23-03-2022

PRODUCTION: Balázs Lóth Preps Historical Adventure with Record High Production Grant

By
    Petőfi Petőfi

    BUDAPEST: Balázs Lóth is currently in preproduction with the historical adventure film Now or Never! / Most vagy soha!, for which he received a record amount of funding of 12.2 m EUR / 4.5 billion HUF, highest since 1989, from the National Film Institute – Hungary in January 2022.

    This is the biggest production support from the state since the fall of communism in 1989, surpassing Bet on Revenge / Kincsem directed by Gábor Herendi and produced by Café Film in coproduction with DRP and SkyFilm. Bet on Revenge was made with 7.8 m EUR / 2.9 billion HUF in 2017, of which 5.7 m EUR / 2.1 billion HUF were granted by the predecessor of the National Film Institute – Hungary, the Hungarian National Film Fund.

    Now or Never! tells the events of the fateful day of 15 March 1848 when the Hungarian Revolution and the War of Independence started, and it will be connected with the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Sándor Petőfi's birth in 2023. The script penned by Márk Kis-Szabó, Philip Rákay and Vajk Szente follows for 24 hours one of the greatest Hungarian poets, Sándor Petőfi, and other radical youths who sparked the revolution.

    Péter Fülöp, Zoltán Csincsi, László Kriskó and Philip Rákay are producing through Pilvax Film. The budget and the names of the actors have not been released yet.

    For the faithful depiction of Pest-Buda in 1848, the production will build a new set at the MAFILM Studio in Fót, which will become property of the National Film Institute after the shooting.

    Filming is scheduled to start this spring and cameras are expected to roll for 106 days.

    The DoP is Tamás Dobos, who lensed Natural Light / Természetes fény directed by Dénes Nagy and produced by Campfilm in coproduction with Novak Prod, Mistrus Media, Lilith Films, Propeller Film and Proton Cinema, which was awarded the Silver Bear for best director at the Berlinale 2021.

    Now or Never! is Balázs Lóth's second feature film after the heist comedy Budapest Heist / Pesti Balhé, produced by FP Films in coproduction with Film Force.

    Production Information:

    Producer:
    Pilvax Film (Hungary)

    Credits:
    Director: Balázs Lóth
    Scriptwriters: Márk Kis-Szabó, Philip Rákay, Vajk Szente
    DoP: Tamás Dobos