From 29 October to 3 November, the BIFF – Budapest International Film Festival will bring the world’s latest and most exciting festival film selection to the capital. In addition to the 19 international film selections, the organisers are also launching a professional programme, with the BIFF HUB in Turbina open from 31 October, a photo exhibition and the opening party in the 8th district complex.

An independent international film festival is back in Budapest, with the BIFF – Budapest International Film Festival starting on 29 October. The annual cultural project will bring 19 international films to Hungary, which will be screened in the three halls of the Corvin Cinema and outside venues. The Turbina Cultural Centre will be the centre of the festival, where a photo exhibition, professional masterclass discussions and a multi-day professional programme have been announced.

“It was important for us to have a festival centre next to the cinema, which would host us as a cultural space. We wanted a space that would function as a meeting point throughout the day and support the screenings with professional accompanying programmes. We see the Turbina as a niche venue, as it has a unique ability to bring together and showcase different artistic disciplines. Budapest has been in need of this for a long time, so we are very happy about this cooperation”, said Kristóf Horváth, Festival Director.

On the opening day of the festival, 29 October, the organisers will celebrate the first ever BIFF with a public party organised in collaboration with Telex After, where the contemporary hip hop scene will take centre stage from 10pm: two of the Wavy collective’s mainstays, Dom Beats and Orlando, will perform, and Yungmatka and Pueblo Junior will be on hand at Turbina.

On 31 October, the BIFF Hub will be launched, offering a behind-the-scenes look at filmmaking with renowned filmmakers and film professionals. Discussions will cover the technical and creative processes of filmmaking, the principles of film selection and the relationship between social responsibility and art, in a live and interactive format. On 31 October, Máté Ternyik, the director of the festival’s biggest hit, The Brutalist Colourist, will be the guest of the BIFF Hub, in conversation with cinematographer Zágon Nagy. On 1 November, Gergő V. Nagy will talk to Eduardo Williams, the Argentinian Locarno Grand Prix-winning director of the hypnotic journey of The Human Surge 3, about his creative practice and career path. On the same day, a curatorial roundtable will be held, where Anna Babos and Simon Petri-Lukács (Partizán Filmklub) and Péter Donáth and Dániel Rév (Cinema Niche, BIFF) will discuss the principles of selection and what it means to watch films based on a concept. On the closing day of the BIFF Hub, 2 November, TASZ will organise a discussion on The Story of Souleymane, and Andrea Arnold’s Bird, which will premiere in this year’s Cannes Competition, will be discussed with Lili Lea Ábrahám, Art Director of Lili Ábrahám, who will be the guest of the festival.

The Turbina will also host the UNSEEN photo exhibition, featuring behind-the-scenes photos taken by Hungarian cameramen on set, opening on 31 October at 19.00. As well as presenting never-before-seen photos, the exhibition, like the rest of the BIFF programme, aims to provide a space for professional discussion between cinematographers and the wider film community. Exhibitors. The exhibition will be opened by Gábor Szabó, President of the HCA (Hungarian Cinematographers Association), curated by Zágon Nagy, curator’s assistant Zsófia Máté. After the opening of the exhibition, a photo of the old SZFE cameraman classes will be taken. The professional partners and sponsors of the UNSEEN exhibition are Budachrome and KMH Print.