Leaving is not an option?

Current artistic positions from Hungary

Fotograf: Jürgen Fehrmann, Festival "Leaving is not an option", HAU Hebbel am Ufer

The HAU Hebbel am Ufer theatre in Berlin has organized a festival titled “Leaving Is Not an Option?” which presented contemporary artistic positions from Hungary. A central theme of the festival was the political and economic development in Hungary in recent years. Hungary was hit especially hard by the economic downturn following the financial crisis in 2007. This came at a time when right-wing political sentiment grew in popularity and minorities were increasingly marginalised. Today, the Roma and members of the Jewish community have suffered the most from xenophobic attacks by right extremists. In the last few years, conditions in the independent Hungarian art scenes have significantly deteriorated. The festival presented the situation of Hungarian artists today in an european context: How do they continue working under increasingly precarious conditions? How do they incorporate these processes into their work? One of the central productions of the programme was “The day of my great happiness” by the Hungarian stage and film director Kornél Mundruczó. The protagonists in the play look for ways to survive in a crisis-ridden society. The festival had also invited the group Kretakör from Budapest which has developed notably unconventional projects for children and young people since 2008. A film programme presented works by young directors, and a music programme highlighted new developments in Hungary’s contemporary electronic music scene.

Artistic director: Aenne Quiñones
Artists: Kornél Mundruczó / Proton Cinema + Theatre (HU), Árpád Schilling / Kretakör (HU), Béla Pintér (HU), Adrienn Hód / Hodworks (HU), Péter Kárpáti / Secret Company (HU), FÜGE Productions (HU), Csaba Polgár / HOPPart Company (HU), More techno to the Parliament (HU), Little Warsaw (HU) u.a.

Contact

HAU Hebbel am Ufer

Stresemannstr. 29

10963 Berlin

www.hebbel-am-ufer.de (external link, opens in a new window)