(MTI) - Andrew G. Vajna told the Cinema Total forum organised by Collegium Hungaricum Berlin that he would present plans for a new film financing system within 90 days.
The government commissioner said he was tasked with preparing a rational film financing system from the money available and at the same time creating a framework that meets all legal requirements.
Hungary is a small country with a "small language," so the possibilities are limited but it is most important that filmmakers should promote Hungarian culture both at home and abroad, Vajna said.
Vajna said the current film financing system in Hungary has gone bust. In recent years, filmmakers failed to acknowledge the economic difficulties and instead of cuts, they were overspending, he added.
Vajna called it "fantastic" that Hungary entered two films for the Berlinale and expressed hope that they would win.
Director Bela Tarr's feature film The Turin Horse and Mor Gyorgy Karpati's short Forest will premiere at the festival on Tuesday.
Earlier in February, nine famous Hungarian film directors, including Tarr, protested in a statement against the government's planned changes to the film industry. The filmmakers have criticised the government's plans for what they described as "building a centralised system controlled by a single person", and said the new system would "jeopardise the variety of Hungarian film" and destroy Hungary's film industry.
The statement was also signed by such renowned international filmmakers as Michael Haneke, Aki Kaurismaki, Gus Van Sant, Andrzej Wajda, Hanna Schygulla and Tilda Swinton.
