Tony Curtis International Film Festival

The Tony Curtis International Film Festival, organized by the Hungarian Hollywood Council, the Municipality of Mátészalka, and Origo Film Group Zrt, concluded on September 19-21 in Mátészalka.

Out of the films submitted from 17 countries, 33 were selected as finalists by the jury led by Attila Szász, a film director and recipient of the Balázs Béla Award. The films were screened to full houses, and attendees could also participate in nearly 20 side events. Among those present were Robert Koltai, Iván Kamarás, Anikó Sáfár, Gábor Piroch, and many Hungarian film industry professionals.

The guest of honor at the festival was Jill Curtis-Weber, widow of the legendary Hollywood actor. Tony Curtis's parents were from Mátészalka, making the festival's location symbolic. Balázs Bokor, president of the Hungarian Hollywood Council, expressed his joy at the festival's success in attracting so many visitors and significantly boosting the cultural life of the small town in Eastern Hungary. He emphasized that the Mátészalka festival is becoming a tradition, as this was the third year the Hungarian Hollywood Council has brought a film festival to the town. Together with Dr. Márta Fekszi Horváth, CEO of Origo Film Group, he announced that in 2025, on the 100th anniversary of Tony Curtis's birth, another grand festival will be held. Bokor highlighted that the 2025 event will feature international stars and well-known film personalities. Along with the festival, the comprehensive program will include a film camp, a conference on Hungarians in Hollywood, and several other exciting events. The mayor of the town expressed pride in Mátészalka’s emerging role in the international film world. "This festival clearly proves that the town has a place on the international film map," said Dr. Péter Hanusi.

At the festival, Noémi Veronika Szakonyi's film Hat hét (Six Weeks) won the HUF 1 million grand prize for Best Feature Film. Asia Dér's Nem halok meg (I Will Not Die) won Best Documentary, while Edit Jakab's Szarvasbőgés (Deer Bell) won Best Short Documentary and received HUF 250,000 in post-production services from Origo Film Studio. Mo Harawe's Meglátogatnak-e a szüleim (Will My Parents Come to Visit Me) won the HUF 300,000 prize from the National Association of Entrepreneurs for Best Short Film.

Other award recipients included Réka Pigniczky’s Kaláka – a Kárpátoktól a Karib-tengerig (Kaláka – From the Carpathians to the Caribbean), Barnabás Tóth’s Mesterjátszma (Mastergame), Nicholas Gyeney’s Az aktivált ember (The Activated Man), Dahlia Nemlich’s Valahol középen (Somewhere in Between), Zahra Mojahed’s Hangtalanul (Voiceless), and Kálmán Nagy’s Az utca másik végén (The Other End of the Street), all of which received the Hungarian Hollywood Council Paramount Premium Award. The festival also awarded Best Director to Áron Gauder (A kojot négy lelke – Four Souls of Coyote), Best Cinematographer to Steven Samy (Meglátogatnak-e a szüleim? – Will My Parents Come to Visit Me), Best Actor to Zoltán Bezerédi (Lefkovicsék gyászolnak – All about the Levkoviches), and Best Actress to Katalin Román (Hat hét – Six Weeks). Noémi Veronika Szakonyi, director, and Judit Romwalter, producer, also won the Mátészalka Audience Award for Hat hét (Six Weeks).

The CinProCas Special Award for outstanding cinematography went to Zoltán Dévényi, who was the cinematographer for two Hungarian feature films at the festival: Lefkovicsék gyászolnak (All about the Levkoviches) and Hat hét (Six Weeks). In the short film category, the award went to Karim El Ali, cinematographer of the Lebanese film Somewhere in Between (Somewhere in Between).