Hungarian Conservative

More than a hundred Hungarian films will be available on nineteen television channels, rarely seen Hungarian films will be screened in cinemas, and almost all streaming platforms available in Hungary will join the celebration of Hungarian film starting on 29 April, the National Film Institute announced.

Throughout the years, Hungary has produced a cornucopia of iconic, memorable cartoons, for both film and television, such as Marcell Jankovics’s TV series Magyar Népmesék (Hungarian Folk Tales, 1980–2012), or Béla Ternovszky’s animated feature comedy Macskafogó (Cat City, 1986).

Alongside the original copperplate prints by prominent illustrator János Kass, the exhibition will feature the animated film inspired by Madách’s The Tragedy of Man titled Dilemma, one of the earliest computer-generated animations worldwide.

The event, spanning two weekends, will be hosted by the cinemas operated by the municipality located in the two major city neighbourhoods. On 11–12 November, children can watch Hungarian cartoons at the Dacia Cinema, while on 18–19 November, it will be the Marasti Cinema’s turn.

Jankovics, best known for creating the classic animated TV series Hungarian Folk Tales (Magyar Népmesék, 1980–2012), was born 81 years ago today. This piece celebrates the long and illustrious career of the great Hungarian cartoonist and film director.

The Festival of Lights is traditionally one of Berlin’s most spectacular community events in autumn. This year marks the 19th edition of the ten-day festival, with nightly projections taking place at 43 locations, including several iconic landmarks. The Hungarian Cultural Institute is participating with a partly AI-generated video animation based on the most popular poems of iconic 19th century poet Sándor Petőfi.

Foky was a pioneer in stop-motion animation. His best-known works are the award-winning short Babfilm (Pea Film, 1975), Mirr-Murr kandúr kalandjai (The Adventures of Mirr-Murr the Tomcat, 1972–1972), and, of course, the TV Bear.