New Hungarian outfit plans slate of English-language films

Veteran Hungarian producer Gábor Váradi, formerly of Eurofilm, has set up a new Hungarian production and services company, Blue Danube Films.

As well as assisting foreign productions shooting in the region, the outfit intends to produce a number of English-language micro-budget films, kicking off with thriller Lord Of The Blocks, which has Eric Roberts [pictured] attached.

Written and co-produced by Balázs Lovas (Run to Ground), Gábor Krigler (Born Loser) and Romanian Bobby Barbacioru, the film is described as a dark urban mythic thriller about a disaffected young man’s discovery of a man-like creature living in his apartment building, with shooting set for 2012. 

All films on the slate are budgeted at between €500,000 and €1m.

The company has already made a number of strategic alliances, including with UK-based Raindance, who recently opened an office in Budapest.

Varadi formed Blue Danube Films with local producer Luca Bercovici.

Bercovici said: “We’re making world-class quality, genre-driven films – for a price. These films have the best of all possible worlds, talented local writers writing in English, spectacular locations that fit the genre and put tremendous value up on the screen, excellent crews and management to keep costs as low as possible.”