Semmelweis Named Best Film at the EU Film Festival in Toronto

Semmelweis, directed by Lajos Koltai, was named best film at the European Union Film Festival in Toronto and won the Audience Award. The female lead actress of the new Hungarian film, Katica Nagy, attended the screening and audience meeting in Toronto, reports Index.

As the National Film Institute’s statement says, following the highly successful world premiere in New York and screenings in Los Angeles, Toronto audiences were captivated by Lajos Koltai’s film about Ignaz Semmelweis, the world-famous Hungarian doctor known as the “savior of mothers.” At the 19th edition of the Toronto EU Film Festival, presenting outstanding European films to Canadian audiences over the weekend,

the Hungarian film won the Audience and the Best Film award.

Katica Nagy, the female lead in Semmelweis, was present at the screening and also attended an audience meeting at the invitation of the Consulate General of Hungary Toronto.

 

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Academy Award-nominated director Lajos Koltai has brought together Hungary’s best actors to create a gripping, spectacular, and emotional chronicle of the story of an extraordinary man.

“Ignaz Semmelweis was a man who found his path and knew how to walk it. For all his unpleasantness, he consistently stood for something, even when he was constantly running into obstacles. His manic dedication was destined for the screen. There are few examples to follow in the world, but this is certainly one,” explained Koltai of his film’s protagonist.

The romantic, twisty, and exciting movie evokes the atmosphere of 19th century Vienna, the excitement of a contemporary hospital and the conflict between Austrian and Hungarian doctors. Semmelweis is already in cinemas in Hungary.

Semmelweis was produced by the National Film Institute with the support of the Supermodern Film Studio. The film was produced by Tamás Lajos and Joe Vida, directed by Lajos Koltai; the cinematographer is András Nagy and the script was written by Balázs Maruszki. Miklós Vecsei H. is the lead actor, along with Katica Nagy.

Via Index, Featured image via Facebook/Semmelweis