MARCH 2 | 19:00–21:00
Location: CINEMA MOM (1123 Budapest, Alkotás u. 53.)
Blue Heron: Navigating a Canadian–Hungarian Co-Production
Film Screening & Case Study with Gábor Osváth (Boodah)
Join us for a special screening and an insightful discussion with Hungarian producer Gábor Osváth as he breaks down the journey of a debut Canadian–Hungarian co-production. Gábor will pull back the curtain on the complexities of transatlantic filmmaking, sharing how to navigate the logistical hurdles of working across continents and the inevitable compromises required to bring such a project to life.
From the unique experience of managing a blended Canadian and Hungarian crew to the challenges of synchronizing global workflows, this session offers an essential insider’s look at the reality of international independent cinema.
Gábor Osváth – Producer (Boodah)
MARCH 4 | 18:00
Location: MOME Auditorium
Audience Design Masterclass with Benjamin Cölle
Engaging Audiences from Script to Screen
Powered by Fast Forward Program
In today’s oversaturated media landscape, Audience Design (AD) offers a transformative approach to independent filmmaking by placing the story at the heart of engagement strategies.
Originally developed at TorinoFilmLab, this innovative framework moves beyond traditional marketing, treating audience awareness not as a final step for distributors, but as a creative practice for directors and producers during development and production.
This masterclass introduces the CEE film community to the story-based methodology, demonstrating how narrative themes, tone, and stylistic choices can be consciously designed to build meaningful audience connections—without compromising artistic integrity.
Benjamin Cölle – Audience Design expert and Managing Director of Pluto Film. He studied Cultural Studies at Humboldt University (Berlin) and Goldsmiths (London). An experienced film and cross-media producer, he is an alumnus of Pixel Lab and TorinoFilmLab. Alongside leading Pluto Film, he teaches and conducts research at the KONRAD WOLF Film University Babelsberg and works as an Audience Design consultant for initiatives including the World Cinema Fund and BrLab.
MARCH 5 | 18:00
Location: MOME Auditorium
Panel Discussion: 7 Years of Filming
Positive Mania & The Creative Praxis
Filmmaking is a marathon of obsession. To bring a story to life, a director must sustain a specific fever—a devotion to a single image or narrative—for years. But how do we keep that inner fire burning when industry pressures, artistic shifts, and personal life constantly pull us away?
This panel explores how raw passion can be transformed into a sustainable creative practice. It’s about moving beyond the “waiting phase” of development and finding joy in the daily act of doing. Whether in documentary or fiction, the challenge remains the same: you cannot sit over a treatment forever—you have to go out and film.
Participants:
Bernadett Tuza-Ritter – Documentary filmmaker, editor, and mental health professional. Her debut feature documentary A Woman Captured (2017) achieved major international success and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Following her studies in mental health, she began focusing on the psychological well-being of filmmakers. She is co-founder of The Well-being Center, supporting mental health in the film, television, and theatre industries.
Sára Tímár – Film director and photographer with a background from MOME. Her photographic works have been exhibited internationally (Amsterdam, Basel, Copenhagen). Her first documentary, Under the Dance Floor, was developed through Eurodoc and IDFAcademy and premiered at Fipadoc in 2026.
MARCH 6 | 10:00
Location: MOME Auditorium
BDFF 2026 – Pitch Forum
Participants of the BDFF 2026 workshops will present 8 feature film projects to the audience.
Jury Members:
Lili Horvát – Budapest-born director who studied in Paris and at the University of Theatre and Film Arts (SZFE). Her debut feature The Wednesday Child won at Karlovy Vary. Her second feature, Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time, premiered in Venice and was Hungary’s official Oscar submission. She is currently in post-production on her first English-language film, My Notes on Mars (starring Mackenzie Davis and Rupert Friend).
Gábor Sipos – Academy Award-winning producer and co-founder of Laokoon Filmgroup. His most renowned work, Son of Saul, won the Academy Award, the Golden Globe, and the Grand Prix at Cannes. He is a member of the European Film Academy.
Julianna Ugrin – European Film Award-nominated producer and founder of Éclipse Film. Her films (including A Woman Captured, Easy Lessons, The Decision) have received awards at major festivals such as Sundance and IDFA. She is President of MADOKE, Chair of the Documentary Association of Europe (DAE), and a lecturer at SZFE.
Applications for the programs are available via the link below.
