Oscar Nominated Ildikó Enyedi Shoots Pilot for Human Trafficking Series ‘Angel’s Trumpets’
Ildikó Enyedi, who won the Berlin Golden Bear and was Oscar nominated for “On Body and Soul,” will start shooting the pilot episode of the TV series “Angel’s Trumpets” (Angyaltrombiták) at the end of this month. The bloody and humorous revenge story was written by Katalin Besenyei, who pitched it at the Hypewriter TV Series Pitch Forum in 2021 to a jury that had Enyedi among its members. The project was awarded and Enyedi eventually boarded the project, Film New Europe reports.
The story takes place in Békés County, in the southeast corner of Hungary. It is produced by Ákos Erdős through Paprika Studios, and it will have its first public screening at this year’s Hypewriter competition in autumn. RTL Hungary will broadcast the pilot, and if that is a success a full season will be made.
More from Variety
Hajni Kis' 'Wild Roots' Wins Best Feature at Hungarian Film Awards
Croatian Producers to Receive Funding Boost From Streamers - C&E Europe News in Brief
The two protagonists of the series are Anna and Jázmin, who were victims of human trafficking and now live in sheltered accommodation in Hungary. After learning that Jasmine’s sister, 15-year-old Bella, may have gone abroad as well, they set out to rescue her, take revenge on the mafia, and finally be free.
“In her visual conception for the pilot episode, Ildikó wrote that it was a folk tale, or rather a ballad that reminded her of Joel and Ethan Coen’s ‘Fargo’ for its absurdity and humor, but at the same time it is about a quite unreal and yet very close friendship of two girls,” Besenyei told FNE. It was a happy coincidence because the scriptwriter envisioned “Angel’s Trumpets” as a ballad from the start and one of her early inspirations was “Fargo.”
The series has strong links to the thriller and crime genres, but because two completely inadequate action heroes are trying to take revenge, it causes many comic situations. “We want to treat rural Hungary with respectful humor,” said Besenyei.
The main characters are played by Niké Kurta and Emma Baranyi. Niké Kurta had a supporting role in “Eternal Winter” (Örök tél), directed by Attila Szász and produced by Szupermodern Studio. She appeared in the series “Therapy” (Terápia), which was partly directed by Enyedi and produced by HBO Hungary, and she also played a sex worker in “Well” (Kút), directed by Attila Gigor and produced by KMH Film. Baranyi is a third-year acting student at the University of Theater and Film Arts in Budapest. “It’s time for everyone to get to know her because she’s a very talented and lovable phenomenon,” Besenyei said.
The production designer is Imola Láng, who worked with Enyedi on “The Story of My Wife” (A feleségem története), produced by Inforg-M&M Film and coproduced by Komplizen Film, Pyramide Productions and Moliwood Films.
Courtesy of FNE
Besenyei graduated in film directing from the Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. She directed a couple of short films, including “My Father’s Doctor Doesn’t Practice” (Apám orvosa nem praktizál), which was selected for the competition program of the Friss Hús Intl. Short Film Festival in 2017.
This article is published in partnership with online news service Film New Europe, which covers film and TV industry news from across Central and Eastern Europe.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
