01-03-2010

Hungarians launch New Faces

By Dániel Deák
    Seven young Hungarian film directors have formed the group "New Faces" (www.newfaceshungary.com), a move to refresh Hungary's commercial industry.
    The group will have a presentation at the Odeon Cinema in Budapest on March 4 for producers and creative directors from the Hungarian advertising companies, screening pieces of their works and presenting their ideas in short pitches.

    Miklós Borsos, András M. Kovács, Balázs Lóth, Mihály Schwechtje, Balázs Simonyi, Simon Szabó and Barnabás Tóth are multi-awarded short film and music video directors. Szabó and Tóth debuted their first feature films in 2009. At the 2009 Hungarian Filmweek Szabó won the Best First Feature prize with Paper Planes (Papírrepülők). Tóth's film Pink Cheese (Rózsaszín sajt), a Hungarian-French co-production, was a successful low-budget comedy which premiered in fall 2009.

    "The group was formed by young directors who have the same the approach to filmmaking," said Lóth, who has made more than 200 commercials and is the managing director of Garden Production Company (www.thegarden.hu). "As most of the creative directors from the leading companies have accepted the invitation, we think there is a clamour in the industry to find new talents."

    The organizers think that this initiative offers a chance for Hungarian creative agencies to climb out from the current difficult situation, by renewing portfolios and presenting fresh ideas with the New Faces group.