LONDON – Hungary’s Oscar selection committee Wednesday chose Janos Szasz‘s adaptation of international bestselling novel, The Notebook, as its submission for best foreign language film in the Academy Awards.
The film — also known by Agota Kristof‘s title for her novel, Le Grand Cahier — is the first film produced under Hungary’s new national film funding system, headed by Budapest-born Hollywood producer Andy Vajna.
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Last month the film won the Grand Prix Crystal Globe at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. It tells the story of twins sent to stay with their cruel grandmother during the closing days of World War Two and the corrosive effects of war on their young minds.
Produced by Hunnia Film Studio (Hungary) and Intuit Pictures (Germany) with co-production coin from Amour Fou Filmproduktion (Austria), Dolce Vita Films (France) and the Hungarian National Film Fund, the film’s cinematography is by Christian Berger, who was nominated for an Oscar for his work on Michael Haneke‘s The White Ribbon.
The film features twins Laszlo and Andras Gyemant as the brothers and co-stars Ulrich Thomsen, Ulrich Matthes, Piroska Molnar and Orsi Toth. Germany’s Beta Cinema is handling world sales.
The Notebook is due for its domestic release in Hungary on Sept. 19. Oscar submissions close Oct. 1 and the Academy Awards are due to take place on March 2, 2014.
