The FNE Visegrad Prix is sponsored by the Visegrad Fund (www.visegrad.org) and Film New Europe (www.filmneweurope.com) and recognizes the achievements of filmmakers in Visegrad countries in culture and international cooperation.

The film, a Romanian-Hungarian coproduction directed by Adrian Sitaru, was a testament to Hungarian tenacity in the face of a film funding crisis that saw domestic film production nearly grind to a halt over the past year. Vagasi told FNE that she produced with films without any state funding, but Cor Leonis (www.corleonisfilms.hu) was able to provide 45% of the film's 750,000 budget, largely through theatrical distribution and TV presales. The film also received a grant from Eurimages.

In her acceptance speech, Vagasi noted the importance of a prize for best coproduction. The FNE Visegrad Prix came with an award of 1,000 euros for the production company. She also had high praise for her coproduction partner, Ada Solomon of HiFilm Production (www.hifilm.ro), a fellow graduate of EAVE.

The competition screening in Miskolc was just the second presentation of the film, which picked up both the Best Director and the Best Actor prizes at its premiere at the Locarno IFF in August. The film will begin an extensive festival tour before hitting cinemas in Hungary.