By this year’s deadline we received a total of 939 entries (723 fiction, 102 animation and 114 experimental) from 78 countries. The breakdown by nations shows no surprise: Spain delegating the most, then Germany and Great Britain. The pre-jury’s selection took 2 months to finalize the competition program consist of 78 shorts, they said they were happy that after last year’s record number of entries they had to deal with a bit less shorts because the quality is still outstanding.

The pre-jury’s line up was: Annaida Orosz – Festival Curator, István Mag – assistant director, László Rimóczi – screenplay writer and Tamás Patrovits – animator and the first timer who lives in Estonia, Edina Csüllög film expert.

To the pleasure of the organizers we can again welcome the National Student Jury who mysteriously have not been present last year, with the members of Balázs Szövényi-Lux, Bence Kránicz and László Sepsi, co-ordinated by Tamás Teszler.

The International Jury’s line up again consist of noted experts, including Géza M. Tóth who doesn’t even need to be introduced to Hungarian people. Even if he does he does shortly, he is a Balázs Béla award winner director, founder of KEDD Animation Studio, teacher at Theatre and Cinema Art University, who also has been an Academy award nominee for Maestro in animation category in 2007.

Beside him we also have Adam Paplinski from Poland on board as well as two ladies, Jana Grimova works for Brno 16 festival from Czech Republic, Daniela Chlapikova director of 4zivly film seminar of Slovakia and of course our only permanent member and co-ordinator of the jury, Wolfgang Leis marketing expert. So they await for all film makers and visitors for the public jury consultation every evening which is the intellectual height of the festival each year. They will decide about the usual prizes, 7 to categories and 3 main that will be delivered to the winner’s shelf by Solide Art.

The competition program will be screened in 15 one-hour sections during the 3 days and repeated once at the main venue. Paralell to this the competition program will also be on screen on 4-5-6 September at Tiszap’Art cinema in Szolnok, in Oradea (Romania), Kanjiza (Serbia), Nové Zamky (Slovakia) and Uzhorod (Ukraine).

Those film makers whom shorts have been selected to the competition program again got the chance to represent their work in person, many of them took this chance and visiting Budapest from numerous places in Europe. Fortunately we find plenty of Hungarian creators among the bests too, eg. Orsi Nagypál, Péter Vácz, Dániel Vízkeleti or Szonja Szabó just to mention a few. You will see Franco Nero turning up on the screen as well as the French legend, Michel Galabru who gained his biggest appretiations by starring alongside with Louis de Funes in their Gendarme series.

Traditionally BuSho Festival is willing to show those shorts to the public that could not make it to the competition by the so called information screenings and all registered Hungarian pieces will be shown as well. The inevitable side programs of BuSho Festival will of course be held again, such as screenings of partner festivals’ bests, workshops, introductions of film competitions, exhibitions and concerts in Trafik as well as Culture Disco at Africafé!

There will be a special screening too, brought to you by this year’s main sponsor the Visegrád Fund, that will show you some of the early works of the best contemporary directors, like Péter Tímár, Jacek Bławut, Jan Svěrák and Dušan Hanák. Int he frame of a short film tender started in spring and next year’s Bohumil Hrabal centenary, we close each day with a Jiří Menzel film in appretiation to the worthily high ranked Czech humour.

Unfortunately there also will be an im memoriam screening in honour to János Xantus film director passed away last year, who was one of the main mentors of the BuSho Festival and any other initiative created by the team.

Third time this year, exclusively in Hungary BuSho festival can present the nominees of European Film Academy award for short film category. After Bálint Szimler’s “Here I am” was representing Hungary in this collection last year we again delegated a homeland short to it, that is Attila Till’s “Csicska”. It won the BuSho silver last year which reflects the high
opinion of the international jury.

We can expect great gigs every night by Trafik as they set up an international line up alike to BuSho. The British hardcore band Merciless Precision step on stage ont he opening day by the invitation of Grind Crew Hungary, followed by Assur of Belgium and other Hungarian bands such as Karak, PFA and the Hills. We host an outstanding blues-punk formation The Bloody Hollies from the USA who play right after the Hungarian Kollaps on Thursday night. Last, but not least, the diamond of Hungarian Club band, the Ez a Divat will entertain you on Saturday night as usual.

Tickets still only needed to the competition screenings, with discounts for students and retired, you can book your ticket on line in advance on any of the contacts fund on the festival’s website. So we’d like to welcome anyone at the 9th BuSho Festival where the screenings start already int he afternoon of Tuesday 3-September at the cinema’s small hall. The festival officially starts with the grand opening at 7:00pm where last year’s award winners can be seen and ends with the grand closing and award ceremony on Saturday where the freshly awarded pieces will be put on screen at the same time, 7:00pm.

Source: busho.hu