“Open, down-to-earth, cute” – We spoke with László Kolozsi about the revamped Veszprém-Balaton Film Picnic

From August 27–29, Hungarian films will once again take center stage in Veszprém and Balatonfüred: the “old-new” Film Picnic will offer three days of lighthearted, yet meaningful entertainment, exciting cinematic experiences, and special accompanying programs to wrap up the summer at Lake Balaton. 

How will Filmpiknik be revamped this year, what programs await the audience, and why should you head to the countryside at the end of August? We askedLászló Kolozsi, the festival’s artistic director—among other things—about the new concept and the most exciting moments of this year’s program.  

The primary goal was to launch an event with a great atmosphere. We’re not starting from scratch, but rather returning to the basics—the original Filmpicnic, which was launched in 2020 as part of the Veszprém-Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture program. This year, we want to organize a film event and celebration that will energize the city, the shores of Lake Balaton, and—not least—serves as a meeting place for filmmakers where they can discuss the experiences of recent years. 

Compared to previous years, there were many more discussions during the earlier Film Picnics, filmmakers were able to spend more time with the audience, which helped create a much more direct relationship between them. Our main goal is to draw on these traditions during this year’s Filmpicnic.  

A festival should be primarily about the audience: Audiences can feel special because they get to hear meaningful conversations, even on topics that aren’t discussed elsewhere. And if the audience has a good time, industry professionals will also have the opportunity to connect with one another, since I think there’s plenty for us to discuss. It’s great that so many of us filmmakers are gathering here— after the challenges of recent years, these gatherings are especially valuable, and it’s important for us to be together, and explore opportunities together. 

We have compiled a selection of feature films, short documentaries, animated movies, and documentaries released in 2025. We’re not leaving out any of the feature films or anyone involved in them, but our focus isn’t on the screenings themselves—it’s on including many short and animated movies that can’t be seen anywhere else. The movies will be followed by discussions with the filmmakers, making the festival both a retrospective of the past year’s movies and a broader selection from the shorter movie genres. The Filmpicnic program features movies that stood out from the festival lineup.  

Each of them is associated with some kind of anniversary: Zoltán Latinovits, one of Hungary’s most popular actors, died 50 years ago; János Herskó, a film director and recipient of the Kossuth Award and two Béla Balázs Awards, was born exactly 100 years ago. Incidentally, he is the artist who is better known as a teacher—he even taught Bergman—but at the same time, I consider his movies to be particularly valuable: during the festival, visitors can watch his movie N.N., the Angel of Death at FOTON in Veszprém. Movie director and screenwriter Béla Tarr was our greatest loss in recent times; we lost him at the beginning of this year.  

Andrea is an internationally recognized actress, so her role is not limited to simply being the face of the festival; she also actively participates in discussions and hosts programs. For me, it is her personality, her calmness, and her poise that are so compelling.  

Picnic, because the event isn’t confined within four walls, but the proximity of Lake Balaton also clearly defines the festival: you can head down to the shore after a movie, where the breezes bring a refreshing coolness. You can sit out a concert—say, Brumikora in Nyárkert— and, perhaps with a spritzer in hand, listen to stories about which film projects were rejected or what’s been happening in the film industry over the past few years.  

The topic of numerous accompanying programs and discussions is how to set boundaries and how to say no—topics that may be of interest beyond just the movie industry. As I mentioned, Filmpicnic is an event that doesn’t confine filmmakers to a closed space; you can even sit down with them on a café terrace if you like.  

For everyone who loves a great atmosphere, small festivals, and wants to be a part of the movie community.  

I really love the opening movie titled Stars of Little Importance, Renátó Olasz’s production, and I’m looking forward to seeing what it will be like when the festival opens with this movie.

Open. Direct. Cute.