The films in this program show the maturity and high value of Hungarian films, while offering an impressive account of the crucial and tragic events in 1956 that influenced the foundation of contemporary Hungary



The year 1956 is one of the most important years not only in recent Hungarian history but also in the context of spontaneous national resistance to the Stalinist dictatorship of the whole Soviet block. It was in Hungary that this resistance became a real uprising that was bloodily suppressed by Soviet forces. Although a new government came to power that was ready to collaborate with the winner, the state of consciousness was irrevocably changed. This was perhaps most evident in films that were made during the Communist regime, which skillfully managed to avoid censorship and tried to alter the consciousness and destiny of individuals suppressed by the oppressive regime. One of the best examples of this is the internationally awarded and praised film Time Stands Still (1982), the second feature film by Péter Gothár, one of the most famous Hungarian directors and one of the best European film authors.


One of the first Hungarian directors who managed to attract international attention was Márta Mészáros, and her last film, Unburied Corpse (2004), very suggestively reconstructs the last part of Imre Nagy’s life. Nagy was one of the most famous Hungarian politicians who was the head of the Hungarian government before the revolution, which he fiercely resisted, and finally was executed in 1958 after a rigged Stalinist political process, one of the rare ones in which the accused did not admit his blame and repent (which did not usually lessen the sentence at all). To those who do not know much about Hungarian history, this film describes these crucial events, but at the same time Mészáros’ four autobiographical films are outstanding films. The four films are united under the title Diaries (made between 1984 and 2000), and in this program we will see the film Diary For My Father and Mother (1990), which is perhaps the most complex description of the events in 1956.


Other films in this program show the maturity and high value of Hungarian films, while offering an impressive account of the crucial and tragic events in 1956 that influenced the foundation of the contemporary Hungary. Today, when the tragic events have become a collective memory of all Hungarians, it is possible to describe them with humor, and that is what Robert Kóltai did in his popular film Colossal Sensation! (2004) that tells the story of two completely different twin clowns, born in 1903. From their biased point of view we observe and learn about the most important events in Hungary in 20th century, especially those from the year 1956. (Tomislav Kurelec)