CHINA Edition
Hungarian Edition
The curtains have been raised on the 55th International Quorum of Motion Picture Producers (IQ) Conference, starting with the glamorous “Shooting Star Soiree” at the W Budapest Hotel. Producers from all arounds the world had the chance to meet Hungary’s most celebrated actors, including Natasa Stork, Dorka Gryllus, Iván Kamarás, Gera Marina, Eszter Balla, Linda Zsíros and Klára Tolnai, just to name a few.
Spotlight on Emerging Talent and Global Concerns
Balázs Juszt, Hungarian member of IQ and host of this year’s conference, expressed his enthusiasm for the gathering of so much talent: “Hungary has given 10 ‘Shooting Stars’ to the European Film Promotion (EFP) over the past four decades. It’s a big number for such a small country.”
(For readers unfamiliar with the term, “Shooting Stars” is an EFP initiative designed to spotlight up-and-coming European actors.)
Additionally, Juszt touched on the current crisis in Israel: “I don’t want to ask for a minute of silence because silence implies complicity in what is going on right now in Israel. I want to give voice to what’s going on. I do want to make sure that we all agree to stand up against terrorism and violence against humans.”
Building Global Collaborations
Kjartan Thordarson, President of IQ, emphasised the organisation’s international reach: “In IQ, there are people from around the world, and probably 70% of them don’t know what ‘Shooting Stars’ is. But we in Europe do. We bring ties from around Europe together to promote new and long talents because that’s what we do as producers. We bring in new people in real time, all the time. So this is a very, very special occasion.”
Praising Hungarian Film Production
Director and producer Brett Ratner, known for his work on the ‘Rush Hour’ films and countless succesful movies, reminisced about his experience filming ‘Hercules’ at ORIGO Studios in Budapest: “I filmed here 10 years ago, and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. The crew was exceptional. So when I speak to Johnny Depp, I’m going to ask him how the crew is.”
What’s on the Agenda Today?
Following the star-studded start, today’s program includes a significant highlight: a round-table discussion at The Workshop in Budapest. Featured panelists include industry heavyweights like Adam Goodman of Mid Atlantic Films, Astra Studios CEO Gábor Rajna, and Viktória Petrányi, producer at Proton Cinema. The panel, moderated by Népszava’s Géza Csákvári, aims to highlight the successes of Hungary’s film service industry while providing invaluable lessons for IQ’s attending producers.
