Hungarian Producers Head to Cannes Market With a Slate Topped by Hollywood Stars, Rising Talents and Local Rom-Coms

After a surprise, landslide electoral defeat brought down longtime strongman Viktor Orbán last month, there’s a breath of new life in the Hungarian film industry. Here’s a rundown of the some of the buzziest titles local producers are bringing to the Cannes market, featuring a mix of top Hollywood stars and emerging local talents.: MoulinDirector: László NemesProducer: Alain GoldmanThe Oscar-winning “Son of Saul” director’s latest, which is competing for the Palme d’Or, is a French-language historical drama that tells the story of the resistance fighter Jean Pierre Moulin, who helped free France from Nazi occupation.Sales: 193 EmbersDirector: István SzabóProducers: Robert Lantos, Tibor KrskoRalph Fiennes, Viggo Mortensen and Charlotte Rampling topline the star-studded cast of the latest from Oscar-winning director Szabó (“Mephisto”). Adapted from Sándor Márai’s acclaimed novel, it follows once inseparable friends who reconnect decades after one’s mysterious disappearance.Sales: Embankment Films Popular on Variety My Notes on MarsDirector: Lili HorvátProducers: Lili Horvát, Dóra CsernátonyMackenzie Davis and Rupert Friend star in Horvát’s English-language debut, which tells the story of a brilliant scientist who reappears weeks after vanishing on a hike with her husband and friends, offering the couple a chance to rekindle their marriage.Sales: Paradise City Sales Cheaters WelcomeDirector: Dénes OroszProducers: Dorottya Helmeczy, Gábor KálomistaThe latest from the director of the blockbuster musical rom-com “How Could I Live Without You?” follows a couple whose relationship is pushed to the limits over the course of two chaotic days, driven by misunderstandings and manipulation.Sales: NFI World Sales UntitledDirector: Gábor ReiszProducer: Julia BerkesThe follow-up to Reisz’s 2023 Venice premiere “Explanation for Everything” follows a many whose apathetic spell is broken when he finds himself at the forefront of a tragicomic domestic revolution.Sales: N/A How Could I Live Without You? 2Director: Zsombor DygaProducer: Attila KirádyThe follow-up to the record-breaking romantic musical comedy, based on the songs of rock star Ferenc Demjén, which topped the box office in 2025 and was the most successful Hungarian film of the past 40 years.Sales: NFI World Sales Just One More WishDirectors: Kata Dobo, Fanni SzilagyiProducers: Dorottya Helmeczy, Gábor KálomistaA romantic comedy that follows a music manager whose ordinary life takes a dramatic turn when she discovers a mysterious notebook that allows her to rewrite reality. But soon she learns that she isn’t able to change her fate — just avoid responsibility when things start going wrong. Sales: NFI World Sales Espionage for BeginnersDirector: Viktor Oszkar NagyProducer: István MajorA Cold War-era period comedy that’s inspired by the true story of a Hungarian hotel receptionist whose life takes an unexpected turn as he becomes ensnared in a web of love, espionage and self-discovery.Sales: NFI World Sales Only ChildDirector: Balint SzentgyorgyiProducer: Gabriella IllesThe feature debut of the creator and director of the HBO Europe series “The Informant” is a Hitchcockian thriller about a childless couple whose holiday in the countryside is upended by the arrival of a mysterious guest.Sales: NFI World Sales RetreatDirector: Hajni KisProducer: Julia BerkesThe latest feature from Kis, whose debut “Wild Roots” premiered in competition at Karlovy Vary in 2021, is set at a remote countryside retreat where a despondent man’s raging emotions put him into conflict with his wife and the community.Sales: N/A