- Occupation
Producer - Country
Hungary
Garami Gábor
Three Women
Hajni: She fled from her partner to a home for battered women. He found her. Zita: The frying oil spilled when she was cooking, so her husband nearly beat her to death. Her young son stepped between them. Tamara: Despite her ex-husband's threats, she started a new life. She took her daughter to their former apartment for visitation. All three are mothers. All three are battered women. All three loved the men who beat them. They escaped several times, then returned. Two of them still have a chance to start over...
Mario, the Magician
At the beginning of the 1990s, not long after the change in regime, a miracle occurs in a tiny sleepy Hungarian village with the arrival of Mario, the elegant Italian shoe manufacturer. He promises jobs and wellbeing to the local women, setting the village in motion. Vera cannot resist the charisma of the Italian either. She becomes more and more enchanted by the man's special charm. And she feels the Italian is not indifferent to her either. She dreams obsessively about a better life at Mario's side.
Kiki's Story
„Why can't I give up control, and be spontaneous?” Kiki's question triggers the game off. She gives parts and lines to her companions in the psychodrama group, ready to re-play scenes from the protagonist's past. Thanks to the intimate and warm atmosphere of the group and the inspired guidance of the drama leaders, she can re-live moments of her life - this time with passion. In Kiki's story unfolds a tragedy that seems familiar to people on the East Central European scene.
There Was Once...
The film observes and unfolds a hidden segment of history and life with the help of a devoted teacher. It is based on the meticulous reconstruction of two incredible, intertwining stories: the film presents the destruction of the Jewry of the Hungarian city of Kalocsa, where today none of the Jews are to be found, who once formed a vibrant and productive community and who perished in the Hungarian Holocaust, while it follows, how a gentile teacher from a later generation carefully and systematically succeeds in unearthing that incomparable Jewish-Hungarian tragedy.
Hajni: She fled from her partner to a home for battered women. He found her. Zita: The frying oil spilled when she was cooking, so her husband nearly beat her to death. Her young son stepped between them. Tamara: Despite her ex-husband's threats, she started a new life. She took her daughter to their former apartment for visitation. All three are mothers. All three are battered women. All three loved the men who beat them. They escaped several times, then returned. Two of them still have a chance to start over...
Mario, the Magician
At the beginning of the 1990s, not long after the change in regime, a miracle occurs in a tiny sleepy Hungarian village with the arrival of Mario, the elegant Italian shoe manufacturer. He promises jobs and wellbeing to the local women, setting the village in motion. Vera cannot resist the charisma of the Italian either. She becomes more and more enchanted by the man's special charm. And she feels the Italian is not indifferent to her either. She dreams obsessively about a better life at Mario's side.
Kiki's Story
„Why can't I give up control, and be spontaneous?” Kiki's question triggers the game off. She gives parts and lines to her companions in the psychodrama group, ready to re-play scenes from the protagonist's past. Thanks to the intimate and warm atmosphere of the group and the inspired guidance of the drama leaders, she can re-live moments of her life - this time with passion. In Kiki's story unfolds a tragedy that seems familiar to people on the East Central European scene.
There Was Once...
The film observes and unfolds a hidden segment of history and life with the help of a devoted teacher. It is based on the meticulous reconstruction of two incredible, intertwining stories: the film presents the destruction of the Jewry of the Hungarian city of Kalocsa, where today none of the Jews are to be found, who once formed a vibrant and productive community and who perished in the Hungarian Holocaust, while it follows, how a gentile teacher from a later generation carefully and systematically succeeds in unearthing that incomparable Jewish-Hungarian tragedy.
A Veil of Shadows
My great grandfather, János Hoffmann was born in 1895, in Szombathely, Hungary. Perished in Auschwitz, in 1944. I never met him although I could have… I could have some early recollections of his figure if there had been no Holocaust. It seems to me that my mother’s existence in this world is out of God’s special grace and so is mine, for supposing my grandmother, a young girl of 17 in 1944, had not survived Auschwitz, history would have put an end to my family tree with a great thud forever. But my grandmother stood through, here she is, along with my mother who was later born to her, and so here I am as well. And here is my great grandfather, János Hoffman, too. No, not in his physical form. He died in one of those gas chambers for doctor Mengele happened to point to the right one day. If I had had the chance to know my great grandfather I might have heard some family legends from him. He might have told me stories about the family, my background. I might have been given a clearer picture of where I was coming from, how my ancestors lived. His voice might still resound in my ears, I could remember his face the expression in his eyes, feel his vibration. Through him I could have flown back centuries into the past. I would have been able to picture true stories on the screen of my imagination, I could have asked him about facts and events… If…if…if…
Not there, not then, and not like that...
Life is a gift - but some have to struggle really hard for it. The miracle of expecting a child is a fundamental experience of human life. Everybody knows that it takes nine months until finally the exhausted mother and the happy father can take their newborn baby into their arms. But what about those babies who are not born there and then, or the way they should? What do babies and parents go through when birth unexpectedly begins before it should? What is the life of such families is going to be like? Who are the everyday heroes who take it upon themselves to look after the abiotous babies and their desperate parents? In Hungary every twelfth baby is born prematurely. The development of medicine is quite spectacular so, today, even babies born with a bodyweight of less than a 1000 grams have a chance to survive. A well-trained team is responsible for their transport, provision and medical treatment. They are fanatics - otherwise this work is unimaginable. Calls come in incessantly on weekdays as well as on holidays, day and night. Providing for such tiny creatures is such intensive work that they cannot switch off even for one minute. Machines are not enough. Besides the doctors’ therapy only the nurses’ continuous care and stroking hands can give the babies a chance for life. At the same time the badly paid doctors and nurses have also to deal with the trauma of the parents, who expected a healthy child and suddenly find themselves in the middle of a crisis. Heart rendering and fairy tale-like stories happen day after day. The story of a couple, for example, who got bound together so tightly during the time of terror and fight that they recall their child’s first months spent under intensive care with nostalgia. Or the tale of the two women who sat together by the incubators of their babies for months striking up a life-long friendship. The story of the nurse who, for decades, has always run to accompany the babies in the ambulance van be it late at night, Christmas or Sunday, whose husband sacrifices himself so that his wife can rescue the prematurely born babies. The doctor who has organized the ambulance service for the prematurely born with incredible dedication. The story of the mother whose husband left her because he simply could not bear he tragedy. Naturally, the topic raises ethical questions as well. When decisions have to be made to make sure that all the incredible effort and all the money should not be “wasted”. But when a child is born there is no time to weigh options, the life of the child must be fought for. Who would think that Kepler was born two months early and so was Newton with a bodyweight of less than 1400 grams! Churchill, Picasso and Roosevelt also belong to those who were born prematurely. Our film is a true fairy tale for adults about parental love that is able to achieve miracles, while professional humility is a miracle in itself. An emotional film about how it is possible to survive even the most dire situations and carry on with life as a better person.
My great grandfather, János Hoffmann was born in 1895, in Szombathely, Hungary. Perished in Auschwitz, in 1944. I never met him although I could have… I could have some early recollections of his figure if there had been no Holocaust. It seems to me that my mother’s existence in this world is out of God’s special grace and so is mine, for supposing my grandmother, a young girl of 17 in 1944, had not survived Auschwitz, history would have put an end to my family tree with a great thud forever. But my grandmother stood through, here she is, along with my mother who was later born to her, and so here I am as well. And here is my great grandfather, János Hoffman, too. No, not in his physical form. He died in one of those gas chambers for doctor Mengele happened to point to the right one day. If I had had the chance to know my great grandfather I might have heard some family legends from him. He might have told me stories about the family, my background. I might have been given a clearer picture of where I was coming from, how my ancestors lived. His voice might still resound in my ears, I could remember his face the expression in his eyes, feel his vibration. Through him I could have flown back centuries into the past. I would have been able to picture true stories on the screen of my imagination, I could have asked him about facts and events… If…if…if…
Not there, not then, and not like that...
Life is a gift - but some have to struggle really hard for it. The miracle of expecting a child is a fundamental experience of human life. Everybody knows that it takes nine months until finally the exhausted mother and the happy father can take their newborn baby into their arms. But what about those babies who are not born there and then, or the way they should? What do babies and parents go through when birth unexpectedly begins before it should? What is the life of such families is going to be like? Who are the everyday heroes who take it upon themselves to look after the abiotous babies and their desperate parents? In Hungary every twelfth baby is born prematurely. The development of medicine is quite spectacular so, today, even babies born with a bodyweight of less than a 1000 grams have a chance to survive. A well-trained team is responsible for their transport, provision and medical treatment. They are fanatics - otherwise this work is unimaginable. Calls come in incessantly on weekdays as well as on holidays, day and night. Providing for such tiny creatures is such intensive work that they cannot switch off even for one minute. Machines are not enough. Besides the doctors’ therapy only the nurses’ continuous care and stroking hands can give the babies a chance for life. At the same time the badly paid doctors and nurses have also to deal with the trauma of the parents, who expected a healthy child and suddenly find themselves in the middle of a crisis. Heart rendering and fairy tale-like stories happen day after day. The story of a couple, for example, who got bound together so tightly during the time of terror and fight that they recall their child’s first months spent under intensive care with nostalgia. Or the tale of the two women who sat together by the incubators of their babies for months striking up a life-long friendship. The story of the nurse who, for decades, has always run to accompany the babies in the ambulance van be it late at night, Christmas or Sunday, whose husband sacrifices himself so that his wife can rescue the prematurely born babies. The doctor who has organized the ambulance service for the prematurely born with incredible dedication. The story of the mother whose husband left her because he simply could not bear he tragedy. Naturally, the topic raises ethical questions as well. When decisions have to be made to make sure that all the incredible effort and all the money should not be “wasted”. But when a child is born there is no time to weigh options, the life of the child must be fought for. Who would think that Kepler was born two months early and so was Newton with a bodyweight of less than 1400 grams! Churchill, Picasso and Roosevelt also belong to those who were born prematurely. Our film is a true fairy tale for adults about parental love that is able to achieve miracles, while professional humility is a miracle in itself. An emotional film about how it is possible to survive even the most dire situations and carry on with life as a better person.
Born in 1952 in Budapest. After he had finished his studies on the Hungarian University of Theatre and Film as a producer, he continued his studies on the East - West producer seminar in London. He is one of the founders of the Association of Independent Producers in Hungary. He was working in MAFILM untill 1991 as a line producer. He is a lecturer at the Hungarian Film Academy, Department of Film and Television Distinctions: In September, 1999 he was awarded by UNESCO – PARIS In 2005, the Hungarian Film Festival awarded him as the producer of A Miracle in Krakow and of Who the Hell is Bonnie and Clyde (Best Producer). Most important works: The films of Márta Mészáros, he the produced 7 films from 1979 until 1989, among them French-Hungarian co-productions.
FEATURE FILMs: (during his work at MAFILM)
With the directors: János Dömölky, Tamás Almási, András Lányi, Pál Schiffer, András Monory M, and Franklin Shaffner: Thaliafilm - London " Lionheart " From 1991, as an independent producer.: Svetlana Druzsenina (MOSFILM) Trip of the winters 1991 Cristopher Morahan ( BBC Dramatic ) Ashenden 1992 with Peter Bacsó (Having many International and Hungarian prises) Stalin's fiancée 1991 Live show 1993 Witness again 1994 Little Romulus / 6 parts for the television 1993 Hallo Doctor / 6 parts for the television 1996 Gulls and Gangsters 1996 Tiger-striped/TV/ 1998 Smouldering cigarette 2000 with Zsolt Kézdi- Kovács (Member of the committee of directors of EU ) Letters from Transylvania I-II 1994 (Copr. XY Zebra France ) with János Zsombolyai On death row 1990 Prise " Béla Balázs " (Price for best actor) Kovács Éva Story and 1992 Székely-"gate" 1993 (TV series France co producer: Son et Lumiere) Pistachio 1995 (Price of best actress ) with Philippe de Broca ZOO of the Paris 1994 (France-Hungarian co production) with Sándor Sára The accusation 1995 Prise Kossuth, with Róbert Koltai (actor-director) Mr. Teacher „Ámbár” 1998. May Day, May Hem 2001. with Ferenc András Salmons of the River St Lorenz (Hungarian-Italian co production) 2003 with Diana Groó Miracle in Krakow 2004. (Hungarian-Polish copr.) with Krisztina Deák Who the Hell Are Bonnie and Clyde? 2004. ( Hungarian -France co production) with Miklós Jancsó Ed’s Eaten the Elevenses 2006 with Tamás Almási Mario, the Magician 2008 (Silver Remi Award) with Endre Hules The Maiden Danced to Death 2010 (under production) the project was awarded with the support of Eurimages (Hungarian-Slovenian-Canadian co-production) Short feature films: with Diana Groó „Wild imagination” (3x16sec.) 2003 ( Renoir, Bruegel, Rousseau –Dream’s ) „Wild imagination” 25 sec Gulácsy’s dream’s 2006 With Krisztina Esztergályos Variations 2009 (received a Silver Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival, Simó Sándor prise at Tirgu Mures, Romania, etc.) Documentary films: Sára Szakács 6 films-sociography ( by Hungaryan writers, actors and histories) Gábor Xantus 16 films-sociography. Sándor Simó Memory for Tibor Méray (writer). Éva Pataki "Babysitters " János Szikora "Late Encounter " Dávid Kara Somfai-András Kolman „The living spirit” Groó Diana „Ways” Television ALFA TV - THE COOPERATION CHANNEL PILOT TRANSMISSION /Satellite programme 8.5 hours in four languages, with cooperation of 21 European countries/ Organisation of Cultural events: Hungarian Film week-Managing director and producer / since 1981, produced 17 festival,/ Danube Film Festival / 1995/ Summer Theatre in Tihany ( concerts, opera, and theatre performances, since 1995 every year) International Scientific Film Festival – Budapest /1999/ IV.- VI. International ,,Masterclass” of DOP Students 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 / Master teachers: Vilmos Zsigmond (winner of an Academy Award) and Laszló Kovács The Bolyai prise TV programme
Cinema-Film Ltd.
Gyarmat utca 36
H-1145 Budapest
Gyarmat utca 36
H-1145 Budapest
1999 UNESCO – PARIS; 2005 Hungarian Film Festival, oceněn jako producent filmu Miracle v Krakově a Who the Hell is Bonnie and Clyde.