Hungarian Applicants in 8 Categories

It was already possible for Hungarians to submit open applications for support in the field of distribution as of December 2003. Many local distributors made use of the opportunity, Kiss said. The selective support helps the distribution of certain European films, while the normative support was distributed based on the number of tickets sold to European films. In addition to the well-known distributors of European films like Budapest Film, Mokép, Best Hollywood, SPI and Cirko Film, other distributors that intended to present certain works also applied successfully for support. As a result, films like Tais-toi! (French), The Story of the Weeping Camel (Mongolian-German), Schultze Gets the Blues (German), Around the World in 80 Days (British), Choirboys (French), Cops (Swedish-Danish), Purple Rivers 2 (French) were screened in local cinemas with the support of the program.

Companies did not apply for support individually, distributors from various countries teamed up to obtain funding for certain films. For example, distributors from nine different countries received support to screen Kornél Mundruczó’s Szép napok. When Hungary entered the MEDIA program, there was opportunity to join in and apply for support for films already screened. As a result, last year was successful, but this year, distributors will probably apply for less funding in retroactively.

The automatic support for video and DVD releases was awarded to Odeon and Best Hollywood. Apart from Hungary, only Poland and the EU candidate but Media program member Bulgaria were successful in this field of the 10 newly joined EU member states, where a minimum sales quota was set, below which no support was awarded. In this case, the application is not only valid in case of new releases but also classic works.

Our presence in the category of pre-production is also successful, although Kiss said she trusts that this year, more applicants will receive support. Of the 14 individual applications, there was one winner (a documentary film) in the first round and three others in the second round. This was also due to the fact that the applications were finished at the last minute. In case of MEDIA Plus, it is also possible to submit package applications, which contains 3 to 10 films. So far, altogether seven Hungarian companies applied for this, and two of them received suppport.

Several applications were submitted in the television broadcasting category of the MEDIA program in November, the last possible deadline, but the decision is still pending, results are likely to arrive within a month. 

In the field of cinema operation, several new Hungarian cinemas complied with the requirements, and all of the existing members managed to retain their membership. (This support is now part of the MEDIA program instead of Eurimages and requires Europa Cinemas membership.) For example, Bem cinema in Budapest, Belvárosi cinema in Szeged and Krúdy cinema in Nyíregyháza all became members of the Europa Cinemas network.

Support can be obtained for training programs as well. Katapult Film, for example, was awarded support for the scriptwriting seminar it organizes in the spring. In accordance with the regulations, the training will take place in Budapest with international participants and trainers. Katapult plans to organize two consecutive seminars and promised an interactive closing session for participants.

In the festival category, the recently held Anifest received support, the rest of the applications have not been judged yet.

Experiences

According to Kiss, Hungarian applicants encountered most problems in the category of pre-production due to the substatial amount of work required to submit the application. She added that since application is free of charge, it is worth a try. Since interest was the most intense in this category, in December a professional seminar was organized with the participation of delegates from Brussels.

Since distributors are already used to the tenders of the MEDIA Plus program, they needed less assistance. Nevertheless, a similar seminar was organized for them during the Film Week. Kiss said that in the future, similar events will be organized for all categories. Additional help is available at the recently launched homepage of the MEDIA Desk at www.mediadesk.hu, where the anwers to the most frequently asked questions can be found.

Interest is also intense in training programs. In this case, costs are the most problematic factor, since most Hungarians find the registration fee that costs several thousands of euros too high. The various grants that are available may offer help to solve this problem, Kiss said. In the future, applicantions for support may also be submitted to the MEDIA Desk, and several training programs have their own grants. During the Film Week, a seminar will be held on training programs as well in order to evoke interest in these events. Kiss added that although so far, only a few Hungarians participated at such events, all of them returned with positive experiences, contacts and knowledge that would have been impossible to obtain in Hungary.

More enthusiasm this year

According to Kiss, Hungarian filmmakers will probably apply more enthusiastically for support from the MEDIA Program, since more and more people know about the opportunities it offers and become familiar with the system. Although last year, when the program launched in Hungary, may saw it as a great opportunity, interest gradually decreased.

In case of pre-production, for example, applicants had to face the fact that they need references, and the various stages of usage and accounting must also be thoroughly developed. Moreover, MEDIA Plus requires the investment of the sums awarded, therefore, only companies that operate continuously and plan for the long term can be considered for support. As a result, several projects were not eligible for financing. At the same time, more and more are becoming familiar with the system of the program, so the number of successful applications will probably increase compared to the first year.