Huge Hopes for a Short Film: A Hungarian Oscar Nomination

It’s fair to say that the spotlight has been on Hungary both as a go-to location as well as a source for rigorous, exciting home-grown cinema in the past few years. With the huge win at the Oscars last year for Son of Saul, the intensity of this expectation has only grown. That is one reason why this year it is so gratifying to see local film-making live up to such pressure, with the announcement of the Academy Award nominations, which saw a Hungarian language short film nominated for Best Live Action Short Film.

The film in question is called Mindenki in Hungarian, though re-titled as Sing for foreign audiences. Written and directed by a young graduate of the Academy of Drama and Film in Budapest, Kristóf Deák, the short revolves around a new student at a Hungarian primary school who finds a way to stand up to a choral instructor,  an authoritative figure seeking to silence her in order to better win a prize trip abroad. The Oscar nomination is one more laurel for the film, which already won the Grand Prize at the Short Shorts Film Festival in Tokyo and Best Short Film at the Chicago International Children's Film Festival as well as several other international honors. It is perhaps an underdog, as it will go up against a few shorts screened without subtitles, though the theme of the film, the individual standing up against authority, could not be more timely.

Deák, who now splits his time between London and Budapest, has this to say about his personal film-making style: “I believe pacing and timing are the most important tools in a director's hands. Only perfect timing will evoke real emotions - and that all comes down to actors and director.”

Following is the official trailer for Sing. It’s without subtitles, but still gives you a taste of the film, foremost because, after all, music, is the universal language.  

You can find Deák Kristóf's vimeo channel here.

Flatpack Films is based in Budapest, Hungary. We are a film company that offers an inspiring and professional work atmosphere for our local and international clients. Since our inception, our focus has been providing the best of the best in terms of local production resources, locations, cast, and technical teams to ensure that whatever the production we facilitate, we do to highest standard possible.