?Death Rode out of Persia,? is a film adaptation of a Hungarian short story with the same title written by Péter Hajnóczy. Putyi Horváth?s film was made at the T.T. Filmműhely, a production company headed by the great Hungarian director Béla Tarr. This experimental film had its world premiere in Torino in 2005, and was later invited to the Rotterdam Film Festival. ?Death Rode out of Persia? was awarded the Federal Foreign Office's Prize at the GoEast Film Festival in Wiesbaden. The director will be a guest at the Mostra de Valencia.
?Guarded Secrets?, the second feature film by Zsuzsa Böszörményi, is about an 18-year-old orphan who aims to find her parents. The film won Best Director and Best Producer Awards at the Hungarian Film Week in 2004. The international premier took place at the Cairo IFF, where the Best Actress Award went to Eszter Bagaméri, in the leading role. Although Bagaméri was not a professional actress ? the part was her first film role ? she won Best Actress Prize in Budapest, Cairo and Lecce, Italy, as well.
Krisztina Deák and Péter Gárdos, both established directors, are showing ?Who the Hell?s Bonnie and Clyde?? and ?The Porcelain Doll?, respectively. Deák?s film tells the true story of a pair of bank robbers, and Gárdos?s offers glimpses into the most important moments of Hungarian history.
Hungary?s newest generation of filmmakers is being represented at the Mostra de Valencia by five films, four of them directorial debuts.
?Black Brush,? the first feature by Roland Vranik, won the main prize at the Budapest Film Festival in 2005. The black-and-white comedy about chimneysweeps premiered at the Chicago IFF and won Best Director Prize in Thessaloniki and Best Original Music Award in Annonay, France.
?Paths of Light? is another debut. Directed by Attila Mispál, the film took the Best First Film Prize and the Student Jury?s Award at the Budapest Film Festival in 2005. The film?s lead is played by Annamária Cseh, the renowned top model.
Krisztina Goda?s ?Just Sex and Nothing Else? and Nimród Antal?s ?Kontroll? are also first feature films. Apart from being favourites at film festivals around the world, the two productions sold nearly 300,000 tickets in Hungary, a remarkable number, considering the country?s market is dominated by US blockbusters.
?Dallas Pashamende? is a Hungarian-Austrian-German co-production directed by Adrian Robert Pejo. It is his first feature film. The film premiered in Berlin in 2005 and was invited to almost 30 international film festivals where it won a dozen of awards. Dorka Gryllus, the film?s female lead, was awarded Best Actress Prize in Budapest, Sochi and Troia last year.
?Dallas Pashamende? will be released in Spanish cinemas after the festival.
