Budapest: Europe’s new Hollywood

In the last 10 years Budapest became the ‘Mecca of filmmakers’, it could also be called ’Budawood’ – in a 12-minute report the most popular French television channel, TF1 went after what made Budapest so attractive for the foreign filmmakers.

The reporters visited the Korda Studios, where the series ’Ransom’ were produced. Sturla Gunnersson Canadian film director praised the work of the Hungarian crew, he was also greatly impressed by the Boeing 747 airplane stage which was built for the production. The foreign crew members were amazed by the experience of the Hungarian staff and the high quality of services.

The report mentions that in 2017 nearly 300 productions were made in Hungary, including movies with the highest production budget such as ‘Blade Runner 2049’ and ‘Inferno’.

Budapest is the most favorite production place in Europe after London. The French TV visited Andy Vajna, government commissioner for film industry, the so-called ’Mr. Cinema’ at his home, where Vajna showed never-seen common photos with Stallone and Schwarzenegger. The producer said in the interview that beyond the highly experienced crews and developed infrastructure, the Hungarian tax rebate system is also very attractive for the foreign productions.

In the Korda Stúdió the outdoor renaissance scene was also presented, which was built for ‘The Borgias’ series. Everything is possible in the studios, for instance in 2014 200 tonnes of soil and sand were delivered for the Hollywood giga production The Martian starring Matt Damon.

Beyond the studios, Budapest has unique natural and architectural values, like the Gresham Palace facing the Chain Bridge ‘playing a role’ in the American action comedy ‘Spy’ starring Melissa McCarthy.

The report presents the 100-year old Gellért Bath as an unmissable site of Budapest and recalls GQ magazine's photo series with Ryan Gosling which went viral all over the world.

Nowadays you can bump into the biggest movie stars in Budapest anytime: Tom Hanks posted about his favorite old cars of Budapest, Harrison Ford was a frequent customer of bike shops of the Hungarian capital.

It is widely known, that ‘Los Angeles wind is blowing above the Danube’. The tourism has the biggest benefit, the famous movies and film stars are great ambassadors of Budapest. There are nearly 4 million tourists choosing Budapest as a destination every year.

April 2018