Productions and Opportunities at Stern Film Studios

ADVERTISING AND LOVEIn August filmmakers were able to  take possession of  Stern Studios in Pomáz, the largest film studio in Hungary.

With its modern facilities, and the adjoining filmmaking school, Stern Film Studios is currently the largest filming complex in Hungary with its studios being one and a half to two times bigger than Mafilm's 1000 sq metres Máriássy and Huszárik studios at its Fót compound.

As filmhu were informed by Emil Novák, artistic director of Stern Studios, the compound was completed mid-summer, and after some finishing touches the studio opened its gates to filmmakers in August. The shooting of a Dutch commercial allowed them to test the two category A studios (1500 and 2240 sq metres), and the attached auxilliary rooms (make-up rooms, dressing rooms, set design workshops, etc.).

Dutch commercial was the first test

Shooting at Stern Studios

The first two parts of the sketch film Szerelem (Love), produced by the Hungarian Society of Cameramen (HSC), was also shot at the Pomáz complex. Tibor Máthé made Gyula Hernádi's short story Vasárnap (Sunday) into a ten-minute short film, while Sándor Kardos did likewise with Gábor Németh's Végjáték (Endgame).

As a member of the board of HSC, Emil Novák told us that these two films were each shot with the ten million forints won at a short films competition run by the Motion Picture Public Foundation of Hungary, with Stern Studios and Sparks providing production capacity. According to the plans of HSC, the remaining parts of the sketch film will also be directed by Hungarian cameramen, putting it all together into a full-length feature film, the common theme of the episodes being love. Starring in the two short films already shot are Juli Básti and Péter Andorrai, and Márta Szabó and Tibor Gáspár.

Talking of the long term plans of Stern Studios, Emil Novák revealed to filmhu that they would like to attract as many domestic and international productions to Pomáz as possible. They are already in talks with three foreign filmmakers—American and English—and these, as the studio's artistic director said, are considered big productions even on an international scale, and a successful conclusion to the talks would provide the studio with enough work for next year.

Hompage: www.sternfilm.com