Film Festival in Budapest
From the 13 to 21 of April the 19th Titanic International Film Festival in Budapest that is projected in four art cinemas in the city, including the Urania movie theater will be held. This event brings together filmmakers, national and international artists, producers, and film lovers to enjoy the latest creations and to participate in the competition.
The first Festival was held in 1994, but it took several years to transform into a competition and only in 2006 it was structured as such. So every year films are divided into categories and themes. The festival lasts 10 days and the prize awarded to the winning film is known as the Breaking Waves, which was designed by Luca Görömbe. In addition, they give € 10,000 to the winning film director.
While this festival is new to the circuit of this type of worldwide activities, it stands out to develop an interesting proposal that accommodates emerging and established filmmakers of all levels and all types of film, leaving the door to creativity open. This edition had to deal with financial problems, which have been exacerbated by the economic crisis in Europe, and therefore this year it will be more modest, but the same spirit as the previous festivals remains intact.
Despite its youth, the Titanic International Film Festival in Budapest has won wider international notority. The 2011 edition was won by the Swedish film Savage by Martin Jern and Emil Larsson and produced by Dansk AB Kalle
The festival starts with the premise of giving film the place it deserves in Hungarian society, because music, dance, theater and festivals have their own part of local culture, therefore also attracting public from across Europe. The essence of its foundation was to motivate society to go to the movie theaters and give it them an important place in their leisure activities, both in a cultural and fun context. Also, it generated a dynamic resurgence of local film production that motivated investment in film production.
This year 2012 the festival has called on Budapest society to attend and enjoy the best of international cinema, but especially to reunite themselves with Hungarian cinema. In its manifesto the festival organizers say that this show will focus on Hungarian cinema, without ceasing to be a showcase for international cinema. Their proposal is to revitalize creation and to bond local filmmakers with the local and international audience.
The basis for the 2012 contest states that films submitted to contest should not have been previously screened in Hungary, only expecting fiction films which are longer than 70 minutes
For more information:
http://www.titanicfilmfest.hu/2012/index_en.php
Nancy Guzman
Enjoy spring renting apartments in Budapest and attend this wonderful film festival productions to learn more about Hungarian and emerging international cinema.
Spring Wine and Jazz Festival in Budapest
One of the most traditional spring activities in Budapest is held every year at Óbuda square: the Spring Wine and Jazz Festival. People from all over Hungary and many tourists from around the world will enjoy two days of wine and the best Hungarian jazz bands.
Although the grape harvest in Hungary is in September, the wine festival takes place in spring, because the rolled grape juice has decanted and turned into a delicious wine or sparkling wine. It also welcomes the sun and warm longer days; they leave in oblivion the cold winter.
Wine and jazz are together in this festival as they are also intimately linked by history. Just as jazz is passion, rhythm, character and sophistication, wine is the ideal complement, because it exacerbates all the emotions and stimulates the passions. Nothing better than listening to blues and dixie in the beautiful old town square: live music and a nice glass of wine in hand.
During two days in April you will have the chance to taste the best wines in Europe, and buy some offers to enjoy it at home. But most importantly, taste the wines of the house, as Hungarian producers strive to have very good quality wines at very cheap prices.
Hungary is famous for its delicious wines that complement its culinary culture. Tokaji wine is known to come from the region of Tokaj-Hegyalja. Roumor has it that the countess Susana Lorántffy, wife of the Transylvanian Prince George Rákóczi, personally took care of the vineyards, but one year , and due to the constant wars with the Turks the harvesting was postponed until November, resulting it in a sweet and concentrate wine, which identifies the Tokaji wine.
The Bikavér is a cuvée, the bulls blood of Hungarian wines. This wine is a real treasure among Hungarian wines that comes from Szekszárd and has a law to protect production, which is a regulation to produce wine and grapes of the kind needed to its production.
Also Szamorodni wine is produced from the grapes affected by the Botrytis cinerea fungus. When the grapes have lost water and have a greater amount of sugar, the wine is produced with a higher quantity of alcohol than normal.
Then there is also the wine manufactured with Eszencia aszú grapes, It is pretty sweet and also considered as one of the most expensive wines in the world. There is also the Fordítás, a sweet wine and wine Máslás.
This festival brings together elements that are part of the Budapest culture, that is why everyone waits for the Spring to celebrate the arrival of the spring and the beginning of a new production of fine wines.
For more information: http://visitbudapest.travel/budapest-events/budapest-spring-wine-jazz-festival/
Nancy Guzman
Rent one of the apartments in Budapest this spring, and don’t miss this outdoors celebration of jazz and wine in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.
János Megyik in Budapest
Until the 10th of June the Ludwig Museum in Budapest exhibits “The Space of the Image”, which defines the conceptual aspects of the works by János Megyik. The exhibition takes questions that Megyik contantly asked himself about art and the place of painting, since his great work was on the edges of the painting, sculpture and architecture modeling of structures and painted panels.
The exhibition examines the work of Megyick and his research focused on spatiality, asking how to do the painting on the table in the world Megyick to create a three dimensional model. To answer this question, the exhibition explores its wooden buildings, frames, cardboard reliefs and plaques with stain of his last period as an architect.
Megyik János was born in Szolnok, Hungary in 1938. Between 1950 and 1954 he studied painting with Károly Harmos in Rev Komarno in Slovakia. In 1954 he moved his residence to Budapest and studied for two years at the Institute of Fine Arts, Applied Arts and in 1956 immigrated to Vienna. There he studied at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts where he met Andersen, Dobrowsky and Boeckl.
In 1963 he began studying painting on the table and the reflection that produces three-dimensional models, being heavily influenced by studies of projective geometry. A decade later he used his space studies to create metal sculptures, a material that he changed for the wood years later, while including interesting architectural plans to achieve them.
In 1972, he exhibited his work Construction of Nothing done with Alpár Bujdoso at the First Hungarian Conference Workshop held in Marly le Roi. Projective geometry and subjectivity of the planes were the essence of his artwork, especially in his relief work with steel plates that dominated his work in the 90s, playing with geometric shapes and perspective in space.
The year 1977 he made photograms for his sculptures in wood. His enormous capacity to investigate the figure, the planes and movement, led him to work with the human figure in the 80s, when he moved to New York to continue studying. His eyes from the human body and the plasma in three-dimensional sculpture with fine ribs, gave the picture motion, despite the rigidity of the material.
In 1991 he was awarded with the Munkácsy Prize in recognition of his work and contribution to culture. In the late 90 he started working in Kötcse, province of Somogy and traveled to Rome to study with a grant from the Hungarian Academy.
János Megyik has worked and experimented with his work freely and poetic geometry. Its delicate sculptures, made with perfection and thoroughness is one of the most interesting of the twentieth century, not only because it experiences forms, but because it works with innovative materials such as large sculptures made by wood.
For more information: http://www.ludwigmuseum.hu/site.php?inc=kiallitas&kiallitasId=800&menuId=44
Nancy Guzman
A good time to walk along the banks of the Danube is the spring, so book apartments in Budapest in advance and forget the stress by attending the great cultural activities about János Megyik.
Eating in Budapest
While most of us have the habit of eating what is known, there are those who often seek exotic foods that are able to make us cringe just by hearing about them. For those who like weird food, we will tell you about some Hungary preparations that qualify in that group, well give you the recipe for you to cook them at home and will tell you where to eat them when traveling in Budapest.
Hungary has exquisite cuisine whose origin is from the rural culture. As a country has cold, long winters, almost all dishes are cooked with lard and previously smoked products, such as salami and some other meats. Also, their cuisine has a lot of spices, which give an interesting spicy touch. But since nothing is wasted in the rural cuisine, there are also rare dishes in that area, which are difficult taste.
One of those rare dishes is the “goose liver in its fat” or Rantott Iibamajzeletek. Believe it or not, this dish is in the menu of all the fancy restaurants in Budapest, so Ill tell you it is prepared.
The liver is put to soak in milk one hour before cooking to reduce their strong taste. Then salted and fried in butter, goose or pork, add chopped onions, tomato and pepper. When the onion begins to brown, add wine and broth until soft. Finally put it in the oven until it becomes golden brown. Cool and cut into slices, which are served with onions and tomatoes cooked in lard.
You can fine this delicious preparation at Szent Jupat Étterem restaurant, located in Dékán utca 3, Budapest. This is an affordable place that offers food that makes your money worth.
Bakonyi Betyárleves qualifies as rare culinary specialty, is prepared with pork leg with hoof, sour cream, potatoes, vinegar, garlic and egg. Cook the leg of pork with garlic, mashed potatoes and cut into given until tender. When cooked, remove it from the water and cut the meat into small pieces. In a separate pan mix it well with the sour cream with flour, an egg and pour the broth, then added vinegar. The soup is served boiling chips are added leg meat.
This soup can be found in any restaurant in Budapest, was a meal of the rural poor, hence inherits its name because it was eaten by the harvesters.
A rural traditional breakfast dish is the fresh blood of the pork fried with onions. This preparation has its origin when pigs were sacrificed at dawn, it was the tradition to put the blood into a pan with lard and onions with some salt. This dish is not on the menu cards of restaurants.
For more information: http://www.stjupat.hu/
Nancy Guzman
Weather you like rare recipes or not, when you stay in apartments in Budapest you will have the chance to try the Hungarian cuisine as you wish.
OSAS PLUS in Budapest
As of the first of May, the Vasarely Museum in Budapest will open the OSAS PLUS exhibit performed by founding artists of the Open Structure Art Society (OSAS). This year the exhibition is an interesting proposal where each artist is also an OSAS curator, therefore proposing a free thematic exhibit without restrictions as to subject or any order. The exhibition is organized around 10 artists and other Hungarian artists that do not belong to OSAS as well as international guest artists . The art historian Julia N. Mészáros and the collector and art critic Andras Szollosi-Nagy, participate as curators.
OSAS began doing these shows in 2006. Three years later there was a second version and with OSAS PLUS the third version is on, and with it a tradition in the area of the Museums exhibits. Despite the distance between these exposures, these six years have successfully completed 14 other thematic exhibitions of contemporary art at the Vasarely Museum making it the headquarters of their exhibitions, where the topics range from graphic arts to conceptual art and even designing of ornamentation.
As part of the exhibition wanted to pay tribute to the sculptor Hetey Katalin, who died in 2010, an exhibition with his final drafts and sketches of completed works has been organized. As a special part of the exhibition it will also display the graphic album titled Piece Unique, an art piece by the members of OSAS, of which there are only fifteen copies available.
The ten artists on exhibition are: István Haász, Gáyor Tibor Konok Tamás, Dora Maurer, Mengyán András István Harasztÿ, Judith Nem, Vera Molnar, Janos and Istvan Nadler Megyik. They have selected their own work, some is recent and some is old and everyone invited a Hungarian or international artists to exhibit part of their work.
Tibor Gáyor is a Hungarian painter who orders visual elements to give strength and meaning to the content of his work. From the 60s his works of geometric and abstract paintings give a set of tones that are consistent with his visual puns.
János Megyik: His work always walks on the edge of architecture, sculpture and painting. He uses simple materials to give three-dimensional volume to his work and plays with colors to confront the planes, always giving volume to his images.
Vera Molnar is a Hungarian painter who has described her work as a logic search of creation. Currently she working in computer-aided construction of simple geometric shapes, that is changing gradually as to see the evolution and transformation that occurs through successive amendments.
Judith Nem is a Hungarian artist representative of the geometric art of the 50s and 60s, she has also worked in the creative tendency of the “book as an object” as well as computer graphic art. She currently lives in Paris.
For more information: http://www.vasarely.hu/kiallitasok_en/index.php?main_menu[main_menu][item]=3&lang[lang]=en
Nancy Guzman
To change and look at life with more optimism in difficult times it is recommended to take a few days off, so take advantage of the arrival of spring and rent apartments in Budapest You will not regret it.
Rise Against in Budapest
On March 19 the American rock band Rise Against will perform at the Petőfi Csarnok in Budapest. Rise Against was formed in 1999 in Chicago, under the name “Transistor Revolt.” The band consists of vocalist Tim McIlrath, bassist and singer Joe Principe, Brandon Barnes on drums, and Zach Blair who considered the leader of the group.
Their style, labeled as hardcore punk or melodic hardcore punk rock has made them to be considered one of the best bands of the last decades of its kind.
Rise Againsts name appeared in 2001 with their first album Unravenlig, produced by Mass Giorgini. Two years later, their second album Revolutions Per Minute was released. These were years of great effort to enhance their early work, being the opening act for bands like Strung Out and No Use fora Name.
In 2004 they released their album Siren Songo of the Counter Culture that will lead them to the Billboards 200 top sellers and to be certified by the Recording Industry Association of America .
During that year they will tour the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia, performing at different festivals: Taste of Chaos, Reading and Leeds, as well as tours of Germany and the UK. The following year they release their fourth album The Sufferer & the Witness, peaking at No. 10 in the US Billlboard and selling over 48 000 copies in its first week. This album was certified gold by the RIAA in 2007.
Appeal to Reaso came the following year and sold more than 60 000 copies, peaking at No. 3 at the Billlboard 200, this being the most successful album that the band has had throughout their career. Always following the line of social criticism but returning to a sound of their earlier recordings, this album kept rising the quality of Rise Against.
In 2010 their sixth album appears, Another Station: Another Mile, with material intended primarily for live performances. A year later Endgame is released with the vocals of several guest artists where as it is usual with the work of the band, the lyrics talk about reality and social and environmental problems,but always with an optimistic and positive view of the struggle to transform injustice into justice.
Among the social activities that the band partake in the social media it is worth mentioning that they are all members of PETA, an organization in favor of animal rights and that is clearly reflected in their video Ready to Fall, which shows the destruction of the environment. The whole band is strictly vegetarian and claim no use of alcohol and drugs.
Their political position has also been very clear in the last election supporting Obama and even claiming on more than one occasion their rejection of the governmental policy during the administration of George W. Bush.
For more information: http://www.lastfm.es/event/3096281+Rise+Against+at+Pet%C5%91fi+Csarnok+on+19+March+2012
Nancy Guzman
If you are considering visiting one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, do not forget to rent apartments in Budapest and have a great time with its musical panorama.
Opus Magnum. The work of NATALIA LL
Until the 18th of March, the Ernst Museum in Budapest exhibits Opus Magnum by the Polish artist NATALIA LL. With this retrospective exhibition they pay tribute to the conceptual artist who for 40 years had worked in political feminist art, producing important works in the shape of paintings, drawings, performances, photographs, videos and installations.
NATALIA LL is one of the most famous Polish avant-garde artists. Her experimental art work together with the theory thrown onto various texts has brought her to be a pioneer in various art fields, even making works altering her own body.
Lach Lachowicz, the real name of NATALIA LL, was born in Zywiec, Poland, in 1937. She studied in the Fine Arts School of Wroclaw between 1957 and 1963. In the early 70s she was part of the art collective Permafo, together with artists such as Zbigniew Diuback, Antoni Dzieduszycki and Lachowicz Andrzej, with whom she created an avant-garde contemporary art gallery.
In the 70s, amid the rise of feminist political ideas, she joined the feminist international movement, quickly becoming an outstanding representative, making exhibitions on feminist art in Poland, introducing thought on the role of women in society and its representations through performances.
In the late 60s, influenced by the literature of the Marquis de Sade and Georges Bataille, she worked on the investigation of erotic photography and made three works based on it, Intimate Sphere, Velvet Terror and Intimate Photography. With these works she defied the dominant moral rigidness.
In the early 70s she questioned the role of image in society and developed a series of photographic works under the title Consumers Art. Through them she explored the meaning that consumer changes have and submerged herself in a series of post art on the photographic representations of the images that are impossible in photography. Many works came out of this investigation, among them Artificial Cycle.
In the late 70s she discovered the potential that video had, despite it being an expensive technique that was difficult to handle for a non-professional, and she made the works Register Time and Memories.
The 80s were difficult in Poland. The Trade Unions came up strongly in the country and they managed to stop production in most of the country, which meant the implementation of the martial law and, with it, the ethical revaluation in society. This brought NATALIA LL to move her investigation to philosophical and religious subjects. In this period she began a work process with her own body, deconstructing her figure in the work Fear of panic among others.
In the 90s, after the fall of socialism and the opening of the discussion of the origin of evil, she made interesting works such as Sphere of Panic and various other notable works.
For more information: http://www.mucsarnok.hu/new_site/index.php?lang=en&t=630&curmenu=201&kovetkezo_collapse=0
Nancy Guzman
Theres nothing like romance on the shores of the Danube. Rent apartments in Budapest and live the dream atmosphere that this cold-fractured city has.
Hungarian cuisine
Hungary is an exotic, mysterious and plenty stories country that attracts tourists from all around the world, but it also has a strong gastronomy with plenty of flavors and aromas that little has changed over time. For these reasons we’ll tell you the history of its gastronomy, which dishes are the most desirable, how to prepare and how to eat them.
The Hungarian cuisine goes hand in hand with its history, it has a tradition of almost 1000 years and some Eastern influences, both in the seasoning and in several flavors. One of those characteristics is that all the soups and stews are thickened with lard and wheat toast flour, which gives them a texture and taste of its own. The main spices are paprika, which can be spicy or not, but it is essential to any further development of Hungary. Another inevitable flavor is tomato and onion Hungary.
One of the internationally known dishes is goulash, this soup with the consistency of stew is made with cubed beef, potatoes, lard, green bell peppers, onions, fresh tomatoes, ground paprika, cumin, garlic and csipetke pasta. This dish has become the most traditional of the Hungarian cuisine and almost every restaurant in Budapest has it in its menu.
The csipetke paste (meaning pinch) is made only with flour and eggs, it has no water, and when the dough is ready, you take little bits with your fingers and put them into the preparations in the moments that is boiling. It is also used in special preparations for those who do not like meat.
For many products used in Hungarian cuisine, a tour to the central market in Budapest is very didactic, and is one of the most beautiful Art Deco buildings in Europe. The products can distinguish the famous multicolored Hungarian sausages, such as the delicious variety of salamis that are in high demand worldwide. The particularity of these salamis, is that the meat is not grinded, it is chopped into small pieces that are smoked with beech wood. There is also the unique hanging of paprika and garlic.
Do not forget is the barak pálinka, the traditional liquor made of peach. This drink, according to Hungarian culture, enhances mood and body strength.
In general, the Hungarian food does not have raw vegetables, and its dishes are served very hot. Keep this in mind this when you are offered traditional Hungarian food.
Hungarian desserts are fresh fruit tarts and crêpes, which are filled with nuts, fresh fruit, cream, cinnamon and some booze. The crêpes are not flamed; a finishing sauce to give flavor is added.
Nancy Guzman
With these recipes, the only thing you should do now is to rent apartments in Budapest and spend the best days of the year in this charming city, where the Danube has inspired artists, writers and poets.
Translated by: Hans
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Marcell Nemes in Budapest
Until the 19th of February of 2012, the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts holds the exhibition El Greco to Rippl-Rónai, which gathers the collection of Marcell Jánoshalmi Nemes. With this exhibition they attempt to pay a tribute to the patronage of the Hungarian art collector who became a legend in the world of art in the beginning of the 20th century.
The exhibition was titled El Greco to Rippl-Rónai because it shows the broadness of the contained works in this important collection. For that theyve selected 120 objects, among which we can find works by great Italian and Dutch masters, works of Hungarian artists, china, medieval sculptures and other objects of decorative art from different times, catalogues and documents belonging to Nemes.
Marcell Jánoshalmi Nemes was born in Jánoshalma, Hungary, in 1866. His becoming of one of the most important patrons and collectors in Hungary and Europe was full of speculations. This meant that his figure become one of the most controversial ones of his time, which made him into a legend, because he opted to finance young Hungarian artists and artists from other nationalities, buying their works so they could carry on their perfectionist studies.
During his life he donated various works of his collection, such as the valuable work by El Greco Mary Magdalene in penitence and another by Ádám Mányoki, Ferenc Rákózi, which is considered a work of heritage in Hungary of huge value, a gem of Hungarian arts, to the Hungarian Museum of Fine Arts.
His generosity wasnt limited to his country. Numerous institutions such as the Munich Museum, the Berlin Museum, the Louvre Museum and the Prado Museum also received donations. Also, various Hungarian institutions, such as the Applied Arts Museum, received donations, and he contributed in a generous way to the foundation of the Kecskemét Photography Gallery, to whom he gave 80 works of his private collection on Hungarian painting in 1911.
Based on this singularity of Nemes, the exhibition is made up by works of his collection belonging to various national and international museums, as well as parts of his collection that are found today in the hands of private collectors. With this, they try to enhance the wealth of the collection and remember his visionary view on art and its preservation for future generations.
In the exhibition we can find works by important 19th and 20th century Hungarian artists, among them works by József Rippl-Rónai, Mihály Munkácsy, Pál Szinyei Merse, Károly Ferenczy, János Vaszary, Béla Ultz and Károly Kernstok among others.
József Rippl-Rónai was born in Kaposvár, Hungary, in 1861. Despite his pharmacy studies, he moved to the Art Academy in Munich to study painting and then moved to Paris to study the same subject with Munkácsy. Among his greatest painting theres My Grandmother and the portrait of the great Hungarian pianist Zdenka Ticharich.
For more information: http://www.szepmuveszeti.hu/web/guest/articleview?mi_layout_id=29.30&mi_article_id=964
Nancy Guzman
Its always pleasant to spend a few deserved relaxing days in Budapest, a city full of romance, art, history and a culinary offer of the highest quality. For these and thousands more reasons, rent apartments in Budapest now and enjoy the beginning of 2012 so you can start the year with positive energy.
Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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The Golden Age of American Rock Posters in Budapest
Until the 31st of December, the Kogart Gallery in Budapest exhibits From San Francisco to Woodstock – the Golden Age of American Posters 1965-1971. The Kogart Gallery remembers the music festival which marked an era and a way of resistance towards the society of consumption in the 20th century, through posters which shaped the psychedelic art trend, concentrating in the products of the area of the San Francisco Bay.
The posters mark, in a majestic way, a time of great social transformations which shaped art, music and politics, and generated a unique aesthetic in all the social fields. In those years, San Francisco, California, was an effervescent place full of activities which changed the everyday life of the city and its surroundings with the Beatnik and Hippy culture, as well as with more radical movements such as the Black Panthers who fought for civil rights and social change.
The graphic work which these exhibited posters show not only have the historical interest of remembering a time and the Woodstock Festival, but in them they have the signs of a new visual art current, which are linked to Central European traditions. The exhibition also contains other items of that time, such as original documents of the manuscripts which were made for these projects, sketches and the tools used for their making.
The Woodstock Festival, whose complete name was Woodstock. 3 days of Peace & Music, was the music and art rock festival which shined the light the most on the hippy movement and their ideals of pacific co-existence and rejecting the Vietnam War, where thousands of people died every day. This took place on a farm in Bethel, in Sullivan County, close to New York, on the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th of August 1969. The initial project was to carry it out in the town of Woodstock, Ulster County, New York, but the local conservative population opposed the idea of the festival taking place where men and women of dubious reputation would attend, who would sleep together and as a group. From there it got its initial name but, in the end, Sam Yasgur convinced his father Max Yagsur to facilitate the lands of his property.
The festival, full of passivity, only had three deaths, but none of them product of violence, and it gave birth to two children full of the spirit of love and peace.
On its great stage, they sung against the war and in favour of the revolution, they paid tribute to Latin America, the burned American flags in disgust due to their imperialist politics, and the most important rock icons of all time shone, such as Joe Cocker with his t-shirt which shaped fashion, Jimi Hendrix, who made the most impressive guitar solo ever playing the American anthem and imitating war sounds with his strumming, and Joan Baez with her songs of social protest, amongst over a hundred artists.
The documentary on Woodstock. 3 Days of Peace & Music, directed by Michael Wadleigh and edited and produced among others by Martin Scorsese, reached the cinema screens around the world in 1970, causing a real furore among the young population. For this documentary, the director obtained the Oscar for Best Documentary.
For more information: http://kogart.hu/kogart/en/index.jsp
Nancy Guzman
This exhibition is a great way to remember the golden age of the 60s, so rent apartments in Budapest and relive those times where the dream for world peace seemed to be within reach.
Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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