Hungary’s National Film Institute is celebrating the 130th anniversary of Hungarian cinema for its 8th Budapest Classic Film Marathon (BKFM).
An annual open-air cinema will take over Szent István Square in front of the Basilica as the main venue for four nights, Sept. 16-21, to pay tribute to the legacy of Károly Makk and feature films by the likes of screenwriter Joe Eszterhas (of “Basic Instinct” fame) and producer Robert Lantos (“Crimes of the Future”).
Included in 10 newly restored films by Makk will be the comedy “Liliomfi,” now in full color.
Films written by famed screenwriter Eszterhas to be shown at the festival reportedly include “Basic Instinct,” “Flashdance,” “Jagged Edge,” and “Showgirls.” Born during WWII in Csákánydoroszló, Hungary, Eszterhaz and his family would eventually move to Ohio after surviving a refugee camp in Austria. After learning decades later about his father’s collaboration with the Arrow Cross, he cut him off completely.
Other screenings will include period films by David Cronenberg and Atom Egoyan, a beautifully restored version of István Szabó’s film “Sunshine” for its 25th anniversary, and film noir works “The Asphalt Jungle” with Marilyn Monroe and “The Naked City.”
The program “Ingrid and Roberto – An Italian Journey” will present the connected and then separated lives and careers of Ingrid Bergman and the legendary Italian director Roberto Rossellini, through their joint films.
There will also be a selection of iconic films from the world’s first film company, the 130-year-old French Gaumont, as well as a new compilation of footage from the Lumière brothers, created by Thierry Frémaux, artistic director of the Cannes Festival.
