Andor Berényi, a 29-year-old filmmaker who lives in Budapest, said that seeing “The Brutalist” win three Oscars at the Academy Awards earlier this month was a bittersweet moment.
Although Berényi was a floor second assistant director on the epic drama — work that he said was enjoyable and well paid — the award recognition left him feeling conflicted.
“The film was shot here in Hungary mainly because they couldn’t have made it anywhere else,” he said. “They needed the tax rebate, and they needed the cheap crew.”
Andor Berényi, a 29-year-old filmmaker who lives in Budapest, said that seeing “The Brutalist” win three Oscars at the Academy Awards earlier this month was a bittersweet moment. Courtesy of Andor Berényi
Movies filmed in Hungary are entitled to a tax rebate of 30%. That is one reason that the country has become one of the continent’s most-sought-after destinations for US filmmakers.
“The Brutalist,” starring Adrien Brody, was shot for just $10 million, a tiny amount in today’s world of Hollywood blockbusters. Still, for many Hungarian filmmakers, getting their hands on this kind of funding is nearly impossible.
In the past couple of years, “Dune,” “Poor Things” and the musical drama, “Maria,” about the life of Maria Callas were all shot partly in Budapest.
Gabriella Geisinger, locations editor at Screen International, a magazine covering the international film business, said that lower production costs aren’t the only draw for moviemaking in Budapest.
Hungarian film crews are also highly experienced, and the capital can easily stand in for other locations such as New York or Paris, she said.
Gabriella Geisinger, locations editor at Screen International, a magazine covering the international film business, said Budapest is a draw for filmmakers for numerous reasons.Courtesy of Gabriella Geisinger
“It’s really easy to film a lot of different locations and also different eras in Hungary; you get bang for your buck filming there,” Geisinger said.
In January, Hungary’s National Film Institute (NFI) opened a new studio complex in Fót, on the outskirts of Budapest.
The NFI, a government-backed body, said the industry’s annual volume has recently approached $1 billion, a fivefold increase since 2018.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, speaking at the opening, said the state had a responsibility in shaping the sector’s fortunes and in ensuring the necessary infrastructure and resources for production.
“Even filmmakers who don’t vote for us profit from the government’s investment in this industry,” he said.
His statement sparked a furious response from several Hungarian film organizations. In an open letter, they wrote that “so-called independent film in Hungary is not a choice, but a forced path, a penny-pinching, minimal-budget enterprise.”
The films are created under undignified conditions where the crews often have to work for free, the organizations said.
Independent director Bálint Szimler said he was enraged when he heard Orbán’s comment. This is not a golden age of independent film — the productions that receive state support are those that align with Orbán’s ideology, he said.
Independent director Bálint Szimler’s latest film, “Lesson Learned,” was one of the most-watched movies in Hungary last year. The film was made on a shoestring budget.Lidia Paseczki
Szimler’s latest film, “Lesson Learned,” was one of the most-watched movies in Hungary last year. The film was made on a shoestring budget.
“There were a lot of people working for free; they took themselves out from their other jobs just to be able to work for free for us,” he said.
A still shot from Independent director Bálint Szimler’s film, “Lesson Learned.” Bálint Szimler
Szimler didn’t apply for state funding because he said he knew the subject matter of his movie would not pass the National Film Institute’s criteria.
His drama tells the parallel stories of a teacher’s attempt to challenge Hungary’s outdated teaching methods and the struggle of a young boy who has just moved from Berlin to adapt to the demanding education system.
Szimler, who was born in Budapest but raised in the US until the age of 9, has experience with the academic models of both countries. The two couldn’t be more different, he said.
In the US, children are encouraged to speak up, to question the teacher and to express their own views, while in Hungary, students are told to stay silent and listen to the teacher, he said.
Szimler said he believes that that teaching approach has influenced how Hungarians behave as adults.
“Everyone stays quiet; we know what’s not right but we don’t speak up because everybody’s scared,” he said. “Self-censorship is a huge deal here in Hungary.”
Dávid Jancsó, Oscar-nominated editor of “The Brutalist,” said recently that the films most likely to receive state funding in Hungary are patriotic movies.
“The government can decide whether to spend taxpayers’ money on propaganda films or on films that will win awards and, in Hungary, the decision was for propaganda movies,” he said.
In 2024, the largest state grant went to a drama based on a rescue operation for Hungarian soldiers in Kabul in 2022. The movie is being filmed in cooperation with the Hungarian army.
Hungarian film commissioner Csaba Káel has dismissed accusations that the National Film Institute favors movies that align with the ruling party’s political doctrine.
“Gone Running,” Hungary’s most-popular independent movie last year, did not receive state support. The movie’s director, Gábor Herendi, said he doesn’t know why the film was rejected.
“I’m not the only one on the blacklist; a lot of artists are basically excluded from grants. No one really knows the reasons, or whether it has any political implications or not.”
In a recent radio interview, Káel said the institute rejected the script because it was a remake of a Czech film.
Berényi, the 29-year-old filmmaker in Budapest, said he has also been denied state funding.
Two years ago, he received a government grant of $433,000 for his first feature film. Eight months later, Berényi and two other first-time directors had their grants revoked. No explanation was given but he said all three films dealt with themes that painted Hungary in a negative light.
The NFI did not respond to questions about its decision in advance of publication of this article. Berényi said he refuses to stay silent in his criticism of the Orbán regime and is still hoping to make the movie, even shooting it first as a short film.
Both directors Szimler and Berényi said they welcomed the exploding interest in Hungary by international production companies but foreign directors need to consider what they can give back to the country.
Szimler, who launched the first Budapest International Film Festival last year, said a film fund has also been established to try and support the independent sector. It’s a chance, he said, for both international companies and filmgoers in Hungary to show they truly support local directors and their work.