The ten-part series depicting the life of János Hunyadi will be shown on the screens of TV2 at the beginning of next year. More than six hundred actors and stuntmen will appear in the production - said one of the directors of the work on Saturday in Veszprém, at the audience meeting held as part of the Hungarian Motion Picture Festival, MOZ.GO.

Balázs Lengyel reported that the film was based on the novel series Hunyadi by Bán Mór. He called it a big challenge that the actors had to speak in many languages, since there are a lot of locations that appear, including the empires involved during the campaigns.

He said that the actors handled the difficulties arising from the use of the language with humility and discipline, many of them had to start learning the language from the basics. For example, the actors speak in Turkish and Italian in the film.

The preparatory work took three years, and the filming took one year.

A work created over many years can set a completely new quality standard.

The trailer smoothly brings the standard of big international cinemas, everything from the music to the editing to the atmosphere is outstanding.

It is certain that a lot of energy and attention was devoted to the TV series, in which the characters are played by actors of the respective nations, thereby recruiting an above-average crew for the super production.

Director Nagypál Orsi spoke about how he was able to work more authentically after reading the novel that forms the basis of the work, and was able to depict the living conditions and habits of the characters in a more plastic way. He added that the Turkish language appearing in some scenes was a serious challenge for him, it was difficult to give instructions without knowing the language.

Vivien Rujder, who portrays Hunyadi's wife, Erzsébet Szilágyi, said that she had long wanted to star in a costume film. She really liked the costumes, but when she wore them for 12-16 hours a day, she realized that it was not easy to exist in heavy and tight clothes.

He said he couldn't let go of the character, he loved the role so much; "you will have to slowly mourn" his character portrayed in the film. Kádár L. Gellért, who plays János Hunyadi, recalled that the shooting was preceded by more than six months of training: he learned to ride a horse and went to training sessions. He emphasized that it is a great responsibility for him to portray one of the greatest historical figures.

The series is produced by Hungarian-born Robert Lantos, directed by Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning Robert Dornhelm, Nagypál Orsi, Attila Szász and Balázs Lengyel.

According to earlier information, the series will be sold abroad under the title Rise of the Raven.

The ten one-hour episodes deal with the life of János Hunyadi, the general who, in the cruel conditions of 15th-century Europe, defied the overwhelming force and won a decisive victory in the Battle of Nándorfehérvár, thus reshaping the history of Europe.

Among the Hungarian actors are Franciska Töröcsik, Ernő Fekete, Mariann Hermányi and Balázs Medveczky. They are joined by the international cast: Laurence Rupp, Cornelius Obonya, Murathan Muslu, Giancarlo Giannini, Francesco Acquaroli, Karel Roden, Rade Serbedzija, Thomas Trabacchi and Elena Rusconi.

The ten-hour epic series is financed by the National Film Institute and Beta Film. Co-producers are TV2, which broadcasts the film in Hungary and Slovenia, and ORF, which broadcasts the film in Austria.

MTI / Mandarin

Opening image: Hungarian Motion Picture Festival Facebook page