Hungarian cinema will take centre stage at this year’s Venice International Film Festival, as two acclaimed directors, László Nemes and Ildikó Enyedi, will compete for the coveted Golden Lion. The 82nd edition of the festival, beginning 27 August, features Nemes’s new feature Orphan and Enyedi’s Silent Friend in its official competition lineup. The inclusion of two Hungarian films in the main selection is a rare moment, underscoring the growing global recognition of the country’s film industry.
Both films were produced with the support of Hungary’s National Film Institute (NFI) and will be distributed domestically by Mozinet.
Orphan, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker László Nemes (Son of Saul, Sunset), is a coming-of-age drama set in the aftermath of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Inspired by Nemes’s own family history, the story follows 12-year-old Andor, whose fragile world is shaken when a man claiming to be his missing father returns. Suspicious and protective of his mother, Andor sets out to save their fractured family.
Starring Barabás Bojtorján, Andrea Waskovics, and French actor Gregory Gadebois, the film was shot primarily in Budapest and on the backlot of the NFI Studio in Fót, using 35mm film. It is a Hungarian–British–French–German co-production, with backing from the NFI, BFI (UK), CNC (France), FFA (Germany), and several European production companies.
Ildikó Enyedi, director of the Oscar-nominated On Body and Soul, returns to Venice with Silent Friend, a philosophical exploration of the connection between humans and plants. The film presents three loosely connected stories of people and plants encountering each other in moments of solitude and longing.
Silent Friend is a multinational co-production involving German, French, Hungarian, and Chinese partners, including Pandora Film, Galatée Films, Inforg-M&M, and Rediance. Supported by a range of European film funds including Eurimages, DFFF, CNC, and MOIN, the film will be released across Europe in early 2026.
The selection of Orphan and Silent Friend for the main competition highlights the artistic ambition and international reach of contemporary Hungarian filmmaking. More details on the festival’s full programme are available on the Venice Biennale’s official site.
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