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INDUSTRY Hungary

The first Budapest Debut Film Forum announces its selection

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- Organised by the Friss Hús Budapest International Short Film Festival, the forum will help ten emerging filmmakers from the CEE region to further develop their debut feature-film projects

The first Budapest Debut Film Forum announces its selection
Slovak filmmaker Michal Blaško, whose debut feature, Victim, has been selected for the first edition of the Budapest Debut Film Forum

The Friss Hús Budapest International Short Film Festival is introducing a new industry event during its seventh edition (25-31 March). The new initiative, dubbed the Budapest Debut Film Forum (BDFF), invites ten emerging filmmakers, hailing from six Central Eastern European countries, who want to further develop their first feature-film projects. Taking place for two days, from 26-27 March, the forum will offer tutoring sessions, industry talks and presentations, some of which will also be available for the public to attend.

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In more detail, the filmmakers participating in the BDFF, whose projects are at an advanced stage of development, will be tutored by Gabriel Paletz (Czech Republic), Wim Vanacker (Belgium/France), Júlia Jakab and Balázs Lengyel (Hungary), who will work with the directors and prepare them for their presentations. Among the selected projects are last year’s Transilvania Pitch Stop (see the news) and connecting cottbus (see the news) winner October by Romanian director Cristian Pascariu, the Cannes Cinéfondation Atelier project (see the news) and Trieste WEMW (see the news) winner Victim [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michal Blaško
film profile
]
by Slovakian filmmaker Michal Blaško, while a First Films First alumna, Bulgarian producer Magdelena Ilieva (The Lesson [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kristina Grozeva, Petar Val…
interview: Margita Gosheva
film profile
]
), is presenting The Eternal Package, her first directorial effort. The most promising project will also receive a €1,000 development award.

Furthermore, the industry talks scheduled to take place on the first day of the BDFF include a case study on Hungarian (mainly) short-film production company Campfilm, presented by producers Marcell Gerő and Sára László, and their experience working on Natural Light [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dénes Nagy
film profile
]
by Dénes Nagy, which is the firm’s first feature. Meanwhile, Polish producer Ewa Puszczynska (Cold War [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Pawel Pawlikowski
film profile
]
Ida [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pawel Pawlikowski
interview: Pawel Pawlikowski
film profile
]
) will focus on co-productions in the CEE region, and Eurimages’ Francine Raveney will explore the opportunities available for first- and second-time directors to be supported by the European fund.

Also, on the second day, Matthieu Darras will moderate a round-table on the feasibility of first feature films becoming international co-productions. The panel comprises a handful of film professionals: Júlia Berkes (Proton Cinema, Hungary), Weronika Czołnowska (head of industry at the New Horizons International Film Festival, Poland), Dragana Jovovic (Non-Aligned Films, Serbia), György Kristóf (director of Out [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: György Kristóf
film profile
]
, Hungary), Sára László (Campfilm, Hungary), Francine Raveney (Eurimages) and Dorina Oarga (head of industry at the Transilvania International Film Festival, Romania).

The BDFF is supported by the Hungarian Film Fund and by Creative Europe Desk Hungary.

The selected projects are as follows:

Blazing - Balázs Dudás (Hungary)
Blue Pelikan - László Csáki (Hungary)
The Eternity Package - Magdelena Ilieva (Bulgaria)
Eviction - Máté Bence Fazekas (Hungary)
Neither Voice - Ester Ivakič (Slovenia)
October - Cristian Pascariu (Romania)
The Sweet Bitterness of Ripe Pomegranates - Andrey Volkashin (North Macedonia)
Victim [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michal Blaško
film profile
]
 - Michal Blaško (Slovakia)

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