The names of almost five hundred Hollywood filmmakers with Hungarian roots can be read on the wall that was inaugurated on Thursday in Budapest, in the XV. in the Origo Film Studio in the district. There are about fifty settlements in Hungary and in Hungarian-inhabited areas across the border, where Hollywood Hungarian filmmakers were born or where their ancestors come from.

"In the last ten years, the revenues of the Hungarian film industry have increased tenfold, in 2022 they will already be over HUF 200 billion. Budapest is the new film capital of Central Europe, here they give one of the highest tax incentives for film production in the world, the infrastructure is good, the team of professionals is highly trained, the spending of foreign productions in Hungary has tripled since 2019," said Zsófia Nagy-Vargha, deputy of the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, at the event. secretary of state.

As he said, there were also fantastic Hungarian successes at the recently held 96th Oscars: a part of the filming of the film Poor Couple, recognized with four statuettes, took place at Origo Filmstúdio. He added that it is a reason to be happy that more than 300,000 tickets have been sold for Lajos Koltai's film Semmelweis since its premiere in November. and 75,000 viewers saw it on the weekend of its premiere.

"We can be proud that the Hungarian film industry is living a great era. Since the success of Son of Saul, we have been added to the list of fifteen countries whose members have already won the Oscar for the best foreign film twice," stated the deputy state secretary.

He said that Hungary's relationship with Hollywood goes back to the beginning, since

two of the five largest Hollywood film studios were founded by Hungarians.   

Balázs Bokor, the president of the Hungarian Hollywood Council, pointed out that there are about fifty settlements in Hungary and in the Hungarian-inhabited areas beyond the border, where Hollywood Hungarian filmmakers were born or where their ancestors come from.

He mentioned that Oscar-winning producer Adolph Zukor was born in Rics, William Fox, the founder of Fox Film Corporation, was born in Tolcsva, Monoké Al Lichtman, a prominent figure at Universal, and the ancestors of Tony Curtis left for America from Mátészalka, in whose honor a film festival will be held this year.

    "The number of Hungarian Oscars has now increased to 61"

- stressed Balázs Bokor, referring to the fact that Robert Downey Jr., whose ancestors are buried in the Jewish cemetery in Tata, received the best supporting actor Oscar for his performance in Oppenheimer alongside Zsuzsa Mihalek, who was recognized as the set designer of Szegény párák.

Márta Horváthné Fekszi, head of Origo Filmstúdió, announced in connection with this that Zsuzsa Mihalek will also receive a star in Origo.

At the event - which was attended by two Hungarian Oscar-winning directors, István Szabó and Ferenc Rofusz, as well as several members of parliament - 25 representatives of around 50 settlements with "Hollywood involvement" received a trademark document, and from now on they can bear the title of "Hollywood's Hungarian Roots Settlement" .

MTI

Photo: The wall of Hollywood people with Hungarian roots in the XV.
in the Origo Film Studio in the district on the day of the handover, March 21, 2024. The names of almost five hundred Hollywood filmmakers with Hungarian roots can be read on the wall. MTI/Péter Lakatos