Budapest Independent Film Festival 2023 – programme guide

Budapest Independent Film Festival 2023 is taking place on 9 and 10 February at Kino Cafe Mozi screening 15 films of different genres. After last year’s Special Edition screening, we are excited to be returning to Kino Cafe Mozi with a rich and diverse programme.

Aiming to showcase emerging talents and address social issues of today, the BIFF 2023 selection runs the gamut of fiction and documentary films, shorts, animated films and music videos. Our vision is to serve as a connecting platform for upcoming filmmakers and artists featuring films that spark conversations and give birth to new ideas. Many of this year’s films have premiered or screened in internationally acclaimed film festivals while others make their premiere on BIFF.

This year’s Festival is opening with the multi-awarded animated short “The Record”, a whimsical animated film examining memory and music.

BIFF’s 2023 two Featured Films look into migration, displacement and the state of belonging in today’s society. Andres Rodriguez’s “Roza”, which competes for the Best Feature Film (The Locarno Film Festival 2022) is a drama film examining migration and its impact on people and social behaviours while “The Game” (TIFF Agora Works in Progress 2020, premiere in Toronto 2021) tells the story of a smuggler who changes his perspective on life when he becomes stranded with teens he’s to take across the border to Hungary.

The Festival’s Short Category selections focus on relationship and gender issues with body autonomy and self-determination in the foreground. “Za” by Aslan Maleknegah shows the story of an Iranian woman who is about to have an abortion while Andor Berényi’s “Supper” on the other hand examines the relationship of a couple ready for parenthood when their relationship is shocked.

Finally, this year’s Documentary category selection includes the intriguing Short Documentary “Diva”, which premiered in The Berlinale 2022 and is about Diva Cat Thy, a Vietnamese transwoman, street food vendor, and performer, who openly shares her life and struggles daily on social media.

Find the full feature and short film line-up detailed below. Follow @Budapest Independent Film Festival and #BIFF23 on Instagram and Facebook for updates. All films are in English or with English subtitles. 

Find the full feature and short film line-up detailed below. Follow @Budapest Independent Film Festival and #BIFF23 on Instagram and  Facebook for updates. All films are in English or with English subtitles.

Budapest Independent Film Festival 2023

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Screening Programme

DAY 1 / SLOT 1: 18:30-20:00

▹The Record, 8′ ◆ Jonathan Laskar, Switzerland, Best Animated Short

▹To Eat Bread, 10’ ◆ Mohamed Rabie, Poland, Best Documentary Short

▹Dust on Pebble, 4’ ◆ Vincent Naffréchoux,  France, Best Music Video

▹ Za, 17’, ◆ Aslan Maleknegah, Iran, Best Short Film

▹DIVA, 29’  ◆ Nicolas Cilins, Switzerland, Best Documentary Short

▹TROY, 16’ ◆ Mike Donahue, United States, Best Comedy

**Break: 20:00-20:15

SLOT 2: 20:15-21:30

▹Roza, 75′ ◆ Andres Rodríguez, Guatemala, Best Feature Film

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DAY 2 / SLOT 1: 18:30-20:00

▹The Game, 92’ ◆ Ana Lazarevic, Serbia, Best Feature Film

**Break: 20:00-20:15

 SLOT 2: 20:15-21:35

▹Beach House – Once Twice Melody, 04’, ◆  Annapurna Kumar, United States, Best Music Video

▹I am Matteo, 24’ ◆ Loris Di Pasquale, Italy, Best Comedy

▹The Secret of Mr. Nostoc, 10’ ◆ Patrice Seiler, Maxime Marion, France, Best Animated Short

▹MEI-Mirage,17’ ◆ Zhang Ge, Hungary, Best Short Film

▹Going Well, 4’ ◆ HyeJeong Lee, Korea, Best Animated Short

▹Supper, 10’ ◆ Andor Berényi, Hungary, Best Hungarian Film

▹Keep Burning, 5’ ◆ Young-Wook Paik, Israel, Best Music Video

An Award Ceremony will follow after the end of the screenings.

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Venue

Kino Cafe Mozi Great Hall: Szent István krt. 16, 1137, Budapest Hungary

Tel: +36 1 224 5650

Starting time: 18.30

Entrance: Free

Free admission tickets can be obtained from Kino Cafe Mozi starting February 2, 2023.

Films are in English or with English subtitles.

Find more information HERE, HERE and HERE.

Gallery

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Source: Budapest Independent Film Festival