György Pálfi creates Hen in Greece after Hungarian funding dries up
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 7
György Pálfi creates Hen in Greece after Hungarian funding dries up
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 7
The Hungarian director says Viktor Orbán's 16-year rule left independent film-makers without support, forcing him abroad before he returned to Budapest after the election.
Hen follows a factory-farmed chicken escaping into a Greek people-smuggling drama centred on an ageing restaurateur, using eight trained hens, low-angle camerawork and no CGI on the birds.
Pálfi calls the film a parable about powerless animals and people under brutal populism, and says he hopes Hungary's new government will again allow him to make films at home.
After 16 years of state control, can Hungary's new government rebuild a film industry that is truly free from political influence?
How did a director use eight live chickens to create a political allegory that state censors were unable to stop?
György Pálfi’s *Hen*: Overcoming Political Barriers and Technical Challenges to Achieve International Acclaim
Overview
György Pálfi's film Kota (Hen) premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2025, earning critical acclaim and honorable mention, which propelled its selection at major festivals like San Sebastián, Hamburg, and Tokyo. Due to political and funding challenges in Hungary, Pálfi relocated production to Greece in 2023, transforming the project into a complex international co-production supported by multiple European funds. Rejecting CGI, the film used live chickens, requiring innovative filming techniques and a calm, collaborative set to capture the hen's perspective authentically. This unique approach enabled a hybrid storytelling style that explores universal themes through the eyes of its avian protagonist, securing promising global arthouse distribution prospects.