Three of István Szabó’s most prestigious films, Father / Apa (1966), Mephisto (1981), and Being Julia / Csodálatos Júlia (2004) were presented, and the director held a masterclass and received a plaque on the legendary “Mur des cinéastes” memorial site of the Lumière Institute.

The National Film Institute – Hungary (NFI) has participated in the festival every year since 2017. “Lyon is the Mecca for filmmakers, André de Toth once said when he visited the Lumière house and the location of the first ever film shoot. Due to our many years of collaboration with the Lumière Institute, we have had the opportunity to showcase recently restored Hungarian classics year after year at one of the world’s largest festivals of cinematic heritage. In 2025, the only market of classic films in the world, which is hosted by the Lyon festival, pays tribute to Hungary’s motion picture heritage. This is an enormous honour and once again a superb opportunity for Hungary’s film heritage to receive widespread international attention,” said György Ráduly, director of the Division of Film Preservation and Technology of the NFI in a statement.

The following films from FNE partner countries were screened in the “New restorations/Treasures & curiosities” section: from Bulgaria The Peach Thief / Kradetzat na praskovi (1964) by Vulo Radev, from Estonia The Ideal Landscape / Ideaalmaastik (1980) by Peeter Simm, from Slovakia The Bells Toll for the Barefooted / Zvony pre bosych (1965) by Stanislav Barabás, from Poland Pharaoh / Faraon (1966) by Jerzy Kawalerowicz, and from the Czech Republic Ecce Homo Homolka (1969) by Jaroslav Papousek.

The Lumière Festival was established by Thierry Frémaux, artistic director of the Cannes Film Festival, and French director Bertrand Tavernier in the birthplace of cinema, Lyon, in 2009.