Outstanding, fully restored works of modern auteurial filmmaking include the opening gala film by Márta Mészáros, Heiresses (Örökség), István Gaál’s Current (Sodrásban), Pál Zolnay’s Photography (Fotográfia), Béla Tarr’s Damnation (Kárhozat), Miklós Jancsó’s Electra, My Love (Szerelmem, Elektra) and Gyula Maár’s Flare and Flicker (Teketória), with exceptional characterizations by Mari Törőcsik. There is a compilation of significant, digitally restored avant-garde pieces born out of collaboration between Balázs Béla Studio and New Music Studio. This latter is followed by an ‘electrostatic encore concert’ put together by Zoltán Jeney and László Vidovszky.
This is the first chance for an audience to see the restored version of the hit movie Car of Dreams (Meseautó) by Béla Gaál, as well as cult films of Hungarian rock and underground such as Márta Mészáros’s Don’t Cry, Pretty Girls! (Szép lányok, ne sírjatok!), Time Stands Still (Megáll az idő) by Péter Gothár, Bald-Dog-Rock (Kopaszkutya) by György Szomjas, Eskimo Woman Feels Cold (Eszkimó asszony fázik) by János Xantus, and Csinibaba (Dollybirds) which sheds an ironic-nostalgic light on the Kádár era. Many of these films are followed by discussions with the filmmakers and restorers.
The Film Archive has operated as a directorate of the Hungarian National Film Fund since January 2017. This is when the long-term national film restoration and digitalization programme, the brainchild of the Film Fund, could start. Within the framework of the programme and as a result of the combined work of the two directorates of the Film Fund, the Film Archive and Filmlabor, annually between 25-30 outstanding examples of Hungarian film heritage are restored thanks to the expertise of 30 professionals.
The film restoration programme is involved in the physical renewal, digitalization and digital restoration of the original audio tracks and film negatives of films (where these still exist). This restoration is assisted by the film’s cast, cinematographers, sound engineers and directors. The Film Fund signed an agreement with the Hungarian Society of Cinematographers (HSC) on participating in the authentic reconstruction of the visuals of movies. Among the many great works encompassed by the programme, the oeuvre of Zoltán Fábri underwent restoration in 2017, films by István Szabó and Sándor Sára in 2018, and in 2019, the oeuvre of Márta Mészáros is being worked on.