Two Hungarian Films in Competition at the Oscar-qualifying London Festival

During the filming of Cat Call

At the Academy Awards- and BAFTA-qualifying London Raindance Film Festival, director Rozália Szeleczki will present her absurd romantic comedy in person. Another Hungarian film, Dorka Vermes’ Árni, has also been invited to the competition, writes Magyar Nemzet.

The 2024 Raindance Film Festival, taking place in London’s vibrant West End film district between June 19-28, is one of the most important events for young filmmakers to showcase their work to audiences and professionals alike.

In recent years, the festival’s judging panel has included stars such as Game of Thrones star Liam Cunningham, Homeland star Damian Lewis and Spanish-German actor Daniel Brühl.

Cat Call (Cicaverzum) is competing for three awards, Best First Feature, Best First Director and Best Actor in a Leading Role, at this prestigious event attracting hundreds of industry professionals to the English capital every year.

The awards will be decided by an international jury including Mexican actor Diego Luna, star of Dirty Dancing 2 and the hit Disney adventure series Andor.

Rozália Szeleczki’s Cat Call will be making its UK debut at The Prince Charles Cinema in London, where the film’s cinematographer, Kristóf M. Deák, this year’s winner of the Hungarian Film Critics Awards for Best Cinematographer, will be present.

Cat Call is the story of the strange romance between a young girl and a talking black cat. Disillusioned with love, she falls under the influence of a manipulative tomcat and almost loses everything she has ever cared about.

The script of Cat Call was co-written by Rozália Szeleczki and Zsófi Kemény, a Hungarian poet, with cinematography by Kristóf M. Deák, costumes by Juli Szlávik, editing by Zsófi Érdi, music by Ádám Czitrom, casting by Irma Ascher and production by Petra Iványi. Her leading actress, Franciska Törőcsik, recently won the Hungarian Motion Picture Awards for Best Actress. Cat Call is now available on Filmio.

Dorka Vermes’ film Árni is also in the running for Best First Feature, Best First Director and Best Actress in a Leading Role at the Raindance Film Festival.

The movie covers the story of Árni, a sensitive and bird-like man, who works as a handyman at a small and dingy traveling circus touring in rural areas. The troupe is made up from a family that runs the circus, where Árni is the only non-family member. He lives like a monk, his days revolve around feeding the animals and doing various works for the circus. The circus gets a new python, and the creature piques Árni’s curiosity.

Via Magyar Nemzet; Featured image via Facebook/Cicaverzum