At this year's festival, starting on May 28, spectacular programs that go beyond the boundaries of conventional roundtables are expected, such as a live casting show with the festival's Fresh Stars, real-time film scoring, the popular shot-by-shot film analysis with Dr. András Bálint Kovács, and a discussion on commercial directing with the big guns of the industry—ranging from directors, production houses, and agencies all the way to the brands themselves. In addition, communication case studies will offer insight into the creative and technical layers of filmmaking. Registration is available on the Friss Hús website.
For the second time, the festival is organizing the Fresh Meet Market international talent platform, which attracts more than a hundred international film professionals, directors, and enthusiasts—its Work-in-Progress program is unique even in Europe, providing professional support and presentation opportunities for short films in the post-production phase.
One of the particularly exciting international programs of Friss Hús, the Visibility Playbook, focuses on increasing the visibility of films—this session is led by Benoit Berthe Siward, the "Oscar whisperer" and one of the jury members of the Hungarian competition program.
"With the industry programs of Friss Hús, we want to burst the bubble in which the film industry often operates. Our fundamental goal is for creators not to just make films for one another, but to get a breath of fresh air: to get a more accurate picture of how the international film scene functions today, what criteria their works are judged by, and what real opportunities they have. To achieve this, we want to provide them with inspiration, new directions, and honest, constructive feedback from experienced, internationally relevant professionals" - said Veronika Jakab, head of industry programs at Friss Hús.
"The Visibility Playbook—Benoit Berthe Siward's masterclass, Would You Buy This?, Roots to Reach, Sales 101, or our 'Rövidre vágva' (Cut Short) discussions effectively combine these ambitions: they simultaneously confront creators with how and by what criteria their films are evaluated on both domestic and international stages, while also presenting real perspectives and opportunities for them—as proven, for example, by Balázs Budavári's Disney+ success last year," she added.
The industry programs also create genuine international opportunities for the creators: during last year's 'Would You Buy This?' feedback session, Balázs Budavári's film, Happy People, was featured, where a jury of international sales professionals provided feedback based on the first three minutes. Following the screening, Sadhbh Murphy, representing Network Ireland Television, signed a contract for the international distribution of the film, and the piece later became part of the Disney+ catalog.
The aim of these free, registration-required programs is to bring the actual processes of short filmmaking closer to both the audience and the creators. "We would also like to take the interested non-filmmaking audience behind the scenes with us: For the third time, we are holding our favorite film class with Dr. András Bálint Kovács, who will dissect Bálint Kenyeres's film, The Spectacle, scene by scene. But we will also show how the dynamics of a scene change completely when we experiment with the score (Ready, Set, Score), or simply by how the actors are directed (Unnatural Selection)," Veronika Jakab stated.
Among the industry programs, the Friss Pitch short film pitch forum will be held again this year, along with several unconventional events: there will be a case-study discussion examining the communication and visibility of short films, as well as a professional analysis looking into the typical mistakes made in short films.
The Friss Hús Budapest International Short Film Festival awaits audiences from May 28 to June 3, 2026, at the Puskin Cinema and additional venues. Tickets are already on sale.