As part of the ARTES Film Lab, you are all invited to join us for three screenings of Hungarian contemporary films which all discuss the theme of education. After a short introduction by Betti Bodò and myself, the films will be screened. Afterwards, there will be drinks and snacks and time for a discussion. As we are co-writing an article on these three films, we welcome input and suggestions. (See below for more information about the article.)
Magyarázat mindenre (Explanation for Everything, Gábor Reisz, 2023)
Date: 13/02/2026, 15:00 – 18:00
Room: PCH 1.05
Fekete pont (Lesson Learned, Bálint Szimler, 2024)
Date: 27/02/2026, 12:00 – 15:00
Room: PCH 1.04
Elfogy a levegõ (Without Air, Katalin Moldovai, 2023)
Date: 06/03/2026, 12:00 – 15:00
Room: PCH 1.04
Background information
In the upcoming article, we examine particular scenes from these three internationally lauded feature films, with a focus on their portrayals of authoritarian systems through the theme of education. The theoretical framework is based on the notion of ‘Culture War’ as described by Zsolt Győr (2024). We argue that Hungarian cinema offers a transnationally legible cinematic reading of authoritarianism, and that education functions as a key cinematic trope of (understanding) illiberal governance.
We will 1) travel through time and space by recognising recurring themes in European moviemaking practices of twentieth and twenty-first century illiberal/authoritarian political systems, 2) address the current role of Budapest as an important filmmaking hub in the Eastern European region, 3) consider film a crucial medium for understanding these political tendencies, 4) identify the cinematic trope of ‘education’ (and a specific set of sub-themes) as a key to depict and decipher nationalist political strategies and its illiberal effects on citizens and artists specifically, 5) interrogate how these films resonated with Western audiences in their representation of illiberal narratives, and lastly, 6) with the addition of interviews with the filmmakers, propose to read this article as a discursive practice, continuing the discussion that follows the viewing process.
All welcome! Please send us an email.
Linde Luijnenburg 