As under the previous Fidesz-KDNP government, Vajna is tasked with helping shape a strategy that supports the enrichment and efficient operation of Hungaryʼs film industry, according to a report by state news agency MTI.
Vajnaʼs mandate is for a period of two years. The position is unpaid and does not come with any support staff, MTI notes.
Born in Budapest in 1944, Vajna fled Hungary during the uprising in 1956 and was eventually reunited with his family in Los Angeles, where he went on to study cinematography at the University of California, according to his Wikipedia profile. He co-founded independent film production company Carolco, which had great success with the first two Rambo films during his time there. He then formed Cinergi Pictures, which had box office hits including Tombstone, Die Hard with a Vengeance, and Evita, but then suffered a string of bombs and eventually wound up in 1998.
Vajna has been working as government commissioner for the Hungarian film industry since 2011. He also has significant media holdings, having bought the Hungarian TV2 Group in 2015, Rádió 1 in 2016, and newspaper publisher Lapcom Zrt. in 2017.
Vajna is also one of the few people in Hungary to hold a casino operating license. In May this year, it was reported that his Las Vegas Casino Kft. posted after-tax profit of over HUF 7.3 billion in 2017.
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