More Talents Show Up

In 2015, the Hungarian National Film Fund (HNFF) released its Incubator Program to help young directors create their first feature film. The main ambition of the programme is to make their debuts as simple as possible: directors can apply with a treatment, and after a pre-selection a jury and a professional audience choose the best projects at a pitching forum. The HNFF then provides a low-budget financial support amounting to a maximum of EUR 70,000 for each feature documentary, EUR 200,000 for each feature film and EUR 265,000 for each animation – excluding the 25% tax rebate.

This support also includes project development workshops, consultations and professional assistance provided by both the HNFF and the mentors. In the first two editions, ten projects received production support, including ‘One Day’ by Zsófi a Szilágyi, which has been selected for this year’s Critics’ Week programme at Cannes.

Without a doubt, the Incubator Program is attractive for young directors. Proof of that is that 67 treatments responded to the first call in 2015, a number that increased to 69 in 2016 and to 71 in 2017.

From the submitted applications, five film professionals (Krisztina Esztergályos, scriptwriter; Isti Madarász, director; Gábor Reisz, director; Judit Stalter, producer; and Éva Zabezsinszkij, scriptwriter) chose ten projects to move forward to the script development stage of the HNFF. After writing their scripts and attending workshops to enhance their presentation skills, the directors were given the chance to pitch their projects in front of a professional audience.

At the 3rd Incubator Program

The ten projects that were nominated were:

  • ‘The Camp’ by Judit Oláh
  • ‘Esther’s Daymare’ by Dániel Vízkeleti
  • ‘Hi, Sári’ by Sára Haragonics
  • ‘Missing 10 Hours’ by Krisztina Meggyes
  • ‘The Last Bus’ by Bálint Nagy and Nándor Lőrincz
  • ‘Let Zsiga Die’ by Krisztina Ágói
  • ‘Things Worth Weeping For’ by Cristina Grosan and Nóra Rainer-Micsinyei
  • ‘Stolidity’ by Levente Kölcsey
  • ‘A Pack Of Our Town’ by Hajni Kis
  • ‘Where did I go Wrong?’ by Márton Szirmai.

They were presented at a pitching forum in March in one of the coolest arthouse cinemas of Budapest, Toldi Mozi, where five of the ten talents were then selected to receive scriptwriting and production support. The forum was a full-house event that included stimulating professional discussions and debates.

Three projects were chosen by an acclaimed jury: Márk Bodzsár, director, Zsuzsanna Kálomista, distributor, Mónika Mécs, producer, Zsolt Pápai, fi lm historian; Károly Ujj Mészáros, director and two more by the professional audience of the forum.

The five winning projects are: 'Things Worth Weeping For'; ‘A Pack Of Our Town’; ‘The Last Bus’; ‘The Camp’; ‘Where did I go Wrong?’.

The winners of the 3rd Incubator Program