Just the Wind (Csak a Szél)
Contemporary World Cinema - Doha Tribecca Film Festival 2012
Bence Fliegauf / Feature Narrative / Hungary, Germany, France / 2012 / 87 min / Colour / DCP / In Hungarian / Arabic, English subtitles / MENA Premiere
Rated: Parental guidance advised for viewers under the age of 15. Individuals under the age of 15 are not admitted into cinemas unless accompanied by an individual aged 18 or over.
Synopsis
The uncomfortably intimate camerawork, ominous sound design and naturalistic performances of non-professional actors in ‘Just the Wind’ provide a window on the deep-rooted racism that too often rears its ugly head in the world. Between 2008 and 2009, in a series of shocking acts of racially motivated violence, six Hungarian Romani families were murdered in cold blood by unknown assailants. Director Bence Fliegauf sets his heartrending film shortly after the fifth of these incidents, following one downtrodden but hopeful Hungarian Romani family as they make their way through their ordinary days. But ‘ordinary’ for Birdy, Anna and Rio means living in a world where the constant threat of exploitation, abuse, mockery and violence hang like a storm cloud over their heads. While Fliegauf’s film takes place in his homeland, its message is a universal condemnation of racism and the agonising impact it has on the people who are its target.
About the Director
Benedek ‘Bence’ Fliegauf was born in Budapest in 1974 and has worked as assistant to Miklos Jancso and Arpad Sopsits. After two shorts and two documentaries, he made his feature debut with ‘Forest’ in 2003. ‘Tejút’ won the Golden Leopard in Locarno in 2007, while ‘Just the Wind’ won the Grand Jury Prize in Berlin earlier this year.
Credits
- Director
- Bence Fliegauf
- Screenwriter
- Bence Fliegauf
- Producer
- Mónika Mécs, András Muhi, Erno Mesterházy
- Editor
- Xavier Box
- Music
- Bence Fliegauf, Tamás Beke
- Cinematographer
- Zoltán Lovasi
- Sales Company
- Match Factory
- Cast
- Katalin Toldi, Gyöngyi Lendvai, Lajos Sárkány, György Toldi, Gyula Horváth, Gergo Kaszás