The shooting of a musical road movie about the life work of Hobo László Földes begins with the support of the National Film Institute.

The film Nemleht két hazád, which captures a life journey of about eight decades, is written by István Turczi, directed by Péter Szalay, and produced by Attila Csáky, the National Film Institute (NFI) told MTI on Friday.

According to the announcement, the NFI voted HUF 151.2 million in support for the production of the TV film presenting the life and unique work of the Kossuth Prize-winning songwriter, singer, lyricist, performer, who will celebrate his 80th birthday in February 2025.

As pointed out,

Hobo is an epoch-making figure in the Hungarian cultural and musical life of the past decades, and the Hobo Blues Band he founded is one of the most influential and popular bands in the history of Hungarian rock and blues, and one that continues to shape public taste in music today.

Hobo, who started as a songwriter at the end of the 1960s, still creates, performs, writes books and comes out with new songs. There are few iconic figures in our cultural life today who, with their bands, song lyrics, theater and performing arts productions, literary translations and documentary books

he simultaneously created a lasting impression in the sphere of mass culture and high culture

- says the statement, according to which an unavoidable musical icon and an artistic and human role model for generations testifies to the widest public about his patriotism, appreciation of talent, humaneness, faith and authenticity that paves the way for himself.

The musical road movie accompanies Hobo along his chosen path to the present day, which, in addition to being a rich and worthy individual life journey, shows the fate and worldview of an East-Central European man grinding between the mills of attractions and choices - they say in the announcement .

    "Being on the way is happiness, arriving is death"

– director Péter Szalay quotes Hobo's words, emphasizing that he feels this message is the most important. "Road movie, constantly in motion, frenzied band parties, theatrical and human rehearsals, catharsis and deep blows, historical (comedy) finale in song and prose, but permanence nestles at the center of the film."

"It tells stories, invites you into the unknown, which holds both lessons and surprises for every generation. There is no end to the road, there are only stations from 1945 to the present day," emphasizes Péter Szalay.

As producer Attila Csáky points out in the announcement, Hobo never wanted to conform to anyone, yet he is an unavoidable personality, whether he likes it or not. It radiates from all its manifestations, it has been authentic since time immemorial due to its separateness. "Honest emotions, thoughts, love, affection, anger, pain, despair, fear, death. Blues and film. My co-creators set out to make an unstoppable, musical road movie," adds the producer.

MTI

Cover image: MTI/Lajos Soós