Venice Film Festival 2026: Spotlight on Hungarian Talent
zita kisgergely
The 83rd Venice Film Festival program–as well as the GdA run in parallel–will this year include three feature films and one short film with Hungarian connections.
One of the world’s oldest film festivals, and one of the “Big Five” worldwide (the others being Cannes, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance), the Venice Film Festival will this year feature new, much anticipated films from Werner Herzog, Nanni Moretti, Hirokazu Koreeda and Martin McDonagh amongst its official selection.
Acclaimed Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó’s new film PLACE TO BE will be screened as part of the Out-of-Competition line up–although, due to its strong international flavour and production (filmed mostly in NSW, Australia), the film is categorized as an Australian production. Written by Kata Wéber, a long-time collaborator of Mundroczó’s, the film features Ellen Burstyn and Taika Waititi as two people who strike up an unlikely friendship during a cross-country quest to get a lost racing pigeon home.
Taika Waititi. Picture from Wikipedia.
Ellen Burstyn. Picture from Wikipedia.
The GdA (Giornate degli Autori or Authors’ Days) is an independent program run concurrently with the festival. It was established in 2004 by Giorgio Gosetti to focus on independent works by lesser-known filmmakers. This year’s program has revealed a female-centred lineup which includes Hungarian director Lily Horváth’s second feature film, MY NOTES ON MARS.
The director’s third feature and first English-language film, this sci-fi romance follows a scientist who disappears on a hiking trip only to appear at her own memorial service with no recollection of what happened in the interim–apart from some notes she has regarding Mars. Mackenzi Davis stars with Rupert Friend co-starring. The film will open the competition lineup, with a total of 10 films in competition in this section.
In the Venice Spotlight section– established to feature creative films that connect in distinctive ways to their desired audience–Gábor Reisz’s fourth feature film, GROUND FLOOR will premier. The film follows the story of a former painter (now working as a bank archivist) who on the same day discovers not only that he’s about to become a father, but that there’s an infestation of mould growing in his apartment. As pointed out by flim.hu, festival director Alberto Barbera described the film as a grotesque comedy that could be read as a coded allegory of the previous government regime. A Hungarian–Italian co-production, the film was co-written by Reisz and Éva Schulze and stars Ádám Tompa.
And finally, the Orizzonti section will also feature a Hungarian short, TEST TRACK from director Lydia Cornett. The film will be screened during the international short films’ competition among twelve other titles. TEST TRACK follows the story of a 14-year-old boy whose family must clear wildlife from an autonomous testing facility in rural Hungary. Thematically, it’s an examination of the uneasy juxtaposition of tradition and nature with technological advancement.
The 83rd Venice Film Festival will run from September 2nd to September 12th.
Sources & further information:
Venice International Film Festival
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