Amerikai Magyar Hírlap, 2017 (29. évfolyam, 1-50. szám)
2017-03-31 / 13. szám
US Premiere Documentary Film Exposes Racism Against Hungarian Roma It is not often that a film gets its U.S. premiere in St. Louis, but that is the case for the award-winning “Judgment in Hungary.” This powerful courtroom-drama documentary spotlights the trial of four Hungarian men accused of the racially motivated killing of six Roma people, including a 4-year-old. “Judgment in Hungary,” which debuted Sunday, March 26, at the Holocaust Museum and Learning Center of St. Louis, has won 19 awards and been shown in at least 12 countries. The premiere is quite a coup for the Holocaust Museum, and a way to highlight the museum’s offerings of important if little-seen films. The documentary introduced by film scholar and former university professor Pier Marton. The French-born Marton, who will lead a discussion after the screening, is the son of Hungarian-born photographer Ervin Marton, who was a member of the French Resistance during World War II. Director Eszter Hajdú got remarkable access in filming the-two-year trial of the four men that began in 2011 in a cramped Budapest courtroom. The trial highlights widespread prejudice in Hungary against the Roma, also known as gypsies, who have been stereotyped as criminals and regarded as outsiders. The killings were committed by a gang of Hungarian extremists in 2008 and 2009. Hajdú, who worked on the project for more than three years, takes a straightforward, unobtrusive approach in her film, offering neither opening explanations nor narration. Her hands-off style puts the focus on the drama of the unfolding court case. At times, action in the courtroom verges on chaos. Emotions run high, with the cold arrogance of the accused contrasting with the pain of the victims’ families. The shackled defendants are escorted into the courtroom by black-uniformed police wearing ski masks to conceal their identities. They stand before a panel of court officials, led by a judge, and flanked by tables for lawyers for the defense and prosecution. Hajdú’s camera does not cut away from graphic images of the victims presented as evidence and follows trial participants as they visit the site of one violent attack, where a Roma family was shot and their home set on fire. A court trip to the home of one of the defendants is particularly revealing, focusing on a photograph of Adolf Hitler among his scattered possessions. In the claustrophobic courtroom, Hajdú places her cameras to show the points of view of both the judge and the defendants, putting filmgoers in the middle of the drama and giving them a remarkable view of the proceedings. Three of the four defendants claim innocence, but the fourth admits guilt as an accessory to the murders, offering evidence against the others. The documentary gives us a peek into a courtroom and legal system that differs from our own. But more significantly, it reveals the chilling persistence of prejudice against the Roma among some Hungarians. Jews and Roma suffered Nazi persecution in Hungary, and evidence pointing to neo-Nazi beliefs raises hairs on the back of one’s neck. If this documentary has a star, it is the charismatic Judge László Miszori. With his tightly curled white hair and bespectacled face, the judge has a grandfatherly appearance, but his sharp tongue, occasional sarcasm, and zero-tolerance of both evasive answers and emotional outbursts from either defendants or witnesses presents a different picture. ., „ „ .. r r At first, it seems as if the judge may be favoring the prosecution (and indeed the defendants later made this claim). But later, his tart-tongued treatment of a witness for the prosecution suggests the reverse. Our uncertainty about the judge adds to the tension about how the case will turn out. As the documentary unfolds, it sometimes moves out of the courtroom, and friends and relatives of the victims speak movingly about what happened to their loved ones. Hajdú never interjects narration or expert commentary, keeping the focus on the participants. The heartbreak of the Roma family members is contrasted with the indignation of the defendants and the squirming evasion of witnesses unwilling to openly acknowledge the lead defendant’s racist views. The testimony of police who investigated the crime scenes is especially unsettling; their shoddy work indicates either incompetence or a callous indifference to the victims, even hinting at agreement with the criminals’ racist views. Late in the film, the director adds a little music, which heightens the drama as the trial approaches its conclusion. “Judgment in Hungary” is a powerful, emotionally gripping documentary, one that gives remarkable insight into racist views in contemporary Hungary. It is essential viewing for its important message and its immediacy. stljewishlight.com Famous US Singer Settles With Hungarian Songwriter Over Alleged Song Theft Kanye West has settled a lawsuit by a Hungarian rock singer who accused the hip-hop star of sampling one of his best-known works without permission for the 2013 song “New Slaves.” The accord resolves claims that 85 seconds, or one-third, of “New Slaves,” which appeared on the No. 1 album “Yeezus,” was a copy of the plaintiff Gabor Presser’s 1969 song “Gyöngyhajú Lány,” which translates roughly as “Pearls in Her Hair.” “I am very glad it is over,” Presser was quoted as saying by Hungarian news agency MTI on Friday. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. The parties settled on Monday, two days before West was scheduled for a deposition. A notice that they agreed to dismiss the case was made public on Thursday in Manhattan federal court. “The matter has been resolved amicably,” Peter Cane, a lawyer for Presser, said on Friday. Presser had sought at least $2.5 million of damages for copyright infringement, calling his song “one of the most beloved pop songs ever in Hungary and across Eastern Europe.” He said he did not know the song was used until West’s lawyers gave him 24 hours to “work out a deal” and then sent him a $10,000 check, which he never cashed. Recording stars are often sued in the United States for song theft, as in a case filed last month against U2 in the Manhattan court. Few such cases go to trial, and many are resolved out of court, reuters.com Március 31,2017 Catholic Bishop Gives Shelter to Migrants in Rare Voice of Support in Hungary Hungarians should overcome prejudice and help refugees to settle in the country, the Catholic bishop of Vac said trying to ease a hostile attitude towards migrants. Miklós Beer, whose comments are a rare show of support for migrants among high clergy in Hungary, has backed up his stand by housing two asylum-seekers from Afghanistan and one from Cuba in his church quarters situated in the quaint town north of Budapest. Now the 73-year old bishop is afraid that under a new law passed last week, they will be taken to container camps on Hungary’s border with Serbia, where all migrants will be detained until their asylum requests are processed. Migrants whose applications are not immediately approved will not be allowed to move freely around Hungary. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been a vocal opponent of the wave of migration into Europe, which he says threatens the socioeconomic makeup of the continent, and his government is now building a second barrier to keep migrants out. “I still hope and I am convinced that even if we have a double fence (on the border), the door is still open,” Beer, who will soon celebrate his 14th Easter in Vac, told Reuters in an interview. “It is up to us, and I have the entire Hungarian society in mind, that we should accept those who knock on the door, and should not humiliate them ... but we should ensure that they feel at home here as soon as possible.” Beer said he was following the teachings of Pope Francis. The pontiff last month called for a radical change of attitude towards immigrants, saying they should be welcomed with dignity and denouncing the “populist rhetoric” he said was fuelling fear and selfishness in rich countries. “When someone comes through the door, and based on the latest parliamentary decision ... arrives in the transit zone (on the border) and asks for asylum, we should help those who get the refugee status,” Beer said. “We should not have prejudices against them.” He said parishes and local communities should offer empty homes in Hungary’s depopulated villages to refugee families. Based on data from the immigration office, this year 51 migrants had been granted refugee or protected status. A total of 1,920 asylum requests, some of them filed last year, had been rejected and 1,488 applications had to be terminated as asylum seekers had left Hungary. Last year Hungary received 29,432 asylum requests, but most people decided to move on to western Europe. The office of the Catholic Church did not reply to emailed Reuters questions asking for an official statement on migrants. Beer said he would continue to provide shelter and food for the three asylum seekers who he has put up for a month, but admitted he would not be able to prevent their transfer to a detention camp, if police came. , “I won’t have any means to stop that,” he said, usnews.com I3* Royal Coach Jravet % A magyar utasaink szolgálatában MAGYAR UTAZÁSI IRODA 2841. Woodflower St, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362 AJÁNLATAINK: CSOPORTOS ÉS EGYÉNI UTAZÁSOK HAJÓUTAK, TÚRÁK, REPÜLŐJEGYEK TENGERPARTI ÜDÜLÉSEK UTALVÁNYOK, UTASBIZTOSÍTÁS 4 Hívják Érseki Emőkét Phone: 805-523-7700 Toll-free: 877-207-0052 Skype: emoke.erseki Fax:310-317-7170 E-mail: emoke@hungariantravel.com Keressen minket az Interneten: http ://ww w. hungariantravel .com AMERIKAI Hja gyár Hírlap
