Astonishing! Hungary is Europe’s 2nd filmmaking hub after London, official says

Hungary has become the second most important centre of film production in Europe after London, Csaba Káel, the government commissioner for film, said opening the Made in Hungary film festival in the UK capital late Thursday.

Speaking at the Hungarian Cultural Centre, Káel said over 500 international productions had been made in Hungary over the past 20 years, drawn by the country’s unified tax rebate system, the level of security and its outstanding studios.

He said there were five studios in and around Budapest, and that capacity would climb by 22pc when the expansion of the National Film Institute’s base in Fot, on the outskirts of the capital, was completed.

A new series will be aired soon about the life of János Hunyadi. Photo: FB/MIPCOM

He also pointed to the excellence of Hungary’s film industry professionals, capitalising on 123 years of accumulated know-how. The ratio of Hungarian crew on international productions stands at 80pc, he added.

Last year, USD 910m was spent on film productions in Hungary, four times the amount in 2018, he said. The number of productions with budgets over USD 1.5m doubled, he added.

Csaba Káel. Photo: MTI

Káel noted that Hungarian film professionals had won 27 Oscars since 1934.

Hungarian Movie Days serves as a showcase of Hungary’s film industry for British producers and production companies, he said.

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