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One of the key goals of the Film Law is to improve the competitiveness of the film industry, to stimulate the rise in Hungarian subcontract commissions and to encourage domestic and foreign investment in film production in Hungary. Experts expect the industry to get a boost from the introduction of various tax benefits.

A senior journalist for CINEMA magazine, and a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Scott Orlin tells us about his favorite Hungarian films and his take on European cinema.

Altogether about 120 foreign guests from 26 counties are attending this year’s Film Week upon invitation by the Hungarian Film Union. Guests include the program organizers and directors of international film festivals, and representatives of the international press. This year even members of Hollywood’s Golden Globe nomination committee are going to attend the Film Week, just as the organizers of the Year of Hungarian Culture in the Netherlands and in Russia, says Éva Vezér, head of the Film Union.

HUNGARY HAS BEEN FACING RADICAL REFORMS ON THE FIELD OF NATIONAL FILM INDUSTRY SINCE THE COUNTRY’S PARLIAMENT PASSED A NEW FILM LAW LAST DECEMBER. The government has expressed its commitment to the development of the Hungarian film already early last year when it declared that the state subsidy of the motion picture sector will rise to 10 billion HUF (40 million euros) by 2006. The new law determines the legal framework of the support and the organizational structure of the state bodies working on the area, plus introduces a new tax incentive system which is about to make Hungary one of the most competitive film environments in the continent.

23 feature films, 22 shorts, 13 experimental films and 42 documentaries will be screened at the 35th Hungarian Film Week. Based on the picks of the pre-selection panel, we present some of the competitors.

Best Short Animated Film Award went to Líviusz Gyulai’s Sindbad, Bon Voyage! at the 6th International Film Festival for Children and Young People in Olympia, Greece.

Hungarian dance films will be screened in a special programme at the 15th AlpeAdriaCinema film festival which begins on January 15th in Trieste. Apart from the special programme called „Hungarian Dance”, Down by Love directed by Tamás Sas has been invited with 11 other films into the feature film, and Joan of Arc by Kornél Mundruczó into the short film competition.

Benedek Fliegauf’s new feature film, Dealer and Péter Mészáros’ short film Who Is the Cat? have been invited into the programme of the 54th Berlin International Film Festival.

A new database of screenwriters and screenplays, in four languages

Grenades by Péter Politzer and Butterfly by István Komár represent Hungary among 33 short films competing for the Golden Horn.

The Hungarian Oscar nominated cinematographer, Lajos Koltai will start shooting his first feature film on December 15th adapted from the book by 2002 Nobel Prize winning author, Imre Kertesz, Fateless.

Hukkle directed by György Pálfi has won its 17th international festival prize at the L’Alternativa Independent Film Festival in Barcelona.

The Guardian - one of the most important British dailies picks out the filmmakers "who are leading the way". The panel of critics was Peter Bradshaw, Xan Brooks, Molly Haskell, Derek Malcolm, Andrew Pulver, B Ruby Rich and Steve Rose.

Our films in the world – international festivals in the first week of November

At the meeting of the Selection Committee for Academy Awards Entry held on August 12th, was announced that Hungary will enter Forest by Benedek Fliegauf for consideration for the Best Foreign Language Film of the Year.

The ALTER-NATIVE International Short Film Festival in Targu-Mures (Marosvásárhely) ended on Sunday, November 9th. At the competition organised by the Hungarian Democratic Youth Union (MADISZ) 4 Hungarian productions won prizes.

The grand prize of the Film Week this year went to Péter Gothár's Magyar Szépség. The award for the best young director went to Boldog születésnapot by Csaba Fazekas.