Új Eldorádó opened in 2004 at the Hungarian Film Week in Los Angeles, where Sandra Ruch a leader of the International Documentary Association was also present. It was her encouraging critique that made Tibor Kocsis enter competition for both the IDA Award and the Oscar with his documentary. Eventually the Hungarian documentary has been selected from several hundred applicants and nominated in two categories. Besides the nomination for the category “Best Documentary (Feature)” it also runs for the Pare Lorenz Award named after the poet and filmmaker. This award is given to documentaries dealing with environmental and social issues at a very high professional standard. There are 9 nominees this year.

One step away from the Oscar

Tibor Kocsis above Verespatak

Chances for the Oscar are uncertain according to the director, however it is indisputable that Új Eldorádó is among the nominees and has fulfilled all requirements to be there. For instance, they had to rent a movie theatre in Los Angeles for a week since for an Oscar nomination a movie has to be on show for seven days in a row in a US movie theatre. As Kocsis puts it, having a Hungarian documentary nominee for the Academy Awards is a great achievement in itself, and adds that it took approximately half a million HUF to reach this goal. It was in 2003 with Tamás Almási’s Sejtjeink for the last time that a Hungarian documentary got so close to the Oscar.

Új Eldorádó has recieved 13 awards and prizes so far at different festivals, among them several Grand Prizes. It will open in London 15 October at the Across the Border Festival. Kocsis has been invited to the festival to give a presentation.  Next it will be shown at the OXDox Festival in Oxford. Great Britain is the 14th country in which Új Eldorádó opens.

 
Following the story of Verespatak

Shooting part  two of Új Eldorádó is already underway

As Kocsis explains they have already begun shooting the second part of Új Eldorádó at Széna Festival in Verespatak, where there were around eight thousand people demonstrating against the mining plans. The project of the second part received funding from ORTT and they are waiting for a decision regarding their application for the MEDIA Program Funding.

2006 will be a very important year in the history of Verespatak, claims the director. The mining company’s environmental assessment and the Rumanian government’s decision are both due this year. Whether the goldmine will be built or not, Tibor Kocsis will definitely record the future of Verespatak in his new documentary.