Documentaries about Nobel Laureate Ferenc Krausz and 1956 Hero Mária Wittner to Be Produced with National Film Institute Financing

Ferenc Krausz receiving the Nobel Prize in Physics from King Gustav XVI of Sweden (R) at the Nobel Prize award ceremony in the Stockholm Concert Hall on 10 December 2023.
Ferenc Krausz receiving the Nobel Prize in Physics from King Gustav XVI of Sweden (R) at the Nobel Prize award ceremony in the Stockholm Concert Hall on 10 December 2023.
Szilárd Koszticsák/MTI
The production supported by the National Film Institute also include a series titled The Nation’s Golden Boys is in the making, focusing on the Hungarian men’s water polo team that won three consecutive Olympic gold medals between 2000 and 2008, and a documentary film that depicts the life of Ferenc Xavér Éder, a Jesuit missionary who was one of the first Hungarian travellers to set foot in Peru and who served as a missionary among the Moxos Indians for twenty years in the 18th century.

Most titles in this article are rough translations, as there are no official English titles available yet.

The National Film Institute (NFI) is supporting seven television productions this year, including the creation of a documentary film depicting the life and work of Nobel laureate physicist Ferenc Krausz, the Institute announced. The institute will also provide support for a documentary film showcasing the life of 1956 revolutionary figure Mária Wittner, and a series highlighting the successes of the Hungarian men’s water polo team led by Dénes Kemény.

In Memoriam Mária Wittner, Hungary’s Freedom Fighter

According to the NFI statement, their jury has granted production support to seven productions. Among these is a dramatized documentary film about physicist

Ferenc Krausz, whose experiments with attosecond light pulses, conducted with his colleagues, earned them the Nobel Prize in Physics last year.

The full-length film portrays the life and work of the scientist, shedding light on the significance of research for everyday human life. The institute is providing 151.9 million forints in support for the film.

Additionally, a series titled The Nation’s Golden Boys is in the making, focusing on the Hungarian men’s water polo team, which won three consecutive Olympic gold medals between 2000 and 2008.

Similarly to the highly successful film of the same title, the series presents the team’s renowned successes during this period. The series includes personal accounts, new insights, and rarely seen archival footage. The series received 198.5 million forints in support.

Actor Károly Eperjes explores the dialogue between humans and God in the documentary titled God’s House Speaks Silently, Road to Heaven. The seven-episode documentary series showcases attempts to restore the dialogue between man and God. The production has been supported with 35 million forints.

Mária Wittner (who later became a prominent figure in Hungarian public life and a Fidesz MP) was sentenced to death and then life imprisonment in 1956.

The documentary film 200 Days portrays the period Wittner spent waiting to be executed before her sentence was commuted,

and also evokes the events of the revolution. The NFI supports the film with 60 million forints.

The acoustic concert series Harmonizing with Nature, held in various locations around the Balaton Highlands, will be documented in a film. The aim is to showcase the natural treasures of the region and the versatile performers of Hungarian popular music. The grant awarded for this project is 18.1 million forints.

Dezső Zsigmond’s documentary film, titled Living Their Lives–Sabina, serves as a sequel to the 2006 film Living Their Lives–Fragments of Transcarpathia, allowing viewers to follow the subsequent fate of the Transcarpathian girl. The film received a grant of 11.9 million forints.

Finally, 53.9 million forints in support were granted to the documentary film A Hungarian Jesuit in the Amazon, which depicts the life of Ferenc Xavér Éder, a Jesuit missionary who was one of the first Hungarian travellers to set foot in Peru and served as a missionary among the Moxos Indians for twenty years in the 18th century.


Related articles:

Ferenc Krausz: The Path to Success Began Fifty Years Ago
Creative Tapestry: NFI’s Investment in TV Films, Documentaries, and Animation

Sources: Hungarian Conservative/NFI/MTI

The production supported by the National Film Institute also include a series titled The Nation’s Golden Boys is in the making, focusing on the Hungarian men’s water polo team that won three consecutive Olympic gold medals between 2000 and 2008, and a documentary film that depicts the life of Ferenc Xavér Éder, a Jesuit missionary who was one of the first Hungarian travellers to set foot in Peru and who served as a missionary among the Moxos Indians for twenty years in the 18th century.

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