Training future film professionals, funded by a 0.5% levy on film productions, is a key part of the NFI’s mission. Its Film Industry Training Program, launched in 2016, aims to “eliminate skills shortages experienced mainly in areas of production and to create the sustainable future of local film professionals.” As far as Lányi knows, the scheme is unusual, if not unique.
“Linking the levy to productions that received support from the country and then channeling that money into professional training for film industry sustainability is pretty unique,” Lányi says.
The NFI’s Fast Forward Program is a series of lectures and workshops on filmmaking led by world-renowned figures in the industry. The NFI-supported training courses cover a wide range of professions, from video and animation to sound and finance, and even how to train as a weapons technician. Summer camps for teenagers and adults offer a platform to support career orientation.
NFI has published “Szabadnak Lenni / Being Free,” a practical guide to what it really means to be a freelance filmmaker, and manages a stand-alone website that enables potential interns to register with their details so film producers can find them. An impressive-looking set of programs for sure. But does it really make a difference?
Lányi’s background is in education and culture management. She’s also a film buff who says, “Film is at the core of my heart.” Joining the NFI in 2017, she set about broadening the training program’s remit.
“I realized that while the industry needed new people, mostly in assistant roles, there was so much more we could do to help the Hungarian film industry become sustainable,” Lányi tells me.
The thinking behind the Fast Forward Program, for example, is to encourage the desire to enter the film industry at an early age. But it’s also to attract adults considering a career change to explore using the skills they have differently.
“There’s been a big change over the years,” Lányi explains. “In the beginning, most people who wanted to go into the film industry were in their 20s. Today, when we look at the groups we train, there are more people in their 30s and 40s, mid-career and thinking about changing.” According to Lányi, the program works.
“I see people who go to our camps working in productions. Kids form friendships at the summer camps and decide to work together on projects. Some kids who try one of our summer camps later apply to the boot camp for grownups. People who graduate from our programs and start working in the industry migrate from one type of work to the other,” she says.
Professors and industry professionals tutor the boot camp. Dorottya Zurbó, one of the directors of the Sundance-acclaimed “The Agent of Happiness,” was a recent documentary tutor. László Csáki, animation director on “Pelikan Blue,” tutored animation.
Lányi is hot on providing data to demonstrate the success of training programs by institutions the NFI sponsors, such as Moholy-Nagy University, the Hungarian Society of Cinematographers, Mystic Academy, and Werk Academy.
A recent assistant producer course attracted 17 people, six women and nine men. Of these, 15 passed the final exam. Six are currently working in the film industry. The success rate of a production accounting course is equally impressive. Out of 10 participants, seven were women, and three were men. All passed the final exam, and six are now working in film.
But while the results are impressive, there’s also the question of accessibility. People who get into the U.S. and U.K. film industries are often the children or grandchildren of professionals already working there. They’re also from families that can support them financially while they intern.
“It’s true that our summer camps for kids tend to be filled by the children of Budapest families,” Lányi admits. “But the programs for adults are very mixed. They include people from outside Budapest and even Hungarian-speaking applicants from neighboring countries. I’d say their socio-economic status is also as varied as you can imagine. Money, or the lack of it, should never be a barrier. The cost of taking part in our summer camps is very low.”
As far as Lányi is concerned, there’s not much the NFI or anyone can do to counter the phenomenon of those with a head start because they have contacts in the industry.
“Subsidies won’t change this. What we can do is open doors: for example, offer internship possibilities and prepare anyone thinking about the industry for what will be the reality when they do get in,” she says.
“When I ask kids what they want from a career, they often say stability and being independent. These things don’t go together. You need to plan your career in the film industry. That’s why we created the ‘Be Free’ guide to freelancing,” Lányi adds.
Ultimately, the NFI’s mission is to make sure the people it prepares to enter the industry with no illusions. “It’s a magical industry,” Lányi says, somewhat wistfully. “You create a world out of nothing and then watch it on the silver screen. But it’s also very tough, and you need to be prepared.”
If you find the film industry tempting and want to know more, you can learn about training options at nfi.hu/en/training. Anyone looking to intern should go to filmesgyakornok.hu/en.
This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of March 21, 2025.
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