the Tony Curtis International Film Festival will return to Mátészalka this time in honor of what would have been the iconic actor’s 100th birthday organized by the Hungarian Hollywood Council aims to celebrate Curtis’s Hungarian heritage and further strengthen connections between Hungary and Hollywood Under the theme “Back to the Roots,” the festival emphasizes Curtis’s lifelong pride in his Hungarian origins and the contributions of Hungarian talent to Hollywood “Tony Curtis’s life and career prove that talent and perseverance know no boundaries,” said Balázs Bokor President of the Hungarian Hollywood Council The event will feature an international film competition in four categories—feature film and student film—open for submissions between March 2 and July 31 Selected entries will be screened alongside expert discussions and industry panels Mátészalka holds historical significance in film history as the birthplace of Adolph Zukor Organizers highlight the symbolic role of light in cinema “Film is synonymous with light; without it The festival will welcome renowned filmmakers and actors with high-profile guests to be announced later emphasized the festival’s growing importance calling it a tribute to Curtis as well as a cultural and tourism boost for the city the festival aims to bring together Hungarian and international industry professionals cementing its reputation as a significant cinematic event While most programs will be open to the public For updates and details, visit the official website: https://www.backtotheroots.hu The Tony Curtis International Film Festival (TCIFF) concluded on September 21 closing a successful three-day celebration of film Organized by the Hungarian Hollywood Council whose Hungarian roots are deeply tied to the town.The event’s full house audiences reinforced the words of Adolph Zukor: “The public is never wrong.” She shared how much Tony cherished his Hungarian heritage and how proud he would be to see his legacy celebrated here and she expressed her gratitude for the heartfelt tribute The festival concluded with a symbolic wreath-laying ceremony at Tony Curtis’ memorial plaque on the wall of Mátészalka’s Synagogue offering a fitting close to the event’s festivities This year’s festival featured 33 finalist films from 17 countries selected by a jury led by award-winning director Attila Szász Audiences enjoyed a diverse program of documentaries with nearly 20 additional events that included panel discussions and filmmaker meet-and-greets Renowned Hungarian film professionals like Róbert Koltai adding to the festival’s engaging atmosphere and providing valuable insights to attendees expressed his delight at the festival’s success and its impact on the town’s cultural life emphasizing how Mátészalka has now firmly placed itself on the international film map Both leaders announced ambitious plans for 2025 when the festival will celebrate Tony Curtis’ 100th birthday promising an even larger event featuring global film stars and notable personalities took home the top prize for Best Feature Film Dér Asia’s “I Am Not Dying” won Best Documentary and Edit Jakab’s “Deer Roaring” claimed Best Short Documentary Mo Harawe’s “My Parents Are Visiting Me?” won Best Short Film awarded 300,000 HUF by the National Association of Entrepreneurs The awards celebrated not just the films but also the creative talents behind them Additional awards recognized standout achievements including Réka Pigniczky’s Kaláka – From the Carpathians to the Caribbean Dahlia Nemlich’s Somewhere in the Middle Zahra Mojahed’s Without a Sound and Kálmán Nagy’s The Other End of the Street Áron Gauder was named Best Director for “The Four Souls of a Coyote” and Steven Samy won Best Cinematography for “My Parents Are Visiting Me?” Zoltán Bezerédi won Best Actor for “All About the Levkoviches” while Katalin Román claimed Best Actress for “Six Weeks” also took home the Mátészalka Audience Award The Tony Curtis International Film Festival successfully celebrated both local and international cinema while honoring the legacy of Tony Curtis Mátészalka is poised to host an even larger festival further establishing itself as a key destination in the global film community jewish celebrities There are so many reasons to love actress and Jewish mom Jamie Lee Curtis the “Knives Out” and “Halloween” star is revitalizing her grandparents’ hometown synagogue in Mateszalka Curtis, who is in Budapest filming her upcoming film Borderlands, shared her plans in an Instagram post on Sunday. She announced that she will partner with the mayor of Mateszalka (pop. 16,532) to turn the synagogue where her grandparents once worshipped into a “community center for celebrations and art and music,” as she called it. The synagogue as the entire Jewish population was exterminated but the building stands as a living tribute to those who lived there and continue to live there.” Curtis paid a weekend visit to Mateszalka to attend a “pre-opening” of the Tony Curtis Memorial Museum and Cafe — a museum dedicated to her father, a Hollywood legend who passed away in 2010 at the age of 85 “They have created a beautiful exhibition of images from his life and they have costumes from his movies and his paintings and awards,” she wrote noting that the museum is just down the street from the synagogue A post shared by Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis) The Tony Curtis Museum will officially open on June 26 on Hungary’s special “Night of Museums,” when museums across the country run programs from dusk till dawn Given this tremendous loss, the synagogue is mostly stripped of its furnishings and in dire need of repairs. Even so, the Jewish Heritage Europe notes that the synagogue “preserves interior architectural and decorative features including an elaborately painted ceiling.” The preserved features look beautiful and we can’t wait to see how the space develops Curtis, 62, has been married to actor/director/screenwriter Christopher Guest since 1984; they share two children A mural on the wall of the synagogue in Mateszalka This new initiative is very inspiring and meaningful, and we look forward to learning more about the museum and the synagogue restoration! Best of luck, Jamie, you’re a true mensch Ortega/Contributor/Getty Images/Wikimedia Commons Maddy Albert is the editorial assistant at Kveller By submitting I agree to the privacy policy Malka Rendel was born in 1927 in the town of Nagyecsed in Hungary the youngest in an Orthodox family of eight was killed in an accident before her birth and her mother Sara ran the family's fabric store after his death Her two older siblings immigrated to Eretz Israel before WWII forbade the Jews to trade and ordered them to wear the Yellow Star Malka was assigned the humiliating task of cleaning the street in front of her Hungarian friends the Jews of the city were deported to the Mátészalka ghetto The entire extended family lived in one apartment Malka and her family were deported to Auschwitz in a cattle car – a journey of about six days Malka tried to grab hold of her mother and one of her sisters but most of the family was sent to one side and Malka and her sisters Her mother gave her two cookies and told her sisters: "Take care of Malka." Of all the family members Malka and her sisters were sent to the Płaszów concentration camp where they labored in a quarry carrying stones with their bare hands People around them were constantly killed by rock explosions The three were returned to Auschwitz and from there they were sent to Neustadt the women stole oil and threads to light makeshift candles that they didn't take everything from us," says Malka Malka and her sisters were forced on a death march to the Gross-Rosen concentration camp Prisoners who could not continue walking were shot At night they slept in each other's arms to keep warm Malka and her sisters were transferred to Bergen-Belsen They were thrown through the window onto a pile of corpses "That memory still haunts me," Malka cries "Sometimes I can't believe I went through all this Then I roll up my sleeve and look at the number on my arm She took Zionism and Hebrew classes from emissaries who came from Eretz Israel (Mandatory Palestine) Malka boarded a refugee ship to Eretz Israel but was caught and imprisoned in the British detention camps in Cyprus where she continued to study Hebrew until her eventual immigration 36 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson The Yad Vashem website had recently undergone a major upgrade The page you are looking for has apparently been moved We are therefore redirecting you to what we hope will be a useful landing page For any questions/clarifications/problems, please contact: webmaster@yadvashem.org.il Weiss and her family were sent to the Mátészalka ghetto She was then deported to the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp before being liberated by Soviet armed forces the mother of USC Shoah Foundation board member Suzi Weiss-Fischmann gave her testimony to the Institute in 2015 from her home in Los Angeles she was surrounded by generations of loving family members that meant so much to her Weiss spoke about the ordeal her family went through as they were taken from their home “Jews were collected and taken away,” she said in her native Hungarian “We had to use the bed linen to put our things in a bundle and my daddy put it on his shoulder and that is how we went Part of her testimony is being used in a walking tour of the town of Mátészalka the program is produced by USC Shoah Foundation and enables visitors to learn about events that took place at specific locations as they tour sites Although she was at first reticent to tell her story she understood the importance of sharing it It was a testament to her courage that her memories will be preserved for future generations Magda Weiss recalls the day her Hungarian family was taken away to a Jewish ghetto Sign Up Today! Be the first to learn about new articles and personal stories like the one you've just read Digital Accessibility | Accessibility Guidelines Film’s Star-Studded Cast includes Tony Todd (Candyman) Andrew Keegan  (10 Things I Hate About You) Sab Shimono (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III) Hungarian-American filmmaker Nicholas Gyeney received the Paramount Premium Award presented by the Hungarian Hollywood Council at the inaugural Tony Curtis International Film Festival held in Mátészalka for his feature horror film The Activated Man The film’s star-studded cast includes genre icons Tony Todd (Candyman) alongside Andrew Keegan (10 Things I Hate About You) and longtime Gyeney collaborator Scott Brown as the villainous ‘Fedora Man.’  the film was screened as an official selection of the inaugural year of the festival held in Mátészalka along with some family members from the area Drawing on the universal theme of grief with a twist that Gyeney’s work has become noted for The Activated Man stars Jamie Costa as an everyman who loses his beloved dog His grief spurs disturbing visions that cause him to wonder if he’s dealing with the usual highs and lows of a painful loss or if darker forces are preying on his mind As Ors Gabriel (Costa) struggles with the grief from losing his best friend and beloved dog to cancer the trauma brings on strange visions only Ors can see While he questions whether his mind has fractured or if it's actually real a mysterious rise in murder-suicides takes hold of the city and Ors becomes haunted by images of a shadowy figure known as ‘The Fedora Man’ Ors must face his fears and confront 'The Fedora Man' as he uncovers dark secrets from his past The Activated Man will screen at Glendale International Film Festival on September 27th Following that will be screenings at Hollywood Horrorfest and the Menton Fantastic Film Festival in Southern France which first debuted at Dances With Films NYC on December 3 and is set to debut theatrically and on digital in Q4 of this year The film is executive produced by Gyeney’s film company Mirror Images LTD Click Here for Statements from European Film Organisations The Film New Europe (FNE) Association is the networking platform for film professionals in the CEE/SEE/Baltics region The webportal and FNE newswire was chosen as the MAIN TOOL to achieve the network’s objectives of the sharing of know how visibility of regional cultural diversity and finally the VOICE of the region FNE’s objectives include VISIBILITY for the region and AUDIENCES for films by providing a special focus on the region Jamie Lee Curtis visits her fathers memorial museum in Mátészalka The Golden Globe award winning actress and writer visited the Tony Curtis museum and decided to help to refurbish the old synagogue – the building will serve as a community center for events and art Jamie Lee Curtis visited the brand new Tony Curtis memorial museum and cafe in Mátészalka Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s He acted in more than 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres Curtis made numerous television appearances He was always proud of his Hungarian origins he even financed the tree of life at the Dohány Street Synagogue in Budapest The tree is composed of hundreds of metal sheets engraved with the names of some of the Jews deported to concentration camps during the Second World War The museum created a beautiful exhibition of images from his life and they have costumes from his movies It is just down the street from the synagogue where Jamie Lee Curtis‘ family was worshiped long ago as the entire Jewish population was exterminated during WWII but the building stands as a living tribute to those who lived there and continue to live there Inside the synagogue she took a moment to pay her respect at the memorial wall Jamie Lee Curtis partnered with the mayor to raise needed funds from the local corporate and private community to refurbish and retrofit this extraordinary building as a community center for celebrations she singed a Hungarian folk song (like it was her mother language) Jamie Lee Curtis came to Hungary because of Eli Roth’s new movie “Borderlands,” which is currently filming at ORIGO Studios Márta Fekszi (CEO of ORIGO FilmGroup) and Ádám Ruzsinszki (Production Manager ORIGO FilmGroup) also attended the pre-opening of the Tony Curtis memorial museum we heard Jamie Lee Curtis talking about a biographical film about Tony Curtis they will do an invitation screening and the income will help refurbish the synagogue Adolph Zukor International Film Festival Brings Hollywood Glamour to East Hungary Henry Ford said that “life is a series of experiences each one of which makes us bigger […].” This was truly the case in the life of Mátészalka – a small Eastern Hungarian town – this past weekend when it hosted the I Adolph Zukor International Film Festival (AZIFF) and carved out a place for itself as a city with a festival that attracts superb films and filmmakers from all over the globe all while playing tribute to one of the founders of Hollywood an international independent feature film competition drew to a close with a lavish closing award ceremony on Sunday night in the city of Mátészalka The festival’s mission is to represent the commitment of Adolph Zukor to feature film his realization of the power of films to shape society through cultural and aesthetic content as well as his efforts to create lasting value Balázs Bokor and György Várkonyi – centered the whole festival around Zukor’s basic concept that “the public is never wrong.” They also wanted to provide opportunities for independent not just those employed at large studios or receiving government support A Hungarian-American pioneer film producer and one of the founders of Paramount Pictures Adolph Zukor hails from the village of Ricse in Eastern Hungary where he spent his formative years and finished his studies before emigrating to the U.S and today there is a local film theater – providing the venue for the film festival – proudly named after him William Fox was also born in Eastern Hungary (in nearby Tolcsva) the area can practically be considered “the craddle of Hollywood,” since two of the “Big Six” studios were established by people from this region of the country the saying that “Hollywood was founded by Hungarians” is not too far off since we only need to look at the countless directors and actors who were Hungarians (or of Hungarian descent) and have contributed to what Hollywood has become since the 1930’s there has been no festival named after Zukor and the founders – along with local politicians and members of the community – believed that this town is the only place such an event can take place to honor the filmmaker’s legacy and highlight the importance of Mátészalka in the world of film attendees were able to watch 45 films and cast their votes for their picks which then resulted in the main “Best of Public Film” award of the event going to Lalit Bhusal’s “Crushed Wings.” In addition to the free screenings there were multiple professional lectures and discussions available to both the public and members of the film industry Topics ranged from the role of post-production work in filmmaking and components of the ideal script Adolph Zukor Film Festival was Prince Fredric von Anhalt widower of the world famous Hungarian-American Hollywood diva Zsa Zsa Gábor The Prince expressed his love of Hungary and Hungarian cuisine during the award ceremony while sharing entertaining stories of his marriage to Gábor The last time he was in Hungary was only a few months ago when he participated in the ceremonial opening of the world’s first museum dedicated to the life and memory of Zsa Zsa Gábor appropriately housed on the premises of Origo Studios The second surprise guest was Ukraine’s Ambassador to Hungary who received four awards on behalf of the filmmakers of “Mother of Apostles” in response to the main concept of the festival said that the public is not only never wrong but there is no art and film without the public She also expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the audience and to Hungarians as a whole for their support of not only the film’s success at the festival but of their support of Ukraine’s fight against its aggressor Spanish director Emilio Ruiz Barrachina’s “Facing the Silence” swept the awards as well Barrachina said that “big festivals are very important for any film and director but they are also very stressful and complicated I think that the invitation for the films to participate was very good made me send the film with the hope that it would be one of the first festivals in which a jury and an audience would see it This decision has been a success and AZIFF has been amazing!” Greek-American award-winning composer Demetrios Katis’ film “Broken Circle” won “Best Production Design” and “Best Original Song” but the feature film was also nominated in four other categories “I believe next year this festival will be one of the most promising events in Europe,” the filmmaker said “I am deeply honored receiving these awards by a prestigious film festival […] To receive an award for best production design means that the whole construction of the movie is great and that makes me more than happy considering that it has been certified by high importance members of the jury,” he added said that “AZIFF presents new opportunities for the city and millions of new stars will light up in the sky over Mátészalka” in his speech at the gala referring to the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame He added that the large number of films submitted shows just what a profound pull the Adolph Zukor name still has today in the film industry guaranteeing outstanding quality in a festival he reminded the audience of Jamie Lee Curtis’ recent visit to Mátészalka the place where her grandparents came from The jury emphasized that although they had a difficult time choosing among the excellent films that were submitted as seen by several pieces winning multiple awards at the end of the festival Supporting independent filmmaking addressing important cultural issues and encouraging the work of young Hungarian talent are significant causes for Budapest-based announced the Studio’s financial support to the famous Kiev-based Film-Studio for the post-production and asked the Ambassador to connect the two Studios “The muses of film must not be silenced,” she said The Hungarian film giant also awarded a support of 3,000,000 HUF to the director of “Triangle” (winner of Best Student Film) dedicated to the post-production of his next work The first edition of AZIFF is now over but the show must go on Academy Award-winner director István Szabó said in a video appearance at the gala that the reason Hungarian filmmakers became so successful is because they had “the showman’s touch.” He added that “they made films that touched the hearts of the audience only Central Europeans were able to accomplish this Let’s never forget their legacy.” AZIFF is sure to continue carrying on the legacy of these filmmakers in years to come The Tony Curtis International Film Festival (TCIFF) will officially commence tomorrow in Mátészalka the festival will feature a dynamic selection of 55 films from 17 countries presented across three categories: documentaries This year’s festival is a collaboration between the Hungarian Hollywood Council and is supported by the National Film Institute One of the event’s highlights will be the presence of Jill Curtis-Weber “I know Tony would have loved to have been here would be very moving for him,” said Jill Curtis-Weber to BPR The festival offers a vibrant platform for filmmakers audience meet-and-greets with prominent figures in the film industry and the prestigious Adolph Zukor Award ceremony A special exhibition celebrating the life of two-time Oscar-winning choreographer Dave Gould will also be inaugurated marking the 125th anniversary of his birth The festival will offer a variety of interactive events featuring renowned film experts such as Róbert Koltai Films like “Mogul Wars” by James Forsher (USA) and “Six Weeks” by Hungarian director Noémi Veronika Szakonyi will kick off the competition screenings alongside Q&A sessions and panel discussions with filmmakers Jill Curtis-Weber will sit down with Balázs Bokor president of the Hungarian Hollywood Council for an exclusive conversation about her late husband’s enduring impact on cinema “I think it’s important to keep Tony’s name out there He’s got so many fans all over the world and hopefully this festival makes someone become a new fan of his Tony always said he went into perpetuity and that’s the truth,” added Jill Curtis-Weber reflecting on her late husband’s enduring legacy Film enthusiasts will also have the opportunity to enjoy a diverse range of films from Afghan director Zahra Mojahed’s “Silently” to Réka Pigniczky’s “Kaláka – From the Carpathians to the Caribbean” offering an insightful look into both local and international storytelling The festival will conclude on September 21 with an awards gala followed by a ceremonial wreath-laying at the Tony Curtis memorial plaque For those interested in cinema and the legacy of Tony Curtis the TCIFF promises to be an unforgettable celebration of both Hungarian and international film culture has offered to be home to a statue of Joan of Arc (Jeanne d’Arc) which is to be removed from France’s Nice the co-ruling Christian Democrat party (KDNP) said in a statement Joan of Arc is one of the patron saints of France This 15th-century military leader led a demoralized French army to several key victories in the Hundred Years’ War with the English before being imprisoned and burned at stake by her opponents at the age of 19 Three months after his unveiling, a huge bronze statue of Joan of Arc was ordered to be removed following a court ruling that Nice had breached public procurement rules The city’s conservative mayor, Christian Estrosi commissioned the €170,000 (£144,000) sculpture from Atelier Missor This local sculpture group focuses on French patriotic heroes and has been criticised by some for its right-wing bias a politician who died this month at the age of 86 has adopted Joan of Arc as the symbol of the far-right National Front Critics accuse Mr Estrosi of spending considerable public money for political gain on the memory of a man who became a symbol of French nationalism “Jeanne d’Arc’s fight and martyrdom goes on,” KDNP leader Zsolt Semjén, group leader István Simicskó, and Mátészalka mayor Péter Hanusi said in the statement “The changes that have taken place in America will hopefully arrive in Europe soon … KDNP supports any endeavour aimed at saving our Christian-based Western culture,” they added Mátészalka is a town in north-eastern Hungary It is historically significant as a regional trade centre around Satu Mare Often called the “City of Light” Mátészalka was among the first Hungarian towns to introduce electric street lighting The town presents a blend of traditional Hungarian culture and modern amenities hosts local festivals and supports a vibrant market Also interesting: 11th Budapest International Documentary Festival kicks off with a tribute to real-life stories – PHOTOS + VIDEO and website in this browser for the next time I comment Y"},"category":false,"taxonomy":{"active":false,"name":"category"}},"markup":{"custom_html":true,"wpp-start":"","wpp-end":"<\/ul>","title-start":"","title-end":"<\/h2>","post-html":"{thumb} {title} {stats}<\/span>{excerpt}<\/p><\/li>"},"theme":{"name":""}} You have successfully joined our subscriber list SupportUs Newsletter © 2025 DailyNewsHungary | All rights reserved The actress learned a few words in Hungarian and fell in love with Budapest As we reported back in April Jamie Lee Curtis has been in Budapest for some time now The daughter of Hungarian-born Tony Curtis commemorated her ancestors with an Instagram photo of a Hungarian flag most likely from her hotel room on the Danube After she has been in Hungary for months for filming, she gave an exclusive interview to Focus. This is the first time she has appeared in public, according to szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu She also travelled to Mátészalka – where her grandparents and he even visited Mátészalka several times Now an exhibition named after him has opened in the city of Szabolcs and a café is now named after the actor giant “It’s very touching to be in Hungary adding that “the days are beautiful here“ but the coronavirus has left its mark on her stay here which has prevented her from adequately exploring Budapest and the country The two-time Golden Globe Award-winning actress also considers Mátészalka a beautiful city and was delighted to be able to walk down the street where her grandparents lived In an interview with Focus she also talked about her goal being connecting with people and since she thinks movies are also for that “Being a representative of the film industry and a member of a family of Hungarian descent is a great treasure for me.” She also learned a few basic words in Hungarian and said she had fallen in love with Budapest The dearest place to her is the Dohány Street Synagogue The actress also revealed that she was surprised at how many American filmmakers work in the Hungarian capital which is why she called Hungary the East of Hollywood which she is now shooting with Kevin Hart and Cate Blanchette is expected to be as much of a sensation as True Lies which she starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger Curtis belongs to the far left in the US and not in Hungary Hungary does not need another raging leftist liberal I wish we could leave the Politics in the Politics articles section Im reading this in society and Jamies Dad Tony did a big plus for Hungarians and the Budapest synagogue Miss Curtis is speaking to the wrong audience She would be quite upset at how some Hungarians seem to dislike her just because of her political views I wonder what the same Hungarians think of her father whether they dislike him too since he also was a Democrat She’s a left wing commie peice if shite Hateful comments = hateful hearts and minds