Hungarian film week opens discretely without a bang

The 39th annual Hungarian Film Week (Magyar Film Szemle, 2008) got under way discretely this year on January 30 without the customary fanfare of a grand opening gala at the Budapest Convention Center. There was, consequently, no prestige opening film or the usual champagne banquet where one might rub elbows with some of the sacred cows of the local industry such as the Jancsos and the Szabos, or catch sight of a Hungarian movie star or two. Whether this is due to a drastic cutback in funding...