Hungarian cinema is not new to cinephiles in India. The well-known names like Istvan Szabo and Zoltan Fabri have nurtured the sensibilities of generations of serious Indian film-goers. However, it was a rare privilege for the citizens in the capital to watch a remarkable slice of prominent Hungarian films from the recent past. Held in collaboration with the Directorate of Film Festivals of the Ministry of I&B, Government of India and Magyar Filmúnió, Budapest at Siri Fort Auditorium, the festival got off with the screening of the latest film of István Szabó, ‘Relatives’ (Rokonok(2006)), based on Zsigmond Móricz's classic work, describing the centuries old tradition of nepotism in public life in Hungary.
The film tells the story of the attorney general of a municipality, who realises that despite his integrity and dreams, he can only serve the public cause by becoming a part of the huge racket of self-serving politicians, state-bureaucrats and their relatives. Laced with irony and satire and some brilliant performances by Sándor Csányi and Károly Eperjes, leading thespians from the stage, it engrossed and made us think of our own contemporary political life.
The uniqueness of this festival was its ability to drive home the point that a new generation of young filmmakers have arrived in the post-communist Hungarian cinema. Original in thematic aspects and inventive in their cinematographic techniques, films by Benedek Fliegauf, Judit Elek, György Szomjas and Péter Gárdos capture the mood of this new generation of directors. ‘Hukkle’(2002) by Pálfi is a silent film capturing an idyllic village life through micro-perspective and use of startling camera angles and close-ups. The visual narrative builds up its own meaning and justifies the absence of any dialogue. A film appearing deceptively as a documentary, bordering on a detective genre, it has won many trophies with Hungarian film critics and has been a popular success in the European film circuits.
On the other hand, Benedek Fliegauf's ‘Dealer’ (2004) tells the story of one day in a life of a drug-dealer. Moving through different social milieus, the portrayal of the main character in the film not only examines the drug-society, but also becomes an examination of the age-old questions of faith, destiny, and personal tragedy. Szomjas’s film ‘Vagabond’ (2002) also captures life from the margins. Here, childhood in an orphanage and the world of street-urchins extending into burglary, alcoholism, and drugs, is the theme. Life in a big city and also the issues of immigration become central in this tale of Gypsy music, dance, and the underworld.
‘The porcelain doll’ (2004) by Gárdos is based on the well-known Hungarian writer, Ervin Lázár’s ‘Csillagmajor’, and presents an amiable and simple tale of life in the Hungarian countryside. The universality of the theme and the weaving together of the concepts of hate, jealousy, vanity, and shame in this tale of a farm in Hungary, reminded us of the power of the medium of cinema.
The week-long festival with two screenings a day also treated the film-buffs with two poignant tales ‘Temptation’ (2001) (by Zoltan Kamondi and Judit Elek’s ‘The Eighth Day of the Week’ (2006). The latter, a tragicomedy, about the fate of the protagonist, moving through life’s dark hardships, proves that the miracle of love is ageless. ‘Temptations’ portrays the search of the son for his father and his place in the world. All in all, the film week left the lingering taste of the ‘Magyar Masala’ (Hungarian cultural Festival which has begun on January 17 from Bangalore) in the palate of the cineastes.
