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Both Europe’s most right-wing nation and hottest destination for international shoots, Hungary has shocked the world with its recent ban on LGBTQ+ public events. But Hollywood is not yet ready to give up on the country’s generous tax incentives.
An amendment to the constitution passed on Monday by the Hungarian parliament codifies a law passed in March that made it an offense to hold or attend events that violate Hungary’s “child protection” legislation, which prohibits the “depiction or promotion” of homosexuality to minors under 18.
The Hungarian government will use measures to enforce the ban including the use of facial recognition software to identify those attending LGBTQ+ public events — such as Budapest Pride — and infractions can come with fines of up to 200,000 Hungarian forints ($546).
It’s not Hungary’s first anti-LGBTQ+ law. Back in 2021, the country’s parliament passed a law forbidding the dissemination of content deemed to promote homosexuality and gender change. But apart from prompting criticism from leading broadcasters such as HBO, SPI International and A+E Networks, which issued a joint statement denouncing homophobia, the law did nothing to dethrone Hungary as one of the world’s top production hubs. In the last few years, the country, which has a 30% production incentive, has hosted high-profile productions including “Dune: Part Two,” “The Brutalist” and “Poor Things.”
This time around, the response to Hungary’s ban on LGBTQ events has been more muted. Times have changed since 2021 as Hollywood looks to cope with the conservative Trump administration for at least another three and a half years, and some have become jaded when it comes to right-wing policies.
“It won’t be an issue,” predicts an independent studio chief. “Georgia and North Carolina have conservative laws and there’s all sorts of production there. You’re already seeing the capitulation of media companies to the Trump administration. I don’t think they’re about to rediscover their moral courage over Hungary.”The studio chief said the only thing that will prevent a film from shooting there is if “a major filmmaker or an A-list actor refused to shoot a movie there.”
Among the Hollywood and international productions shooting now in Hungary are Cold War thriller “Billion Dollar Spy,” starring Russell Crowe and Harry Lawtey; Cold War thriller series “Ponies” produced for Peacock/Universal TV and starring Emilia Clarke; Ruben Östlund’s “The Entertainment System Is Down,” which features Keanu Reeves and Kirsten Dunst, and “Matchbox,” starring John Cena and Jessica Biel.
One of the biggest shoots slated for later this year is “Dune 3,” which will be filming soundstage work with Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya in Budapest.
Variety has confirmed that other TV series are scheduled to shoot there later this year, including Season 2 of Netflix’s sci-fi drama “3 Body Problem,” Sony’s “Starship Troopers” and Season 2 of HBO’s “Dune: Prophecy.”
Also still on track to shoot in Hungary this spring is “Alpha Gang,” an alien invasion comedy by “Sasquatch Sunset” filmmakers David and Nathan Zellner which will star Cate Blanchett, Dave Bautista, Steven Yeun, Zoë Kravitz, Léa Seydoux, Riley Keough and Channing Tatum.
Asked by Variety whether LGBTQ+ crew, actors and filmmakers should be concerned about working in Hungary due the homophobic law, the country’s film commissioner Csaba Kael said that “The constitutional amendment adopted by the National Assembly concerns child protection, and the resulting measures do not affect the Hungarian film industry and the work of crews filming in Hungary.”
He added: “LGBTQ+ crew members and actors have no reason to be concerned about working in Hungary; there are no regulations in place that restrict anyone in any way. As the film commissioner, I am not in a position to comment on the various aspects of the constitutional amendment related to child protection.”
Critics say the measures are being used to mobilize Orbán’s right-wing base ahead of elections and have little to do with the protection of children.
“This whole endeavor which we see launched by the government, it has nothing to do with children’s rights,” Dánel Döbrentey, a lawyer with the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, told AP, calling it “pure propaganda.”
