The Hangdóm, the 360-degree projection theatre at Hungary’s House of Music, is reopening its doors with an audiovisual festival running from 14 to 19 January. The event will feature immersive film screenings, premieres, and returning favourites, alongside discussions with the creators, as announced by the institution.
A major highlight is the premiere of A Titokzatos Városliget (The Mysterious City Park) on 15 January, created in collaboration with Animatiqua. This 360-degree animated film, narrated by Pál Mácsai, offers a journey through the City Park’s history from the turn of the century to the mid-20th century. Utilizing archival photographs from the Fortepan collection, the film brings forgotten moments to life through a series of vignettes.
Returning crowd-pleasers include the immersive 360-degree music videos based on Platon Karataev’s Napkötöző album, which earned the Music Hungary Visual Award in 2024.
Tibor Szemző’s nearly hour-long film Csoma Kaleidoscope transports audiences to the Himalayas, combining music and visuals inspired by the life of scholar and pilgrim Sándor Kőrösi Csoma, author of the first Tibetan dictionary. The Hangdóm becomes a mesmerizing kaleidoscope, vividly recreating the natural and spiritual world of the Himalayas.
The festival honours György Ligeti with double screenings of his works. Symphonic Poem for 100 Metronomes is presented as a 360-degree experience that evokes profound reflections on time and existence. This is followed by the first movement of his Chamber Concerto for Thirteen Instruments, recorded with 13 musicians at the Pannonia Film Studio.
A wide range of experimental films will also feature, including Dávid Szauder’s Mestersége az Intelligencia (The Craft of Intelligence), which reinterprets 2000 years of classical art through AI-generated visuals. Dávid Somló’s The Spaces Speak, Can You Hear? merges dreamlike animations of analogue photographs with imagined soundscapes, creating a sensory dialogue between visuals and sound.
The Best of Dome selection brings back popular past productions, including the 360-degree animated tale Lengemesék, suitable for children, and films exploring the landscapes and landmarks of Budapest and the Carpathian Basin.
The festival also features artistic explorations of Renoir, Bosch, and Csontváry, alongside nature films like The Red-footed Falcon, created in collaboration with the Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society.
With the reopening, the upgraded Hangdóm 360 cinema will host daily screenings across multiple time slots. The diverse programme spans art history films, animations, family-friendly productions, and abstract experimental works, offering something for every audience.
The reopening festival marks a fresh chapter for the Hangdóm, blending technology, art, and history into a truly immersive experience.
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