Is it true that Hungary is a porn industry giant?

Hungary is often associated with porn by many men around the world. Many think that Hungary is a big player in the porn industry. In Hungary, there is even a billionaire who made his fortune by screening people masturbating in front of webcams. However, only a few know what made Hungary such a fertile ground for porn, how Hungary and Eastern Europe have affected the global industry, and how that industry is influencing what we want to do in bed.

444 interviewed sociologists Fanni Dés and Gergely Csányi about the history of the Hungarian porn and sex cam industry.

How well is the history of the porn industry known in Hungary?

Gergely Csányi: Testimonies and autobiographical books of actresses have been published, and the contemporary press has also dealt with the topic in the past, but there is little scientific research. While examining the development of the Hungarian sex industry of the ‘90s, we came across many surprising things.

Is it a myth then that Hungary is a porn industry giant?

G.Cs.: It is not, at least in the sense that from the early ‘90s to the early 2000s, a lot of porn movies were made in Hungary. However, the history of the Hungarian porn industry is not heroic at all. The conditions in Hungary were better than in other Eastern European countries, so the capital of the porn industry broke into Hungary very aggressively. Women working for cheap, living in limited financial conditions, were exploited by the Western porn industry.

In terms of capital, Hungary was not powerful. Instead, the circumstances made it possible to shoot porn in Hungary.

What made the conditions ideal for the Western porn industry?

Fanni Dés: The rest of Eastern Europe was further away, and the infrastructure was relatively good compared to Romania, while the labour was just as cheap. We found many accounts that the western directors got off the plane with a cameraman, and everything else was ready and prepared in Hungary: the studios, equipment, agents with a network of actresses and models.

It is also important that people thought the porn industry was a measure of development. It was said to be normal in the West, and it was a sign of backwardness if the porn industry bothered people. Many contemporary newspapers also wrote that the porn industry is part of the catching-up to the West, so it has not been hampered by anything. Porn was even shot in the Festetics Palace. Virtually any venue could be rented to shoot porn.

G.Cs.: We know from sources that they also used this idea to recruit actresses. They told them that it would ship to West, no one will see it in Hungary and that porn acting would be an entirely accepted career in a few years. It is hard to estimate but

in the late ’90s, and early 2000s, probably about 200 porn movies were shot every year. That is about 800 scenes, with 1,000 to 1,200 actors. Up to four, five, maybe six porn actresses became famous.

How did the international porn competition affect what type of movies were made and what they did in those films? Was there a Hungarian style?

F.D.: The United States has been dominating the porn industry to this day, and at first, pornos were “normal” movies, with a plot and a set or sets. When Europe joined the competition, the gonzo format gained popularity, in which scenes come after the other without any plot or major set. Hardcore porn is also the result of industry competition. Eastern Europe tried to take on the competition by filming increasingly brutal sex scenes. Anal sex, for example, was the trademark of Hungarian porn, which also became part of the Hungarian style.