An interview with head of Budapest Film Studio László Kántor

László Kántor 25 KByte

Budapest Film Studio was founded in the late 1950es in former News and Documentary Film Factory. The studio was headed by István Nemeskürty for 25 years. As the result of his activity as workshop organiser and producer, the founding team was born and played a major part in the re-development of the Hungarian moving image. The studio produced 5-6 films a year, both feature and documentary films. Every Hungarian director made films here, therefore it is not at all by accident that the directors of different ideology and styles had all contributed to what later became known as the "golden era". In 1985 historian Gábor Hanák was appointed head of the workshop, who loyally followed the footsteps of the ancestors. In the 1990es the new generation of young directors began working under the care of the studio. In 1992 Gábor Hanák was replaced by his former deputy, director Ferenc Kardos who headed the workshop until his death. His passing away marked the end of an era in the history of the studio. In 1999 the torch was handed over to the youngest generation of Hungarian film, headed by photographer-director László Kántor. You have been reluctant to give interviews for a long time? Why? I have never been eager to give interviews, but now I know that once in a while I have to. The reason why I have not regarded them useful is that as long as you are unable to create something new, it is needless to speak about that nothing. If you have already proved something, you can talk about it. I have inherited a several-year-long past and now I am trying to sort things out or at least get an overall picture of what has taken place in the past few years. Unfortunately, due to the death of Ferenc Kardos, the situation has not been easy, because there was no one to hand over the studio to. I, myself, had to wade through all the information to learn something about the current situation of the studio. As we know, other studios have difficulties, too, so first of all, we had to complete an internal audit. Now, six months later, I feel I have some ideas of the affairs of the studio. And what I had not at all hoped before, we even had time to launch new projects. When were you requested to be the director of the studio? First, at the beginning of May 1999, then after some hesitation I accepted the position at the end of May. Were you surprised at the request? I did not expect it at all, that is why I did not accept it at first. I refused it twice then, after carefully considering the offer, I said yes. Who requested you for the position? The request came from different fields of the profession. When the Motion Picture Foundation of Hungary also invited me, I decided to talk to everybody and reach an agreement with each representative of the film council. I accepted the offer only after this. You have not yet made any popular, internationally successful films. What is the reason for your appointment? Why do you think you have been chosen for the position? I do not think too much about it, but you do not need to have international block buster movies behind you to be able to create something new. I think those who have already produced such films, represent a certain trend and they cannot and would not want to change. Everybody knows that the structure and operation of the film profession need to be improved. I believe that is why they thought that a young man would strive to do something with greater enthusiasm and perhaps with a different ideology. What sort of new structure do you think you can create? It does not work like that! You cannot immediately introduce a new structure! The current fossilised system has been running long enough and we cannot replace it with something completely different all of a sudden. Lots of things should be altered, including financial and artistic concepts. This is a huge project which requires a lot of money! Apart from that different interests and viewpoints would clash - immediately. So, it cannot be done overnight. We should do it step by step. There are European examples which can be analysed and adapted to Hungarian circumstances. But first of all, creators and producers should understand it, especially those who finance films. Besides the state, we should also persuade them to grant money for this purpose. Do you think you could introduce a new structure without other studios follow suit? In this studio I think I could, because I know the people whom I employ and I can also define certain points, according to which they should work. This, however, does not influence the state structure. If I can prove that what I am trying to do works properly, that might be exemplary, but it just cannot be done at the blink of the eye. One thing is certain - we always have to discuss everything with the colleagues. We cannot bring about any change, only through continuous collation and discussion. Everybody knows and says that a change is needed, but only few believe that there can be a change, and even fewer are willing to make any effort to achieve it. Who works for Budapest Film Studio? Teamwork is important for us. The people around me have been supporting me, because they believe that we can create something. It is not only our interest, - and here I mainly refer to our contemporaries in film production, although I think as a creative mind I am also selfish enough to believe that if I make so much effort, in 4-5 years I will be making movies both as a photographer and a director under different circumstances in our studio. Attila Csáky is the production director who has a good grasp of production, but he also creatively participates in the development of the script as long as shooting can begin. Attila Várai is in charge of monitoring, preparing and writing tender applications. In case we win a tender, he is also responsible for the settlement. Besides, he is constantly looking for co-producing partners and once we have them, he carries out liaising with foreign partners. Emő Józsa deals with marketing image building and looks for sponsors and backers. The head of our office is Zsuzsa Kulcsár, who is also my assistant. Bem Cinema headed by Tamás Melis belongs to the studio. He is in charge of setting up the new projects and plans of the cinema. Who reads the scripts in your studio? We have a three-member art board. László Csiki is a full-time member, the other two Gyula Gazdag and Szilárd Podmanicky have just applied for the job. The two of them currently hold a probationary appointment. Together we try to test how this small dramaturgic committee can function. They all get the reviews or scripts, about which they need to write a two-three-page copy editorial report, expressing their opinion. These are objective reports, highlighting both the positive and the negative points. When an author brings in his work, he will be able to see later why we have decided to deal with the script or not. This method has proved to be successful, because people know why things happen. These consultant then carry on working creatively, but only on one production. The studio appoints a dramaturgic consultant to assist the director for each production. Occasionally, the director can also select a consultant for himself, but his chosen person should also submit his copy editorial report while working on the script. Let me give you an example: László Csiki was appointed to assist Árpád Sopsits as consultant. Árpád, however, wanted to have a consultant of his choice, Sándor Tar, who had to write his copy editorial report afterwards. In the end, five of us were working on the book, including the story editor of the film, István Kardos and me. We had regular meetings, every week or every second week, where we talked about the steps to be taken, so slowly the final version started to take shape. Does the appointed dramaturgic consultant represent the interest of the studio? Definitely. I have obviously chosen people to work with whose opinion I trust and whom I believe in. The consultants only work on the development of the script, they focus on what is good and bad in it. Their duty is to help create an even better script. They never interfere with whether the script is worth filming from the financial aspect or not. It is the production director and me who decide in this question. They do not have to deal with whether the film is expensive or not, all they need to concentrate on is what the script is like from dramaturgic aspect. Does the fact that after a while four people are assisting the "birth of the script" make your job easier or more difficult? It is a rather unique situation and should not necessarily be followed. Sopsits' film Torsos was already here in the studio, I only inherited it. The story editor István Kardos was also given and I said that the script had definitely needed some elaboration. At that particular stage I saw all its mistakes and I did not consider it good enough for making a film of. It was basically a good text, but my intention was to further improve it. Sopsits accepted László Csiki, who was appointed by the studio and agreed to his comments 90 percent, and yet he wanted one more person to assist him. In that particular case I approved. Fortunately, the comments of the three consultants were chiefly the same, so we began shooting the film at the beginning of November. Is this your first big achievement? Yes. It is a biographical work made by Sopsits and is set in a young custody centre in his childhood, among kids living there. A wonderful, moving and difficult film just like all the biographical movies. Could the first film made under your direction be seen at the Film Week? No, it was not ready by the Film Week in February. But we had a film made in American-Hungarian co-production called Johnny Famous , directed by Gergely Fonyó. He is a young man, who has stood mostly behind the camera until now. The film is very interesting. Part of the crew is American and the film itself is English-speaking, although Hungarian actors and actresses play in it. We shot the film in the United States and in Hungary. This was ready for the Film Week. The movie is about a boy with slight mental handicap, whose mother dies. But before her death, she asks a young girl to look after her son when she is already gone. They fall in love with each other in this wonderful, lyrical story. The film does not belong to the line of sweet American movies, nor to the usual Eastern European bitter drama. It is in fact somewhere in between the two extremes, dancing on the razor's edge. Another one of our films directed by Péter Mészáros was also shown at the Film Week. He shot it in Georgia and it is called The Fool Pomegranate Tree. Do you have the money for all the films? Partly, but we are constantly trying to find financial resources. Money is never enough, we always need more and more. But today, we try to make films from the little amount we have. Apart from films, what other projects are going on in the studio? We have old and recent projects as well. We have launched some documentaries and now we are working on the script of Ferenc Deák, a writer from Novi Sad, in Hungarian-Serbian co-production. It is to be directed by Károly Vicsek, a director from Novi Sad. The film is about 1956 and it is really interesting, because there the topic could not have been dealt with for a long time, only much later than in Hungary and had absolutely different consequences. This is what we are currently working on and if God wishes so, we may begin shooting in the spring. We would shoot it in Novi Sad with photographer János Kende. We have another film to be made based on the script of a young Hungarian writer from Transylvania and will be directed by a Hungarian director living there. The whole film would be shot in Transylvania. As these two examples show, we are aiming to work in co-productions, through which we can involve native Hungarians living outside our borders. One the one hand, because they bring new colour into Hungarian film production, and on the other hand, co-productions are financially more favourable, since shooting a film is much cheaper there and there are plenty of untouched areas. A lot of talented Hungarian performers live outside Hungary who could all have a role in these films. Under the rather frustrating circumstances in the Balkan, it would be even more important to build bridges between Hungary and the neighbouring countries. We have just submitted two scripts for application, but we also have older films, the faith of which has not been decided as yet. It is certain, though, that Sándor Sára wishes to make his film Transsiberian Dream based on István Kardos' script in our studio, in Russian-Finnish co-production. We are also striving to set up a dramaturgic workshop, where we can deal with the young generation. It was not by accident that in August I accepted the request to be member of the jury at the Hungarian Students' Film Festival. The reason why I participated is because I was eager to see how secondary school students see the world and what they think about the film. Budapest Film Studio itself awarded three prizes. In November, the Film Week of University and College Students entitled Érintő was held at Péter Pázmány University of Arts and Sciences, where I was chairman of the jury. The studio awarded several prizes there, too. If we find talented people at these events, we invite them to join the studio. We are looking for creative producers, but not only from this circle. We make efforts to establish a workshop, like the one which had earlier operated in the studio, a workshop which is similar in spirit. Do you intend to work with famous directors as well? Of course, and we already have. Ever since I am here, loads of people have visited this office, including Zsolt Kézdi Kovács and Lajos Koltai. We constantly exchange our plans and ideas. And not only those visit us who want to make a film here. I might tell a writer that his or her script does not fit into our concept, but I will also tell them that I know someone who might show interest. The point is that we know about each other, about our ideas. How does it feel to see all those people visiting your office whom you have previously visited? It was rather strange at first, but I have known all of them. I have also climbed the ladder of film-making. I have even worked as assistant photographer and an assistant director. I do not think I have changed. When are you next shooting a film? I am lucky because I am shooting one right now. It is a documentary about Ferenc Fejtő, but I do not have enough time to do it continuously. Can you make films in your own studio? Yes, I can, there are no restrictions in this respect. Nevertheless, I do not consider it fair to make a feature film in your own studio, though directors tend to do it everywhere in the world. It is also absolutely acceptable in Western Europe, particularly under the current financial circumstances, but in my opinion, the situation is not suitable to do the same in Hungary. Although Ferenc Kardos also made his last film in Budapest Film Studio and it did not trigger resentment. Anyway, I cannot ever imagine myself making a feature film here. Anyway, I also have a feature film under preparation in Hunnia Film Studio at Sándor Simó, as well as an pre-shot documentary. I hope I will be able to begin my next film, which is based on a novel by József Nyírő called Úz Bence . We also co-operate with Duna Television, working on the portrait of Fejtő together and on another documentary about László Szabédi, who died amidst tragic circumstances. When I accepted this position I made reservations, pointing out that I was not willing to give up creative work for the sake of heading the studio. Have the steps and plans you are about to introduce been publicly announced? How could you change a basically fossilised way of thinking? Nothing that I would like to carry out is a brand new idea. First, both financial organisations, as well as the state should be encouraged to set up a different system of financing, since what we have at the moment cannot operate properly. As long as only one-quarter of the annual budget can be spent on film-making, we should not speak about Hungarian film production, because every organisation that contributes to the remaining three-fourths would want to have a word. If it is a foreign investor, of course, it will obviously represent the interest of its own country. Money should not be let to disperse or be divided among 1-2 or 3 places. In this way several hundred million forints are thrown out of the window and it becomes untraceable! State funds should not be allocated to 15 places, but 2 or 3. Financial resources granted by the state should not be applied for at 15 different places, since it requires 15 different boards of trustees to run. Tender applications should be invited roughly at the same time and those inviting tender applications should also collate between themselves. How much does one day of shooting cost? Already 1,5-2 million forints. How much would the 30-day shooting of a rather simple story cost in Budapest? It could be made using HUF 100 million, but so that poverty may not be so visible on the screen, the average budget of an ordinary film should be between HUF 200-300 million. The budget is usually around this amount, but when shooting starts, the script slowly begins to simplify, scenes fall out and from then on poverty starts to rule the screen. Would not it be more efficient to involve not only professionals from the film industry in the boards of trustees? I was fighting against it. Writers have always been members of boards of trustees, but I regard it outstandingly important to involve distributors, too, because they know what type of films attract people. We have not yet managed to achieve that, because the profession is hesitant. They believe that directors are the best to say which film is good and which is worth including in the repertoire. What if distributors also brought their money? Do you think they would be accepted then? Of course, it goes without saying. It is only the board of trustees where distributors are not welcome. Sooner or later, however, we will achieve something. We are thinking of new systems and I am also a little cog-wheel in this system who is involved. Unfortunately, it is slowly being forgotten that a good film should be based upon a good script. Scripts are becoming more and more sloppy and concentrate less on the message. Directors say: "we can 'make' it during the shooting". One of the major things is to be script-focused, the other one is to turn back towards the audience. We should not make the film for ourselves or just a narrow layer of the society! Earlier 5-6 films had been made in this studio. I would love to bring the old tradition back (films made of Jókai's novels, directed by Zoltán Várkonyi were all shot here), i.e. making a block buster movie which is based on a literary masterpiece. It should not necessarily be a classic story, it could be a contemporary Hungarian work as well, but should be made for the audience. We hope to shoot a comedy, too, and I would love the studio to make an art movie every year, something which is required by festivals and would prove outstandingly successful. We want to shoot at least one film in international co-production, or in commission work, since we have to make money somehow. But I think it is just a dream. If we could make at least two or three feature films and four-five documentaries a year, I would be happy. How can you build upon the script if there is no organised script writer training in Hungary? There is but it is only in its infancy, that is why I am saying that I would love to establish a workshop. I am hunting for the young ones, but not only me. It is the duty of the art board to look for scripts. Luckily, we receive enough of them, and we might also invite writers for a tender. We read a lot and constantly search for basic material. We offer literary works for script-writing and if we receive a good script, we will surely find a director to make a film out of it. It is not necessarily the director who should bring in his own script, we can also find a topic for them. That is why I also want writers to join in the work and feel that Budapest Film Studio is theirs. There are already certain initiatives to achieve this aim. Does the profession already know about the studio? What are the first reactions like? Well, I had not begun my career here by giving interviews, so I could work in a relative silence. Yet, several scripts and concepts have been forwarded to me. Some of them we accept, some of them we cannot. There is no problem with that, although there are not many forums film-makers could actually turn to. Taking all the independent film production agencies, I would say that only ten have a real name. Of course, there are some smaller agencies worth trying. Do you have new financial resources, have you found sponsors? We have our ideas, but it will be extremely difficult to find a sponsor, a supporter or an investor, as long as there is no real film act. It should be submitted to the Parliament within the shortest possible time, because if investors cannot see a guarantee for the return of their money, or for not wasting it, investors will be really hard to find. Is there a studio, the operation of which you would gladly follow? I do not intend to follow the example of any studios, in particular. But if I find something useful, I will adapt that. I know Hunnia Film Studio well, since they produced my films, and although I have seen a lot of good ideas there, I cannot agree with everything. I think, there are many old-fashioned phenomena there, but my films had still been shot there, which clearly signals that I am quite committed to the studio. The head of Hunnia, Sándor Simó and me have a lot in common, and yet we often have arguments. Nevertheless, I am open to any ideas. We used to have and we still have common plans with Dénes Szekeres from Fókuszfilm, but I have also co-operated with Eurofilm, Péter Miskolci or Jolán Árvai at the Hungarian Television. I would love to pick the good points from everywhere and mould them to create something much better. How much do you know of foreign studios and examples? Quite a lot, actually, since I have attended many festivals with my own films in the past years. I have worked in co-produced movies and have been invited to the jury of international festivals. So I have some practical experiences of how this area works. I keep contact with foreign producers, so I can say that I have a comprehensive picture of the affairs. Who would you like to make a co-production film with? Anyone possessing an interesting film plan, or anyone with a plan that can fit into our ideas and is financially rewarding. Any country, even Albania. I am not biased. We are currently negotiating with a French producer and Karl Baumgartner from Germany, who made Underground and Black Cat, White Cat, among others. Scripts from neighbouring countries have a good chance in our studio. If you could send out a message to writers and directors about the type of scripts you are looking for, what hint would you give them? These scripts are only part of our new concepts. I believe that due to the lack of money, we should put our ideas and financial resources together and this way more exciting films can be born. I am expecting scripts and films which I, myself, would enjoy watching at the cinema. It should upset me, I would love to cry and laugh at the same time. And I want to feel happy when I finally leave the cinema. You are the youngest studio director ever in the history of Budapest Film Studio. Is that a big responsibility for you? Yes, very big, indeed. Are you worried about it or you can stay calm? I am not worried, but not calm either. I spend a lot of time here in the studio, because I want things to run smoothly, so I have to be here from morning until late night. I have to deal with all the plans, the people, everybody's problems, including our own ones, too. It is bearable as long as the atmosphere is good in the office. But I am far from being calm. I have had quite a lot of sleepless nights, since I am a director. Do you have any achievements so far? Yes, some minor successes, but I will not talk about them. I will remember them only when I already have bigger achievements. I hope I will have some. But of course, minor successes are also great to have if you already see the light at the other end of the tunnel.