The Hungarian playbook

In Hungary, at the heart of the EU, an authoritarian regime seems to be taking root. One obstacle on the road to power is freedom of the press. Independent journalists and renegade employees of the state media are fighting against this system of fear and control in the 2022 election campaign.

The pressure on journalists is so great that they sometimes see no way out other than going abroad. Krisztina, for example, would rather work as a waitress in Austria than stay in Hungary and be forced to deliver propaganda to the people.
András, a young journalist at the state-run public television station, leaks exclusive audio recordings from an internal editorial meeting to the documentary's filmmakers. The recordings clearly prove that orders from above must be implemented, providing clear evidence of state-directed propaganda.

An investigative photographer refuses to bow to state supremacy and publishes a photo revealing the close ties between Hungary's foreign minister and taxpayer-funded oligarchs. This is a network of favours and corruption at the heart of Orbán’s system.

The Hungarian Playbook provides exclusive access to this struggle and reveals a divided nation at a crossroads.

In the midst of an election campaign, Russian troops attacked Ukraine. War has broken out in a neighbouring country of Hungary. This creates a new situation for the mood in the country and the upcoming elections. The opposition is accusing Viktor Orbán of having had a formerly close relationship with Vladimir Putin, while Orbán is demonstratively siding with NATO and the EU. As prime minister, he is promising stability and security during the crisis, and he has all the means at his disposal to reach the electorate with his messages thanks to his power over the media.

Credits of The Hungarian Playbook: A film by: Bence Máté, Directed by: Áron Szentpéteri & Bence Máté, Written by: Bence Máté & Áron Szentpéteri, Edited by: Zsófi Érdi, Cinematography by: Zágon Nagy & Sal Kazan, Drone operator: Dániel Németh, Sound: Lajos Érsek, Sound mix: Dominik Avenwedde, Grading: Moritz Peters, Animation & Graphics: Anna Rubi, Archive research: Alexandra Láng & Zsófi Érdi, Assistant Editor: Gábor Balla, Camera Assistant: András Táborosi, Archive Producer:  Áron Szentpéteri, Creative Producer: Bence Máté, Producer: Florian Schewe, Executive Producer Film Five: Yan Schoenefeld & Stefan Kauertz.

© Film Five 2022