Hollywood draw to Hungary: Hungarian Film Commissioner discusses

“Poor Things,” starring Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo, has generated a significant amount of Oscar buzz, becoming a major contender for next year’s awards season. What many people may not know about the film is that it was filmed in Budapest, Hungary — a location that was admired by the Bad Things filmmakers for its “abundant studio space,” “highly skilled crew base,” “affordable costs,” and “discount Attractive 30% cash,” according to Christopher Forlias of diverse.

Not only that, but Hollywood filmmakers have historically used Hungary in their productions, with films like “Dune,” “Blade Runner 2049” and “Black Widow” all being filmed in Budapest. This appeal has made Budapest one of the largest production centers in all of Europe, second only to the United Kingdom

As for what makes Budapest and Hungary such a great attraction for the film industry, Hungarian Film Commissioner Csaba Kyle said… diverseStephen Gaydos, Executive Vice President of Global Content, sat down to discuss Hungary’s film industry and the country’s influence in Hollywood.

When asked why Hungary is particularly attractive right now to European filmmakers and Hollywood, Kyle spoke about Hungary’s history, specifically the fall of socialism: “After the political changes, it was our chance to open the doors of our businesses… We converted to the capitalist system.”

The transition to the capitalist system meant the beginning of new private studios with international partners. This contributed to the globalization of Hungarian cinema, a cinema that built on the existing knowledge of Hungarians in filmmaking.

“The partners were German producers, then American, Italian and English producers, and we began to build a service background for international production,” Kyle explained. “I used to say that we have a special DNA. This DNA is not in our bodies, it is in our minds. This is our knowledge of filmmaking. It has been 123 years, and it is something really special.”

Kyle described Budapest as a “versatile” city, making it a prime filming location for filmmakers who need everything from “barricade sets” to “American streets” to “Notre Dame.” Speaking about incentives for foreign filmmakers to come to Hungary, Kyle also mentioned the country’s benefits, with the natural scenery and positive relationships with local leaders being the attraction.

“All over Hungary, we have wonderful places. Old castles, old fortresses. There is a special program to renovate and rebuild old castles. “We have very good relationships with cities, leaders, small towns and villages, and they are very open to making space for productions.”

This openness and collaborative mentality is crucial to explaining why Hungary is a prime destination for the film industry. However, Kyle stresses that although the country is well-equipped for production, there is always room for improvement.

“Can you imagine now, our studio capacity has increased by 20 percent… This is a big family and we help each other, and this is good business for filmmakers as well in Hungary,” Kyle said. “We would like to develop our creative side because Hungarians are very creative and we have strong creativity in post-production and CGI work.”

“It opened the door not only to film production, but also to high-quality films and TV series,” Kyle continued. “It is very difficult to be in the American or international film market as a Hungarian film, but if we have partners and co-production partners (and) distribution, we can reach a higher and higher position because our capacity is very large in this area. So the creative ability is very good.”