Bolshe Vita

In the hectic summer of 1989 Hungary opened up its western border, which started a new migration in the upheaval of Eastern Europe. Refugees of politics, proverty and war all passed through Hungary, the crossroads of East and West, adventure seekers, smugglers, mafiosos and a few young people who were looking for a new place in a world that seemed to be renewed. They are the heroes of this story. They arrive from various directions: two moony musicains and an egineer from Russia, two girls from Britain and America. They all meet in Budapest, in a rock-pub called Bolshe Vita. They fall in love and wander around town, the boys trying to make living by playing music in the street or doing business in the “COMECOM” market.They all spend the summer together in the short interval between the collapse of the dictatorships and the dawn of the new chaos – that was the time we called freedom.

Prizes:
1997 – Angers Premiers Plans
Main Prize

1996 – Berlin PRIX EUROPA
European Parliament’s Special Prize

1996 – Budapest Hungarian Film Week
Best First Film

Gene Moskovitz Prize

1996 – Cottbus FilmFestival
Main Prize

International Film Club Association Prize

1996 – Lagów International Film Festival
Golden Grapes Prize

1996 – London Film Festival
Satyajit Ray Award

1996 – Sochi International Film Festival
Grand Pearl Prize

FIPRESCI Prize