16-11-2010

Hungarian Filmmakers Protest Funding Cuts

By Zsolt Gyenge

    Hungarian filmmakers published an open letter to the prime minister in an ongoing struggle over the future of film funding in Hungary. The letter, published on 16 November, urged the prime minister not to change the funding system or cut film funding.

    Funding now goes through the Motion Picture Public Foundation of Hungary (MMKA, http://english.mmka.hu/). The government has planned to reconfigure the allocation of funds for films, and take the power away from MMKA.

    The Association of Hungarian Filmmakers has asked the government to honour a contract which is valid until 2013 and which gives MMKA the authority to grant HUF 6 billion in 2011. The government's plan would allot HUF 1 billion to MMKA for grants, and 2 billion to the ministry of the economy to distribute in 2011.