The Film / A film

Logline

A young gay Romani couple from a remote village in Hungary has a dream so absurd that it seems impossible: making a musical film based on their lives. Against all odds, they move to Budapest just as the Hungarian government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and hostile towards LGBTQ+ people.

Short Synopsis

Gergo and Lenard are a young gay male couple living in a remote Roma community in the poorest part of Hungary. They live in a community where being gay is considered an unforgivable sin, yet they dream of making a musical film about their lives and becoming famous. They could continue to live out their lives within this hostile environment, but to make their dream come true they have to move to Budapest, where LGBTQ+ life is more open and available, and collaborations with musicians and artists are abundant. When the sudden death of Gergo’s mother brings a tragic wrinkle to their story, they return to the family who disowned them for one final reckoning, helping them to accept their gay identities, the key to their own acceptance and their own chance at happiness.

Logline

Két roma fiú, Gergő és Lénárd álma, hogy musicalt írjanak szerelmük történetéből és ne csak a forgatókönyvben, de az életükben is megtalálják a boldogságot.

Szinopszis

Magyarországon, a Salgótarján melletti szegénységbe fulladt Jónás telepen egymásba szeret két roma fiú. Kapcsolatukat felvállalva Budapestre költöznek és a napi megélhetési küzdelmek dacára végre elkezdik megtalálni boldogságukat. Abban bízva, hogy bátorságuk, elszántságuk, egymásba vetett bizalmuk és szeretetük mások számára is inspiráló lehet, elhatározzák, hogy megírják az első meleg roma musical film forgatókönyvét. Az élet viszont átírja Gergő és Lénárd történetét. Egy váratlan haláleset miatt vissza kell térniük a közösségbe, ahonnan kitagadták őket, így kénytelenek szembenézni múltjukkal, konfliktusaikkal, de ahol kitartásuk és tiszta szívük elismeréseként visszakaphatják családjukat.

Screenings / Vetítések 2023



Thessaloniki Int Doc FF – Greece – 6 + 7 March

Pink Apple FF – Switzerland, Zurich – 29. April

Doc Barcelona FF – Spain, Barcelona – 19 + 26 May

Inside Out FF – Canada, Toronto – 2. June

Cinema Diverse FF – USA, Palm Springs – 30. Sept

Perlen Queer Film Festival – Germany, Hannover – 27. Oct

Thailand Bangkok FF – Thailand, Bangkok – 23. Oct

Qdoc FF – USA, Portland – 5. Nov

Melbourne Queer FF – Australia, Melbourne – 15. Nov

Slovak Queer FF – Slovakia, Bratislava – 25. Nov

Merlinka Film Festival – Serbia, Belgrade + Novi Sad – 10. Dec

TLVFest – Israel, Tel Aviv – 23. Dec



Press / Sajtó

Team



Katalin Oláh

(director-editor)

is a Hungarian filmmaker based in Budapest. After many years working as a producer, she switched focus entirely to directing and established Makabor Studio, an award-winning production company with her cinematographer husband. All of their films have been broadcast by different Hungarian TV channels and received numerous awards. Kata has been nominated several times by The Hungarian Film Academy as best director, and she was awarded the best editor prize in the documentary film category in 2019. Her feature documentary, The Bar Mitzvah boys was nominated for Prix Europa 2018, and she received the prestigious international critic’s Fipresci Prize at Cinefest 2022 for her feature documentary Conquering time - Ágnes Keleti.



Sándor Csukás

(cinematographer)

graduated from the Hungarian Film Academy in 1993. He is a well-recognized cinematographer in Hungary, awarded by the prestigious György Illés, The cinematographer of the year award, and Béla Balázs, the highest state film professional award. He participated as a cinematographer in more than 60 documentaries and short films, several TV dramas, such as the first Hungarian HBO Europe series, and 14 fiction films, wining several national and international awards with his work.



Borbála Csukás

(producer)

has been working in different roles in film production from an early age. Notably, she is the Producer of a feature-length documentary, “Divas," co-produced with HBO Europe, which she pitched at several CoPro forums and participated in the Sarajevo Rough Cut Boutique workshop. She also participated in Sarajevo Talents 2020 and was the Hungarian representative of Emerging Producers 2022.



Marc Smolowitz

(co-producer)

is a multi-award-winning director, producer, and executive producer who has been significantly involved in 50+ successful independent films. The combined footprint of his works has touched 250+ film festivals & markets on 5 continents, yielding substantial worldwide sales to theatrical, television, and VOD outlets, notable box office receipts, and numerous awards and nominations. His credits include films that have screened at top-tier festivals. In 2016, he received one of the prestigious Gotham Fellowships to attend the Cannes Film Festival’s Producers Network marking him as one of the USA’s most influential independent film producers.

Crew / Partners

Crew


Director/Editor: Kata Oláh
Cinematographer: Sándor Csukás
Producer: Kata Oláh, Borbála Csukás
Co-Producer: Marc Smolowitz
Written by: Kata Oláh, Borbála Csukás,
Marc Smolowitz, Sándor Csukás
Music: Gergely Barcza
Colorist: Robert Libel
Sound design: Tamás Lőrincz
World sales : First Hand Films

Developed at


Verzio DocLab
When East Meets West Co-Production Forum
Hot Docs Deal Maker
Thessaloniki IDF Agora Docs in Progress
EWA Network 2020 Mentoring
DocCelerator Ove Jensen, Geoffrey Smith
Rough-Cut Service Erez Laufer, Jordana Berg

Made with generous support from the following


Robert Holgate Philanthropic Fund
Center for Independent Documentary
13th Gen
Metropolitan University
Summa Artium Foundation
Polgar foundation for equal rights
Hungarian Film Incentive

Contact

Marc Smolowitz
(13th Gen)

www.13thgenfilm.com

marcsmolowitz@gmail.com

+1-415-370-0434

Borbála Csukás
(Makabor Studio)

www.makabor.com

makaborstudio@gmail.com

+36-20-916-6608

World Sales:
First Hand Films

www.firsthandfilms.com

sales@firsthandfilms.com