Today will see the world premiere of Péter Varsics’ romantic comedy Perfect As You Are opening the first ever Hungarian Motion Picture Festival, which is taking over from the country’s longstanding Hungarian Film Week (founded in Pécs in 1965, before subsequently migrating to Budapest in 1983). Restructured under the aegis of the National Film Institute, the gathering will also unspool, until 26 June, within a brand new setting: the Veszprém-Balaton region.

Over the course of 4 days, 89 films divided into four sections will be screened in three towns and a total of eight cinemas. On the agenda of this event showcasing the best of Hungarian production from the past year are several previews, such as Natural Light [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Dénes Nagy
scheda film] by Dénes Nagy (awarded the Silver Bear for Best Director at this year’s Berlinale), Ravine by Balázs Krasznahorkai, Garbage Theory by Ákos Badits, Toxikoma [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Gábor Herendi and the docu-fiction film Camino Ignaciano by Ferenc Tolvaly. This non-competitive festival will nonetheless consist of an Audience Award, of tributes paid to Mari Törőcsik, Marcell Jankovics and Miklós Jancsó (who would have celebrated their 100th birthdays this year) and of lifetime achievement awards for the screenwriter and director Géza Bereményi, for actress Mariann Moór and for her colleague Károly Mécs.

The Hungarian Motion Picture Awards’ gala is scheduled to close the festival and will see the Hungarian Film Academy singling out the best national productions from the past year, selected from 21 different categories.