Happy New Life
(Boldog új élet)
feature, 35mm, 81 minutes, 1:1.85
First feature
PREMIER (HUNGARY): 2007.
The story takes place in a modern-day anonymous city, with nameless characters. The time of day is uncertain. It is set in a suburban milieu in empty, abandoned areas and tunnels in remote parts of the city. The outskirts are austere. The protagonist lives here alone, in a housing development apartment building. He is Roma, grew up in a foster-home, and never knew his parents. Neither does he know anything about normalcy or the ways of the World. His aspirations vacillate between dormant aims and illusions. He has very few friends who would be able to understand anything about his idle existence. A deep desire to belong to someone burns within him, and is slowly taking shape, but this causes him problems.
The person who looks after him offers him an unusual gift one day. He is given the dossier that includes his childhood files. These documents may give him hope to reconstrue that which was left unfinished in his childhood.
38th Hungarian Film Week
2007: Special Prize and Best Music Prize of the Student Jury
Pécs, Moveast
2007: Honorary Mention for Excellent Visual
Hungarian Film Critics' Prizes
2007: Best First Film
Creators
Árpád Bogdán | Director |
Árpád Bogdán | Screenplay |
Márk Győri, Gábor Szabó | Director of photography |
Márk Győri | Editor |
Membrán | Music |
Lajos Csernóczky | Sound |
Márton Ágh | Visual design |
Andrea Flesch | Costumes |
Gábor Rajna, Gábor Sipos | Producer |
Laokoon Film | Production company |
Lajos Orsós, Michaela Gőczi, Zsolt Kovács, István Szilvási, Roland Tzafetás, Ágnes Daróczi, Lívia Kursinszki, Richárd Orgon | Cast |
Awards
Budapest Hungarian Film Week - 2007 | Simó Sándor Prize for the Best First Film |
Berlinale - Berlin International Film Festival - 2007 | Special Mention Panorama |
Geneva Festival Tous Ecrans - 2007 | Árpád Bogdán - Reflet d'Or - Best Director Prize |
Budapest Hungarian Film Week - 2007 | Membrán - Best Original Music |
Budapest Hungarian Film Week - 2007 | Gábor Sipos - Best Producer |
Festivals
Brussels EuroCine 27 - 2010 | |
Seville Film Festival - 2007 | |
Rio de Janeiro IFF - 2007 | |
Seoul International Film Festival - 2008 | (in competition) |
Galway Film Fleadh - 2007 | (in competition) |
Calcutta International Film Festival - 2007 | |
Ghent Flanders International Film Festival - 2007 | |
Palic International Film Festival - 2007 | |
Toronto International Film Festival - 2007 | |
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival - 2007 | (in competition) |
Bratislava International Film Festival - 2007 | (in competition) |
Ourense International Independent Film Festival - 2008 | |
Reykjavik International Film Festival - 2007 | (in competition) |
Zlín International Film Festival for Children and Youth - 2008 | (in competition) |
Warsaw International Film Festival - 2007 | |
Marrakech International Film Festival - 2007 | |
Newport Beach Film Festival - 2008 | |
Aubagne International Film Festival - 2008 | (in competition) |
Lecce European Cinema Festival - 2007 | (in competition) |
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