18/09/2009

This summer, veteran Hungarian director Miklós Jancsó (soon to be 88) finished shooting on his historically-inspired feature So Much For Justice!. This Hungarian/Austrian/Polish co-production should be ready for release in February 2010.

The cast includes Zoltán Mucsi (Best Actor at Hungarian Film Week 2003 for Libiomfi), György Cserhalmi (Zelary [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), László Gálffi, Lajos Balázsovits, Daniel Olbrychski (Persona Non Grata [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) and filmmaker Kornél Mundruzó.

Written by the director, So Much For Justice ! is set in the 15th century, when Hungary was a European power with an army capable of keeping the Ottoman Empire at bay. A small circle of rich Hungarians have to choose a new king for the country and, to the surprise of most, they select a very young nobleman: Matthias Corvinus.

But the teenager has humanist ambitions and refuses to impose a reign of terror, preferring the road to economic prosperity by demanding money from those who brought him to power. Will he succeed in applying his ideas? Who will prevail: the humanist king or the partisans of authoritarian rule?

Charged with contemporary significance, this political conflict is explored by the director through the filter of history.

Selected five times in competition at Cannes between 1966 and 1979, winning Best Director in 1972 for Red Psalm, Jancsó has also participated in competition at Berlin (in 1989) and Venice (Special Mention in 1987 for Season of Monsters).

So Much For Justice! is produced by József Berger for Hungary’s Mythberg Films, Dieter Pochlatko for Austria’s EPO Film and Marianna Rowinska for Poland’s Ozumi Films. Its budget of around €2m includes backing from the Motion Picture Public Foundation of Hungary.

International sales are being handled by German company Beta Cinema.

(Translated from French)