Hungary

Hungary has provided the backdrop to several Oscar and Bafta contenders over the past few years, including Brady Corbet’s opus The Brutalist and Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things. Many producers are drawn to Hungary due to its doubling potential. Capital city Budapest can stand in for a variety of eras and cities, including London, Buenos Aires, Amsterdam and New York. Corbet doubled the Hungarian countryside for 1950s Philadelphia and rural Pennsylvania.

Other projects to have shot in Hungary include Netflix series Eric, Sony’s Until Dawn, which wrapped filming in October 2024, and action pic Ballerina Overdrive, starring Uma Thurman for 87North Productions and Gulfstream Pictures.

The country’s central European location also makes it an efficient home base for production, one reason Carnival Films’ head of production Charlotte Ashby chose Hungary for Sky Atlantic/Peacock’s The Day Of The Jackal. 

“We shot in Budapest, London, Vienna, Zagreb and all over the Croatian coast,” says Ashby. “Hungary was chosen as we needed a base that could offer a good range of locations, easy access to various European destinations, and good options to double a variety of settings.”

It was not Carnival’s first time in Hungary. The company previously shot three series of Jamestown and five series of The Last Kingdom (plus feature spin-off Seven Kings Must Die) in the territory. On The Day Of The Jackal, Carnival worked with around 400 Hungarian crew during the 23-week shoot. 

Hungary also offers a tax rebate of 30% on eligible local spend. “With the support of our production service partner Mid Atlantic, we found it straightforward to access,” says Ashby. “Bear in mind the cycle for the tax incentive can be long, and the Hungarian currency can fluctuate, so it is worth baking a discount into your assumptions.” 

Ashby says Budapest offers another advantage as productions look towards environmental factors. “Access to grid power minimises the need for generators to power unit base and set,” she says. “On The Day Of The Jackal, we were able to access grid power at over 90% of the Budapest filming locations.” 

First person to contact: Csaba Kael, Hungarian film — commissioner @ kael.csaba@nfi.hu

You are spoilt for choice in Hungary. The variety of landscapes is incredible. In popular Budapest alone you will find everything from dramatic history and flamboyant architecture to healing thermal waters, opera houses and sports stadiums.

All location palettes are on offer in the capital city, from classical to modern, industrial to upscale, hipster to retro, with castles and rural landscapes.  

Hungary’s countryside attractions include Lake Balaton, the largest in Central Europe, where The Last Kingdom was partly shot; Lake Héviz, the second largest thermal lake in the world; and Hortobágy, the largest natural grassland in Europe.

All locations are within a few hours of each other, and thanks to a mild four-season climate, the country can host productions all year round.

According to producer Andreas Hjortdal, the country’s main attraction was the locations, the production finding old-growth forests a 45-minute drive from Budapest. Hedegaard’s advice for international producers coming to Hungary is to find the right local service producer.

While Hungary offers broad historical heritage (there are plenty of castles of different styles – medieval, English, Hungarian, French, etc), Kovács also notes that the industrial buildings, abandoned factories, and brutalist villas from the socialist era are also spectacular as they can stand in for 20th century’s historical films as well as for futuristic sci-fis and action movies.

There are also plenty of historical baths in the country and in Hévíz filmmakers can find the world’s largest thermal lake. 

In addition to multiple production service partners, Hungary offers several studio complexes including the recently expanded NFI Studios, Origo Studios and Korda Studios. However, capacity still presents an issue. 

Hungary boasts several renowned studios, though availability is an issue. Korda Studios in Etyek, located 18 miles from Budapest, hosted Netflix series Eric. Origo Studios was used by Dune: Part Two, while NFI Studios has expanded to increase studio capacity by 22% nationwide. 

Budapest was busy and there was limited availability when The Day Of The Jackal was ready to confirm stages, so Carnival used a converted warehouse space that met its needs and provided flexibility.

Crews are bilingual and highly regarded. One small concern is whether there is enough A‑list crew to service multiple big‑budget projects at one time, but the base is expanding.

Studio facilities are fast improving, and the country is hosting US blockbusters and European arthouse pictures. The crews speak English and there are many top-level technicians who excel in everything from costume to make-up to production design.

Public transport is well-developed in Hungary; there are plenty of ports, and ferry routes available in Budapest and at Lake Balaton. Taxis are plentiful on the streets of most Hungarian cities. No airlines currently offer direct flights from Los Angeles or New York to Budapest, but Hungary is easily reached via major European cities. 

Hungary covers 35,920 square miles and while landlocked its capital Budapest is bisected by the Danube River.

Flights from most major US cities have a connecting stop to Budapest. New York can connect via Amsterdam or London.