Hungarian election winner Péter Magyar is set to travel to Italy’s Riviera International Film Festival on May 5 to attend the international premiere of of documentary “Spring Wind – The Awakening.”
The doc charts the political journey that culminated with his historic April 12 victory in the country’s general elections. Directed by Tamás Yvan Topolánszky, “Spring Wind – The Awakening” takes viewers behind the scenes of Magyar’s political rise that has led to the dethroning of Hungary’s longtime prime minister Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power, rejecting Orbán’s far-right policies and anti-European Union stance.
The doc, independently produced by Topolánszky and Claudia Sümeghy with Juno 11 Pictures and Halluci-Nation, played prominently in Hungary in movie theaters, on HBO, and also as an online freebie in the lead-up to the Hungarian elections. Juno 11 Distribution is handling international sales.
“‘Spring Wind’ has become the most viewed Hungarian documentary ever in cinemas and it has 3.3 million views on YouTube in two days and it has been leading the HBO ratings list for two weeks,” Magyar stated in an Instagram post. “My thanks to the creators of this film that has reached out compatriots and to the organizers of the film festival for the invitation.”
Magyar’s center-right Tisza party gained 141 seats out of 199 in parliament — the largest majority in Hungary’s post-Communist history.
The 10th edition of the Riviera International Film Festival, which is held in the picturesque seaside town of Sestri Levante on Italy’s ligurian coast and is headed by Los Angeles-based Italian producer Stefano Gallini-Durante, will run May 5-10.
