03/03/2005

Hungary, which officially entered the Media Programme in May 2004, started benefitting right away from the supporting funds provided to audiovisual and cinematographical projects by the European Union. This is already having positive results, as Eniko Kiss, manager of the Hungarian Media Desk, acknowledged in an interview which was published in the Magyar online database, Hungarian Film.

Many distribution companies have already received support from the Media Programme, which should encourage them to circulate European films on the Hungarian screens. Amongst them, we find Mokép, Budapest Film, SPI, Best Hollywood, and Cirko Film which has released a fair amount of French (co)productions (The Chorus, Tais-Toi, Scarlet Rivers 2), as well as German (Schultze Gets the Blues [+see also:
trailer
film profile], The Story of the Weeping Camel), British (Around the World in 80 Days), and Swedish/Danish films (Cops). Let’s also point out that distributors from different countries can make a joint request for funding, as was done by distributors from nine different countries for Happy Days [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Szép napok) by Kornél Mundruczó.

Exhibitors were not forgotten, since several theatres (including the Bem in Budapest, the Belvárosi in Szeged, and the Krúdy in Nyíregyháza) joined the network Europa Cinemas, which allows them to apply for more support from Media. Besides that, Odeon and Best Hollywood received financial help from the community for releasing DVD and VHS, an activity which is not very developed yet amongst the 10 new European countries and for which only Hungary and Poland have been selected last year.

In terms of project development, one documentary and three Magyar fictions were selected in 2004. As for formation, Media also chose to help Katapult Film organise this spring an international workshop dedicated to script-writing. In the festivals area, the Union supports Anifest2 which takes place in December in Budapest under the supervision of Szimpla Film. Support from the Media Programme will undoubtedly develop with time, when professionals in Hungary realise what increased potential this means, and start getting familiar with the application proceedings.

(Translated from French)