Movie recommendations – Day 3

2021. September 12. Sunday 08:24
On Sunday a Hungarian war drama that has successfully debuted in Berlin and a film for hardcore metal fans will be waiting for those who are interested in the movies of the Competition and Open Eye program.

In the CineDocs competition program the film, Please Hold the Line follows a group of telecommunication experts to the most remote corners of Eastern Europe. They repair broken lines and set up TVs while meeting clients of diverse backgrounds and entering their private spheres. Told with a hint of irony, Please Hold the Line is all about communication, non-communication, and the region itself. Tickets are sold for 400 HUF in the ticket office of the House of Arts or online.

It is not by mere chance that the title The Night of the Beast reminds us the legendary album, The Number of the Beast, by Iron Maiden. In the competition program features The Night of the Beast that is the heavy-metal coming- of-age adventure you’ve been waiting for all year! The film follows two teenage best friends through the streets of Bogotá on a quest to see their forever-favorite band, Iron Maiden. Grab your electric guitar and don’t miss out on this touching tale of friendship, vulnerability, and stepping up for your closest buds. It can easily be an audience favorite that has already proven its worth at several film festivals of the world. Tickets are sold for 400 HUF in the ticket office of the House of Arts or online.

The Hungarian film in the CineDocs competition program Once Upon a Time There Was a Comic Book by Bence Gábor is repeated this day. The film is about the Hungarian comic book culture. From the first careless steps of its birth, through the changes following 1989 to the current situation and the possible futures of the genre, the documentary features Olivér Csepella, Sándor Kertész, Gábor Korcsmáros, Péter Szebeni, András Tálosi, Judit Tondora and Artúr Várai. Bence Gábor’s film features many comic elements in its style and shows us the process of drawing as well. As an illustration, it also features excerpts from dozens of comics. Tickets are sold for 400 HUF in the ticket office of the House of Arts or online.

The CineDocs film, Speer Goes to Hollywood tells a very interesting story. Albert Speer is an enigma. As the highest ranking Nazi in Nuremberg to be spared the death sentence, Speer was one of Hitler’s closest confidants and chief architect. As Reichminister, he was responsible for 12 million slave laborers. And yet, even now, he has the reputation of being „the good Nazi” – a myth he carefully constructed himself. The film features Speer’s callous attempt to whitewash his past in a feature film bought for production by Paramount. Vanessa Lapa’s film has been shown at the Berlinale and at the Telluride International Film Festival. The screening is followed by Q&A. Tickets are sold for 400 HUF in the ticket office of the House of Arts or online.

The CineDocs also features the film Sabaya, that takes us to the Al-Hol refugee camp in Syria. It is one of the most dangerous refugee camps where the Kurdish armed forces keep 73,000 people, relatives of the ISIS. The documentary follows a special group of the victims of the ISIS: the Yazidi women and girls abducted and forced into sexual slavery. With outstanding courage and bravery, a group of volunteers risk their lives to find and rescue these young girls from the most dangerous camp/prison. The Iraq-born Kurdish filmmaker living in Sweden, Hogir Hirori wrote and directed the film, but he is also the photographer and the editor of the movie. The world premiere of the film was at the Sundance in 2021 where it was awarded Best Direction in the documentary program.  This is the last chance to watch the film at the Festival! Tickets are sold for 400 HUF in the ticket office of the House of Arts or online.

Director Kis Hajni’s first feature film, based partially on her personal experiences, Wild Roots will be shown in the CineFest competition program just a few weeks after its world premiere at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Hajni Kiss’ return is a special pleasure for the festival, since she won the CineNewWave in 2018 with her short, Last Call.

Wild Roots tells the story of a heartbreaking father-daughter relationship. Twelve-year-old Niki (Zorka Horváth) lives with her grandparents, who are unable to control the wild child having a hard time fitting in at school. When Niki learns that her father, Tibor, has been released from prison, she, despite everyone saying otherwise, visits the man. Tibor (Gusztáv Dietz) works as a bouncer in the night in Budapest. With his introverted, violent personality, he is in constant struggle with his surroundings. He avoids meeting with his daughter due to his dark past and a family secret, but Niki is harder to shake  off than he thought. The two outsiders are slowly getting closer to each other, but everything works against the family reunion. This is your last chance to watch the film at the Festival! Tickets are sold for 400 HUF in the ticket office of the House of Arts or online.

In the Open Eye section you can watch the film by one of the members of our jury: Dénes Nagy won Silver Bear at the Berlinale with his film, Natural Light. It was the first time that a Hungarian director won the second most prestigious award of the famous festival. The film is based on Pál Závada’s novel. In World War II, in addition to troops fighting on the Eastern Front, almost one hundred thousand Hungarian soldiers served in the occupied territories. Natural light takes place in the occupied part of the Soviet Union, in an unforgiving, swampy forest. István Semetka, a Hungarian farmer, serves as a squad leader at an infantry unit that is searching for partisan groups in remote Russian villages. The story depicts the everyday life of soldiers as Semetka sees it. He ends up with a heavy burden: the unexpected death of his commander. The characters of this poignant film are played by unknown, amateur actors. The screening is followed by Q&A. Tickets are sold for 400 HUF in the ticket office of the House of Arts or online.

CODA will, without doubt, be one of the most popular film of the festival. The big winner of 2021 Sundance is a remake of The Bélier Family, but even better. Emilia Jones plays Ruby, whose life is a bit more complicated than usual, as she is the only hearing member of her family. The family makes a living from fishing and it is essential for Ruby to act as the interpreter between her family and the world that sometimes exploits their disabilities. However, the young girl also loves singing, and she is good at it. The Mexican music teacher (Eugenio Derbez) arriving to the school wants to convince her that she has a place at the Berklee College in Boston, one of the best music schools in the world. Opposed to the French version, the American movie the deaf-mute characters are played by deaf-mute actors (including Academy Award-winning Marlee Martin as the mother). The film not only won the Grand Jury Prize, the Director’s Award and the Audience Award  at the Sundance, but it also set a record from a business point of view: Apple bought the worldwide distribution rights for 25 million USD. This is your last chance to watch the film at the Festival! Tickets are sold for 400 HUF in the ticket office of the House of Arts or online.

In his new film, Hygiène Sociale, the 2019 head of the jury, Denis Côté creates a peculiar atmosphere of real and pseudophilosophical depths with a loosely covered secret-mockery of those unable to distinguish between the two – with a sense of humor only the man of the COVID-19 era can understand. Côté proves again that he is not afraid to experiment. The timeless subject includes a disillusioned man and five women, each trying to change him in their own way. The characters engage in high and small talks about Volkswagens and discounted mattresses, while standing like statues, strictly following the rule of social distancing. Côté is an extremely productive artist: between 2015 and 2005 he directed 15 independent short film, while working as a journalist and film critic. His first feature film won Golden Leopard in Locarno in video category. Vic+Flo Saw a Bear was awarded the Alfred Bauer Prize in 2013 at the Berlinale. His latest feature, Hygiène Sociale also debuted on the international stage in Berlin, wining the Best Directing award in the Encounter section. This is your last chance to watch the film at the Festival! Tickets are sold for 400 HUF in the ticket office of the House of Arts or online.

Related film screenings:

(CODA)

Rendező: Sian HEDER

USA, FRANCE

(TERMÉSZETES FÉNY)

Rendező: NAGY Dénes

HUNGARY, LATVIA, FRANCE, GERMANY

(ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A COMIC BOOK)

Rendező: GÁBOR Bence

HUNGARY

(PLEASE HOLD THE LINE)

Rendező: Pavel CUZUIOC

AUSTRIA

(SABAYA)

Rendező: Hogir HIRORI

(HYGIÈNE SOCIALE)

Rendező: Denis CÔTÉ

CANADA

(SPEER GOES TO HOLLYWOOD)

Rendező: Vanessa LAPA

ISRAEL

(THE NIGHT OF THE BEAST)

Rendező: Mauricio LEVIA-COCK

COLUMBIA, MEXICO

(WILD ROOTS)

Rendező: KIS Hajni

HUNGARY