The Hungarian Ministry of Public Affairs and Justice (http://www.kormany.hu/en) called together the founders of the MMK last week to tell them that the MMK would be shut down by the end of May 2011. The MMK was an independent foundation founded by 32 professional organisations from the Hungarian film industry.

A government representative told the founders that the self-governing system of subsidising the film culture had proved to be corrupt and inefficient as MMKA has 10 billion forints of debts (37 million EUR) due to irresponsible management.

Film professionals claim that corruption and bad management played only a minor role in the MMK's insolvency and that the main reason for the foundation's demise was the failure of the present government to honour the four-year contract signed between the previous government and MMKA that would have financed the activities of the foundation.