BUDAPEST: Paris-based Lucky Number has sold Hungarian director György Pálfi’s new film Hen / Kota to several territories including Australia, the Baltics, and ex-Yugoslavia. Hen won the Special Jury Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival (4 – 14 September), where it had its world premiere.
It will be distributed in Australia by Madman Entertainment, in the Baltics by A-One Films Baltic, in Benelux by Cineart, in the Commonwealth of Independent States by A-One Films, in ex-Yugoslavia by MCF, and in Turkey by Bir Films. A German deal was negotiated between Neue Visionen and the producers, while in Hungary the film is expected to be released in February 2026.
The film’s protagonist is a hen who has escaped from a chicken hatchery and struggles to survive and start a family amid conflicts with her environment and humans. The story is told from the perspective of the hen, with low angle shots and minimal dialogue. Written by Győrgy Pálfi and Zsófia Ruttkay, the film was made exclusively with real animals, without the use of digital tricks or artificial intelligence.
Pallas Film (Germany), View Master Films (Greece), and Twenty Twenty Vision (Germany) produced the film in coproduction with the Hungary’s FocusFox. The producers are Thanassis Karathanos, Martin Hampel, Costas Lambropoulos, and Giorgos Kiriakos, while Gábor Ferenczy and András Muhi are the coproducers.
Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center – Creative Greece, ERT S.A., ZDF/ARTE, the Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM), and the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg supported the film.
The film was shot in Greece for 34 days in November – December 2023, with a total budget of around 1.6 m EUR.
After its successful premiere at the Toronto IFF, Hen’s festival tour continues with San Sebastian (19 – 27 September 2025).
Production Information:
Producers:
Pallas Film (Germany)
View Master Films (Greece)
Twenty Twenty Vision (Germany)
Coproducers:
FocusFox (Hungary)
Credits:
Director: György Pálfi
Scriptwriters: György Pálfi, Zsófia Ruttkay
DoP: Giorgos Karvelas
Editor: Réka Lemhényi
Production designer: Konstantinos Zamanis
Costume designer: Vassilis Barbarigos
Animal trainer: Árpád Halász
Music: Szabolcs Szőke
Cast: Yannis Kokiasmenos, Maria Diakopanayotou, Argyris Pandazaras
