all located outside the U.S. as productions, tempted by lower costs and tax incentives, move to Canada, the U.K., Australia and Hungary. Production spend in Hungary neared $1 billion in 2024 and, with the number of international film and TV series being filmed in the country continuously increasing, the National Film Institute of Hungary projects expenditure will grow to $3 billion by 2030.

Hungary has hosted several major productions in recent years, including:

• Alien: Romulus, directed by Ridley Scott

• Dune: Part Two, from Denis Villeneuve

• Poor Things, from Yorgos Lanthimos

• The Brutalist, from Brady Corbet 

 What makes Hungary stand out:

• State-of-the-art studios like Origo, Korda, and NFI Studios

• A 30% tax rebate—one of the most competitive in Europe and recently extended to 2030.

• Highly skilled and experienced crew as well as diverse talent available on the ground.

• Versatile locations that double for cities and landscapes around the world.

• Competitive costs

Features and TV Series currently filming in Budapest

Budapest is abuzz at the moment with major international film and TV productions filming as we speak.

Major international projects that are currently filming in the country:

• 3 Body Problem (Seasons 2 and 3)

• Dune: Messiah (Feature film)

• Matchbox (Action-adventure-comedy feature)

• Ponies (Espionage-thriller TV series)

• The Entertainment System Is Down (Rolund Östlund’s new satirical film starring Keanu Reeves and Kirsten Dunst)

Newly announced titles about to be filmed in Hungary:

• Alpha Gang (a sci-fi comedy starring Cate Blanchett)

• The Billion Dollar Spy (a cold war thriller with Russel Crowe)

But these productions are not just taking advantage of tax breaks and cheaper costs. Productions are often moved to locations outside the country due to creative decisions made at script stage–films such as Mission Impossible, Harry Potter or the James Bond franchise spring to mind.

It remains unclear how proposed levies would be imposed on films, which can also be viewed as digital products or services and thus (currently) exempt from tariffs. Yet another question is which productions specifically they might be imposed on considering the complex way many films are funded and put together, incorporating investment and skills from various countries. What will constitute an “American” film?

So, as the global film industry prepares for Cannes among much second-guessing of how these tariffs will work, we’ll have to wait and see how decisions made in Washington will affect the sector and its choice of film locations.

Sources & further information

Film New Europe

Variety 

LA Times

 Budapest Reporter

Flatpack Films has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach.

New Netflix Heist Movie Filmed in Hungary

The Indian Hindi-language action film, Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins, featuring Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan and filmed last year in Budapest, Mumbai and Istanbul, has recently made its debut on Netflix.

Jewel Thief. Picture via Imdb

Persuaded to steal the legendary African Red Sun diamond for a mafia boss, Khan’s character (Rehan Roy) meticulously plans a heist with detective Vikram Patel (played by Kunal Kapoor) in hot pursuit. Rehan Roy is a master thief who’s been hiding out in Budapest, and who could blame him? It’s a great city to hole up, surrounded by a choice of cultural or more hedonistic pursuits.

It’s also become a major hub for international film production with no let-up in sight.

Jewel Thief is the latest in a long list of films to showcase the sights and scenes of Budapest. In this case, the city plays herself, although she’s an expert of disguise. A real chameleon, Budapest has stood in for a range of European, British, and even U.S. cities.

Other Bollywood films of note that have likewise been lured to film in Budapest include:

·       Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1991)

Now considered a Bollywood classic, the film is about a man who discovers that the woman he’s just married is in love with someone else. Decidng to help, he takes his wife to Europe (Budapest standing in here for Italy) so he can reunite her with the object of her affection.

·      Force 2 (2016)

An action-espionage thriller (which allegedly took its inspiration from Skyfall), this was filmed partly at locations in Budapest, including the Ethnographical museum. In the lead roles the film featured John Abraham, Tahir Raj Bhasin and Sonakshi Sinha.

·       Jab Harry met Sejal (2017)

A romantic comedy filmed across Amsterdam, Prague and Budapest starring iconic Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma. A woman loses her engagement ring while holidaying in Europe. She’s helped by a jaded tour guide to retrace her steps in an attempt to find the ring.

Flatpack Films has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach.