Academy Award-winning director László Nemes, who won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film with Son of Saul, returns with another powerful historical drama, Budapest 1957. The film was selected as Hungary’s entry for the 2026 Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category, further cementing Nemes’ position as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary European cinema.

Set in Budapest in the spring of 1957, shortly after the failed Hungarian Revolution, the story unfolds in a society crushed by political repression. Revolutionaries and regime opponents disappear, while hopelessness spreads throughout the country. The era of János Kádár’s regime – which would last for more than three decades – is just beginning.

Twelve-year-old Andor lives alone with his mother and still believes that his father, who disappeared during the war, will return one day. Then a man arrives at their doorstep claiming to be his father. Andor refuses to accept him, but the stranger moves in anyway, gradually forcing the boy to abandon his illusions. As tensions between mother and son deepen, Andor becomes determined to save his family from this man at any cost.

Once again, Nemes crafts an intensely atmospheric film marked by rich visual storytelling, detailed psychological depth, and themes of collective and personal trauma that have become central to his work. Budapest 1957 is not only a family drama, but also a reflection on how the past shapes identity and how truth can become both a burden and a form of liberation.

The film had its world premiere at the Venice IFF in 2025.

Cast: Bojtorján Barábas, Andrea Waskovics, Grégory Gadebois, Elíz Szabó, Sándor Soma, Marcin Czarnik

Distributor: Mimesis Film