Hungary’s Parliament to be featured in new film starring LOTR prequel actress
American actress Ema Horvath, best known for her role in the prequel series to “The Lord of the Rings,” recently visited Hungary as part of a large-scale documentary film titled “The House of the Nation.” Serving as the visible narrator of the movie, the creators aim to introduce the architectural and artistic richness of the Hungarian Parliament to a worldwide audience, while bringing Hungary’s history closer to viewers through the story of the building.
Designed by architect Imre Steindl, the construction of the Parliament, which is one of the world’s most famous buildings, began 140 years ago in 1883. Experts from the tourism website Stasher recently chose it as the best tourist attraction in the world. The documentary film showcases the historical, architectural and artistic richness of the Hungarian Parliament building, highlighting important events from Hungarian history, such as the 1912 assassination attempt against István Tisza.
Ema Horvath, who has Hungarian heritage, guides the audience through significant events in Hungarian history, including the bombing of Budapest during World War II, the 1956 Kossuth Square shootings, and the removal of the red star in 1990. The feature-length film is produced by Budamount Film in collaboration with the Hungarian National Film Institute and the Parliament Filmmaking Workshop, anticipated to be released in the autumn of 2023, and plans to be distributed to as many places as possible through streaming platforms, television networks and film distributors.
The film’s screenwriter, György Somogyi, explained that the challenge was to tell the story in a way that would be comprehensible to an international audience while keeping in mind that what may be historically or politically clear to a Hungarian might mean nothing to a foreigner. The director, András Nagy, stated they expect the film to attract tourists to Hungary with an interest in architecture and history, and offer a new perspective on the Hungarian Parliament building and Hungarian history to both local and foreign audiences.
