Hiller told a press conference on Monday that Tóth and the group which helped him create the animated short have a month of difficult lobbying ahead of them. The grant should ensure they are able to concentrate their efforts on this task, he said.
Tóth has been invited to many events before the Academy Awards ceremony. On February 5, he will attend a dinner organised for all of the Oscar nominees. Afterward, he will participate at public and professional events, and visit studios in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
At the Academy Awards ceremony on February 25, Maestro will compete in the Best Animated Short Film category against The Danish Poet, by Norwegian Torill Kove, Lifted, by American Gary Rydstrom, The Little Matchgirl, by American Roger Allers, and No Time for Nuts, by Americans Chris Renaud and Michael Thurmeier.
The film, made in 2005, shows a single take of a singing bird sitting in front of a dressing room mirror as a mechanical arm prepares him for his grand performance.
Tóth said the idea for the film came to him during a consultation with a student at the Moholy-Nagy Art University, where he has taught for 13 years. He added that, although a filmmaker is naturally drawn to the opportunity for self-expression, it is important to keep in mind the visual culture of the film's intended audience. Maestro's reception at film festivals has proven it has reached its intended audience. The film boasts 40 nominations and awards, including at the Cinanima festival in Espinho, one of the genre's most important events.
Tóth acknowledged the role played by the Hungarian Film Union and its Kedd animation studio in Maestro's participation at the film festivals.
Asked how much the film cost to make, Tóth said a 4-5 minute film - the same length as Maestro - costs about HUF 10 million.
Tóth said he was currently working on two new works. One, an eight-minute film with the working title "Ergo", will be released in May. The film is slower and more philosophical than Maestro, Tóth said. It is about generational change, values and freedom.
The other project is being made with the state broadcaster Magyar Televízió, which also supported Maestro.
MTV chairman Zoltán Rudi said the broadcaster is in the midst of making a 150- to 200-episode series of animated shorts which take Hungarian folk talks into the 21st century. About 80 episodes will be completed this year and the rest in 2008, he said.
Mr Rudi said Tóth is also participating in a project to give MTV's two channels a new look.
