The M5 channel will broadcast Károly Eperjes' first production on February 25, the day of remembrance for the victims of communism. The feature film Hungarian Passion debuted in domestic cinemas on November 4 last year.
Its story takes place in the 1950s, it recalls the period when the ÁVH, the violent organization of the communist dictatorship, launched a brutal attack on the monastic orders.
The 2021 film drama Magyar Passion is about the test of faith and mercy, directed by and one of the main actors Károly Eperjes. The Kossuth and Jászai Mari prize-winning actor portrays the communist dictatorship of the 1950s with his impressive acting and contemporary plot management. The basis of the story was the unpublished play of the titular provost Péter Várnai, which showed the restriction of religious freedom and the persecution of the church at the time.
Father Leopold is fighting with his fellow monks to make the Franciscan order flourish again in the country that was reviving after the war. At first, they can still carry out their activities freely, but the father is soon arrested on trumped-up charges. He goes through cruel tortures, but they cannot break him. His fate can also be related to the story of Christ's suffering, but at the same time we can witness not only his calvary, the trials of the peasantry, the "kulaks" are also shown in the film.
Károly Eperjes said earlier that he did not intend to direct the Hungarian Passion, nor the role of Father Leopold, but his colleagues saw that this task was waiting for him. His personal commitment to the subject eventually prevailed, and he filmed a historical drama that filled the gap. The public media's cultural channel will show the film on Memorial Day for the Victims of Communism.
Featured image: Attila Polyák / Origo
