Hungary has selected the film Semmelweis to represent the country in the International Feature Film category at the Oscars, based on the decision of a professional committee responsible for the Hungarian nomination, the National Film Institute (NFI) announced on Tuesday.
According to the NFI, the professional committee that decided on the official Hungarian Oscar submission chose Lajos Koltai’s film from among 18 Hungarian feature films.
The committee included Csaba Káel, Government Commissioner for Motion Pictures; Gabriella Koncz, film editor; György Lukácsy, dramaturge and director; Emil Novák, cinematographer, director, and president of the Hungarian Film Academy; Ákos Pesti, film production expert; Zsuzsanna Sipos, Oscar-winning set decorator (Dune); and Csilla Szabó, dramaturge.
According to the rules of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, each country may submit one feature film for the International Feature Film category of the 97th Academy Awards next March. These films must have been released in their respective countries between 1 November 2023 and 30 September 2024. From these submissions, Academy members will select five nominees that will ultimately compete for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film. The list of nominees will be announced on 17 January 2025, and the Oscar ceremony will take place on 2 March in Los Angeles.
Last autumn, after its world premiere in New York and screenings in Los Angeles, Semmelweis, directed by Lajos Koltai and starring Miklós H. Vecsei and Katica Nagy, and produced by Tamás Lajos, captivated audiences in Toronto as well. The film, which tells the story of the world-renowned Hungarian doctor Ignác Semmelweis, won the award for Best Film at the Toronto EU Film Festival based on audience votes. In Hungary approximately 350,000 people have seen the film drama, and its success continued on the largest streaming platform, the NFI highlighted in a statement.
Semmelweis was produced with the support of the National Film Institute and was created by Szupermodern Filmstúdió. Alongside producer Tamás Lajos, Joe Vida also served as a producer. The film’s cinematography was by András Nagy, the screenplay was written by Balázs Maruszki, and Kriszta Goda was the dramaturge. The production design was by Pater Sparrow, costume design by Györgyi Szakács, and editing by Zoltán Kovács.
The National Film Institute has sold the distribution rights for Semmelweis across all countries in the region, as well as to Spain, Latin America, and North America.
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