‘Dune’ Proves Hungarian Biz ‘Hard Act to Beat’ as Production in Budapest Booms

variety.com:

Christopher Vourlias Few could have predicted the global disruptions of the past two years, with the coronavirus pandemic continuing to claim lives and upend livelihoods and the war in Ukraine – now in its second month – sparking a crisis whose human, political and economic tolls have yet to be fully reckoned with.

For most of the world’s screen industries, forced to adapt on the fly to unforeseen and often unprecedented events, simply staying afloat has somehow come to feel like a triumph.Yet despite the challenges and lingering uncertainty, the Hungarian industry is riding high.

The impressive Oscar haul of Legendary and Warner Bros.’ “Dune,” which filmed in Hungary and won six Academy Awards at Sunday night’s ceremony, is just the latest validation of a booming biz that is only moving from strength to strength.

Last year total production spend in Hungary reached $650 million – a new record, and nearly 30% higher than in the last pre-pandemic year of 2019. “It’s electrifying to witness the post-COVID boom in our screen industry,” says film commissioner Csaba Káel.Instrumental to that success has been the buy-in from both the government and the private sector, with a streamlined permit process, state-of-the-art sound stages and facilities, and highly skilled English-speaking crews contributing to make Hungary the second-largest production hub in Europe, after the U.K.