Dear Friends of Film,

Budapest – Vienna – Hollywood. You are invited on a journey of the mind spanning continents and centuries. Elvis Presley, Mihály Kertész (Michael Curtiz), Vilma Bánky, Sándor (Sir Alexander) Korda, László Kovács, Dennis Hopper – these are just a few of the many superb artists joined by motion pictures and now we can watch their greatest films in restored form, on the big screen, together. This year’s selection at the Budapest Classics Film Marathon is a chance to discover the dynamic collaboration with which talented Hungarians enriched universal cinema over the past 121 years. Budapest’s biggest festival of film welcomes you in five venues, including free-of-charge, open-air screenings on one of the most attractive squares in the capital in front of St. Stephen’s Basilica. Sustainability is a burning issue of the 21st century and we do not forget that the provision of cultural sustainability is a significant part of this! Marathon is a unique opportunity to turn the spotlight on our cultural heritage and film treasures, offering substantive entertainment for all ages. I wish you a good trip! 

Csaba Káel
Government Commissioner for the development of the Hungarian motion picture industry, Chairman of the National Film Institute


Dear Film Fans!

“There are no ‘old’ movies really  only movies you have already seen and ones you haven’t” declared Peter Bogdanovich, who made his most important films with Hungarian cinematographer László Kovács. The same László Kovács who, together with Vilmos Zsigmond, transformed American film by ‘exporting’ from Hungary a completely new way of seeing things in 1956. However, they were not the first because a whole line of hugely gifted individuals emigrating from the territory of the one-time Austro-Hungarian Monarchy took part in the founding of Hollywood and the creation of its golden ages. These are the people we, together with the Austrian Film Archive, Film Museum and Austrian Cultural Forum, are focusing on. This is the first time that the Lumière Institute of France is visiting us, bringing with it real treats from the very earliest days of cinema. These are being presented in person by Thierry Frémaux, director of the Lumière Institute and Cannes Film Festival. Over the course of six days, staff of nearly 40 film archives from all over the world hold lectures and introduce films. We pay tribute to the former Pannónia Film Studio and debut the latest results of the film restoration programme launched by the National Film Institute in 2017. I wish you all magical movie experiences at this most vibrant celebration of cinema!

György Ráduly
National Film Institute – Film Archive, Director