21-06-2021

PRODUCTION: Hungarian Debut Feature Heights and Depths Halfway Through Shooting

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    Heights and Depths by Sándor Csoma shooting Heights and Depths by Sándor Csoma shooting credit: Andrea Hekli

    BUDAPEST: The first part of the shooting of Heights and Depths / Magasságok és mélységek has been completed. Sándor Csoma's debut feature is about recovering from mourning and is based on real events, the tragedy of Zsolt Erőss, the most famous Hungarian mountaineer.

    Zsolt Erőss, played by Zsolt Trill, was the first Hungarian to climb the highest mountain on Earth, Mount Everest. He disappeared on 21 May 2013, on his way back after successfully scaling Kangchenjunga. The challenging days after his disappearance are shown from the widow’s Hilda Sterczer’s point of view. She is played by Emőke Pál.

    The cast includes Enikő Nagy, Ábris Egri and Sámuel Egri.

    The first 17 shooting days took place mainly in a house substituting for the couple’s home. The filming will be continued for 11 additional days in October 2021 with scenes set in a hospital and in the mountains. The crew will then move to the Austrian Alps.

    „Because of the film’s topic, the grieving process, the shooting can be stressful for both the actors and crew members. There is a saying among mountaineers, that you can only prepare for an 8,000 meters high mountain if you are on an 8,000 meters high mountain. I realised that it’s the same with making feature films. But all in all it has been a great experience and the whole crew is fantastic,” Sándor Csoma told FNE.

    The film received 188,362 EUR / 67 m HUF for production from the National Film Institute – Hungary within the framework of the Incubator Programme established to support first features. It is produced by Claudia Sümeghy and Tamás Yvan Topolánszky through JUNO11 Pictures, and coproduced by Judit Romwalter through Sparks.

    Heights and Depths is planned to be released in 2022, twenty years after Zsolt Erőss scaled Mount Everest.

    Sándor Csoma is the director of several award-winning short films, including Casting, which was chosen as the best short film of 2020 by the Hungarian critics.

    Production Information:

    Producer:
    JUNO11 Pictures (Hungary)
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Heights and Depths by Sándor Csoma shooting, credit: Andrea HekliCoproducer:
    Sparks (Hungary)

    Credits:
    Director: Sándor Csoma
    Screenwriter: Sándor Csoma
    DoP: Levente Tóth
    Cast: Emőke Pál, Zsolt Trill, Enikő Nagy, Ábris Egri, Sámuel Egri