Béla Bagota readying Valan

by Fabien Lemercier

08/01/2018 - The first clapperboard will slam in February for the filmmaker’s feature debut; Csaba Krisztik and András Hatházi topline this production being staged by Mátrix Film

An image from the set of Valan

Seasoned assistant director Béla Bagota (who has titles such as The Martian, Galloping Mind [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Swing and Lajko: Gipsy in Space [+see also:
trailer
film profile] to his credit) will begin principal photography on his directorial feature debut, Valan - Valley of Angels [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], next month.

The cast includes Csaba Krisztik (in a leading role for the first time, following turns in Son of Saul [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: László Nemes
interview: László Rajk
film profile] and Kincsem – Bet on Revenge [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), András Hatházi (nominated for the Gopo Award for Best Actor in 2011 and 2017 for Morgen [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Horizon [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marian Crisan
film profile]), Emőke Pál, Gábor Tollas, László Mátray and Júlia Nyakó.

Written by the director himself, the story kicks off in December 1989, amidst the chaos of the Romanian Revolution, as a 13-year-old girl disappears from Valan, a mining town in Transylvania. Twenty-two years later, the missing girl's brother, Péter (35), is investigating child-trafficking cases in the city of Brașov as a police detective. After one particular mission, he finds out that a dead girl's body has been found in his hometown. There is a chance that it could be his sister's body. After a long absence, he returns to Valan, where he has to face the shadows of the past that have haunted him since his childhood.

Produced by László Kántor for Mátrix Film, Valan is being backed by the Hungarian National Film Fund. The shoot will take place from 16 February-15 April in Bălan, Sfântu Gheorghe, Brașov and Budapest. The Hungarian distribution will be overseen by Mozinet, while the international sales will be entrusted to the Hungarian National Film Fund.

(Translated from French)