János Kulka

Halfway Home

People say the true love lasts longer than life, but they don't mean it, and they are right: love ends when life does, except if it isn't.

The Game

During the Cold War, the secret service of Kádár began a more dangerous state security game than ever before.

X - The eXploited

Would you believe in a policewoman who suffers from such serious panic disorders that she is afraid to get close to any crime scene and has been on permanent office duty for more than a decade? Would you believe a lone mother who is unfit to pay her mortgage and also raise her rebellious teenage daughter? Indeed, no one believes that the troubled ex-detective has discovered a serial murder case. Personal dramas and a murder mystery unfold in present-day Budapest, where demonstrations are part of the pre-election life of a city still trying to cope with the shadows of its historical and recent past. It is a city where nothing seems honest and true, except through the eyes of an emotionally unstable policewoman and her misfit daughter who wants to know who her father truly was.

Candide

As a free adaptation of Voltaire's classic, our Candide tries to win the beloved Cunégonde's heart in different contemporary settings. In the 13 episodes he finds himself in challanging situations, and has to face the cruelty of the world. He follows Master Pangloss's instructions to always stay optimistic, while travelling the world from a Californian start up company through North-Optimistan into deep space. As the novel itself our adaptation is a political and religious satire of our times.

Budapest Noir

A murder mystery set in 1936 Budapest, just as Hungary was preparing to align itself with Hitler. A beautiful young girl is found dead and nobody wants to investigate—except Gordon, a crime reporter who has a gut feeling that things are not what they seem.

Just Drop Dead!

Drop dead please! Following the sudden death of a mysterious engine driver in his sixties, the Wife, the Lover, her illegitimate Daughter and an increasing number of shady characters from his spurious past want to know the true identity of the man they loved. They are dying to know which of them was really loved by him, and where he has hidden the fantastic fruit of his double life. In their deadly struggle, our heroes find themselves in the center of a satirical crime comedy, the sinful roots of which stretch back to the eighties, the closing decade of the socialist era.

Demimonde

The story of three women - a famous prostitute, her housekeeper and their new maid - living in Budapest of 1910s, whose passionate, bizarre and complex relationship can only lead to one thing: murder.

Swing

Three women from three generations are forced together, mentored by an old diva and a transvestite, to form a band. They are successful on stage, but off of it they are not getting along at all.

Nemzeti dokumentumfilm

The 'National Documentary' captures the last months of the National Theater led by Róbert Alföldi. The film presents two opposite processes: the rehearsal of the play Mephisto, Alföldi's last direction and, in parallel, the dissolution of the troupe.

The Ambassador to Bern

A fictional account of the 1958 attack against the Hungarian embassy in Bern. Based on a true story about the aftermath of the 1956 Hungarian revolution.

The Exam

Budapest, Hungary, Christmas 1957. The state, insecure after the defeated revolution of 1956 and increasingly put under the influence of a renewed Stalinist atmosphere, has decreed that all security officials must pass an exam to verify their loyalty. But to be actually effective in a shadowy world where suspicion and secrets reign, the subjects must be unaware that they are being tested.

Wild Hungary – A Water Wonderland

The recurring protagonists of the movie is an osprey family and a young otter. Through their story, the animals living in the wetlands of the Carpathian Basin and their rarely seen behaviour are presented. Deers, Hungarian grey cattle, asps, catfish, bee-eaters, hooded crows appear in the movie, as well as places like the backwaters of the Tisza River, the Danube and its tributaries, the Hortobágy, the Balaton and the Gemenc Forest. The movie presents one year of the animals living the wetlands and floodplain forests, from winter to next summer. A nature documentary about the lands, fauna and nature-related traditions of Hungary.

Chameleon

While cleaning offices at night, Zsolt Kovàcs learns a lot about his invisible employers by examining what they leave behind, carefully choosing his targets, often disillusioned women whom he seduces, methodically taking their money. An artist of manipulation, with a generous dose of humor and the ability to assume different personalities, Zsolt begins to work in a psychologist's practice, where he meets Hanna, a 30 year-old dancer who is physically incapacitated and the daughter of a millionaire. The ideal victim if love doesn't get in the way.

The Prince's Respite

After a woman dies, the devil allows her to relive a 2 minute period over and over in order to escape her fate.

The Unburied Man

One of the doyennes of Hungarian film deals with a dark period of national history: the Soviet regime in Hungary. She portrays it through the fate of the former prime minister and national hero, Imre Nagy. The script is based on the diary written by Imre Nagy, and the memories of his daughter, Erzsébet Nagy, as well as authentic documents and records.

Dad Would Have a Fit

Szarka and Barbi, two 17 years old girl travel to Europe to find love and happiness. The vacation starts bad, they lose all their money, but they don't wanna go home.

Kontroll

A tale about a strange young man, Bulcsú, and the fellow ticket inspectors on his team who work aboard the subterranean Budapest Metro. A tale about racing along the tracks, and about a mysterious serial killer. And a tale about love.

The Last Blues

On the surface it is an idyll. He lives a happily married life with Judit, a teacher and their eight-year old son, Dani. His best friend, Zoli is also his business partner and between the two of them they own four flourishing bakeries in Budapest. An enviable setting. But in the background a time bomb is ticking away. For years Andris has been living a passionate and blessed second life. The scene is Poland. Pretending to be making business trips, he has been spending half the year in Cracow, with Bea. She is a beautiful young woman and a church-painter. In this life Andris paints Creation in the chapel near the city. He is sensitive and gifted in what he does. In Pest he is a talented businessman, in Cracow an excellent artist. It is as if there were two people in him. What's more: he is satisfied with both lives. And since he is also an excellent conspirator, until this early morning he has never had to make a choice. But now Bea is pregnant, and would like to marry him...

Chacho Rom

A gypsy apothecary-violinist befriends a Hapsburg prince after saving his life during the disastrous Hungarian War of Independence in 1849.

Mary, Mother of Jesus

Mary, Mother of Jesus is a 1999 made-for-television Biblical film that retells the story of Jesus through the eyes of Mary, his mother.

Sunshine

The fate of a Hungarian Jewish family throughout the 20th century.

Max and Helen

In trying to bring a former concentration camp commandant to justice, Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal uncovers the tragic story of two lovers separated by the war.

Terminus

An established dystopian sport has drivers of a computerized truck driving cross-country to a terminus. The lead truck, created by a boy genius, is driven by a woman. When the computer guidance system fails, she ends up in uncharted territories and encounters leather-clad hoods who torture her. Meanwhile, a mysterious doctor seems to have another plan in mind.

Roofs At Dawn

1956. Bébé is a painter, but he has not worked for years. The news arriving form Paris about the death of his childhood friend, Halász Petár affects him deeply, but his reflections are continually disturbed by telephone calls: the Alliance for Fine Arts wants to purchase one of the popular self-portraits of Halász.