The Hungarian Playbook
Bence Máté & Aron Szentpéri
The documentary explores how independent journalists fight Viktor Orbán’s media control and the rise of authoritarianism in the EU
Set during Hungary's 2022 elections, the film captures a pivotal struggle for press freedom. Independent journalists and whistleblowers risk everything to expose a state-controlled media system and a web of corruption at the heart of Viktor Orbán's regime. From leaked recordings to revealing investigations, The Hungarian Playbook paints an unflinching portrait of a country grappling with fear, propaganda and the erosion of democracy. With war erupting in neighboring Ukraine, the stakes are higher than ever as Orbán manipulates the crisis to strengthen his grip on power.
"A group of young journalists takes on the state propaganda. They reveal how the Prime Minister’s people control the media and rule over 80% of the news market."
The pressure on journalists is so great that sometimes they see no alternative than to go abroad. Krisztina prefers to wait tables in Austria rather than stay in Hungary and be forced to deliver propaganda to the people. Andras, a young journalist at the state-run public television network, leaks exclusive audio recordings from an internal editorial meeting to the documentary's authors – incontrovertible evidence of the forced implementation of state-directed propaganda.
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Director BENCE MÁTÉ, ÁRON SZENTPÉTERI
Producer FLORIAN SCHEWE
Camera ZÁGON NAGY, SAL KAZAN
Editor ZSÓFI ÉRDI