Almost all screenings of the 7th Friss Hús Short Film Festival, held between the 25th and 31st of March, were sold out. Besides it’s Budapest based audience, the festival attracted an international crowd as well, with every movie screened with English subtitles.

The winners of the Hungarian Competition were announced Sunday afternoon in Toldi Cinema’s Big Hall. The jury consisted of Belgian director Nicolas Graux, DDB creative director Karolina Galácz, and Gabriel M. Paletz, screenwriter.

Next Wednesday by Norbert Molvay

The winner of the Hungarian competition was Norbert Molvay with his movie Next Wednesday, depicting a morally complex situation with dramatic energy, a great script and gripping long takes.

The best Hungarian animation short award went to Mr. Mare by Luca Tóth, which moved the jury with its delicacy, coherence and maturity. “The hypnotic sensation that the movie gives you stays with you for a long time” - said Gabriel Paletz.

The prize offered by the Hungarian Media Patronage Programme was 500.000 HUF.

Mr. Mare by Luca Tóth

Three films received a certificate of recognition:

Mrs. Rozgonyi by Rozália Szeleczki is “a modern and innovative adaptation of an old ballad”; Threesome by Balázs Lengyel) is “a jaunty, quality comedy, featuring two legendary Hungarian actors”; and Dad’s Heart by Máté Bence Fazekas, “a grotesque comedy depicting the life of a dysfunctional family.”

Orsolya Kötél in Blue Hour

The award for Best Actress went to Orsolya Kötél (Blue Hour). ”Only a few films allow middle age actresses to showcase their talent in authentic stories. This film is about the character and the performance of the actress.” - the jury argued. The Best Actor award went to Márk Nagy for his performance in The Buzz. “His intensive portrayal immerses the audience.” - said the jury.

Márk Nagy in The Buzz

Members of the International Competition jury were director István Kovács, HBO production executive Anna Závorszky and producer Jean-Francois Le Corre. The winner of the 1000 Euro prize was The Orphan by Carolina Markowitz from Brazil. The jury found that the story convincingly presents the need of humans for intimacy and connection, with characters that are raw yet attractive, a result of excellent direction and a daring visual approach.

The Orphan by Carolina Markowitz

I’m Going Out For Cigarettes by Osman Cerfon (France) received a certificate of recognition. “The small, interesting and surreal pieces of this film come together as an entity at the end and form a deeply emotional human story. The director portrays absence and growing up in a sensitive manner,” said István Kovács, member of the international jury.

The award for the most promising director under 30 went to Attila Dávid and Jakab, a film showcasing the secrecy of the human soul in a coherent and unique way.

Jakab by Dávid Attila

The fifth Hungarian Short Pitch Forum was held Friday morning at Toldi Cinema. The creators presented their selected short film projects that are currently under development. From the 70 received projects, 10 were presented to the jury consisting of László Dreissiger, producer, Eszter Lányi, Head of the Training and Innovation Department of the Hungarian National Film Fund  and Péter Lichter, director. The prize of 300.000 HUF went to the only animation project of the selection, Amok by Balázs Turai.

The Critique Writing workshop and competition returned to this years’ Friss Hús as well: The jury of the competition consisted of film critics Zsolt Gyenge and Bence Kránicz, director Péter Lichter and Zsuzsanna Deák, press agent of Friss Hús. The winner of the competition was Szofia Tölli, with her review Hidden in Flesh. Two further articles, An Intimate Discovery by Job van Aken and Carmine Sugarcubes by Fanni Somlyai received a certificate of recognition. The winning articles will be published on magyar.film.hu. (Hungarian only)