BUDAPEST: Filming has begun in Budapest on Oscar-winning István Szabó’s new period drama Embers / A gyertyák csonkig égnek, an adaptation of Sándor Márai’s 1942 novel or, more precisely, an adaptation of the novel’s stage adaptation, which premiered in London in 2006.
The story follows the reunion of two former close friends, Henrik and Konrád. The dialogue, which unfolds over the course of a single evening, gradually reveals what led to one of their mysterious disappearances and what role a woman played in the breakdown of their relationship.
According to Szabó, Christopher Hampton’s script is the best he has ever read, and Márai’s novel is one of the most beautiful works of fiction of the 20th century.
The two lead roles are played by Viggo Mortensen and Ralph Fiennes, and the supporting cast includes Charlotte Rampling, Katherine Langford, Louis Hofmann, Gijs Blom, Evelyne Brochu, and Jonah Russell, among others.
The film is an international coproduction between Robert Lantos’ Canada-based Serendipity Point Films, Tibor Krsko’s Hungarian HGO Films, and UK-based Potboiler Productions. The executive producers include Jam Mojto, Atom Egoyan, Tim Haslam, and Andrea Calderwood, while Christopher Hampton and Jeff Sackman are co-executive producers.
Given the scale of the production, few details have been revealed, but according to records from the National Film Office, the Hungarian side is represented in the film by the Media Services Support and Asset Management Fund (MTVA), which oversees public media.
In December 2025, the National Film Institute – Hungary (NFI) rejected a production grant for Szabó’s film, referring to a lack of financial sources. Based on available data, MTVA is contributing 13.7 m EUR / 5 b HUF to the production, which has a total budget of 29.6 m EUR / 10.8 b HUF.
MTVA reported that the Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary (KIM) had awarded MTVA a targeted grant of 4.997 b HUF, which may be used for the film adaptation of Embers until 31 December 2027.
Besides MTVA, Beta Film (Germany), Bell Media (Canada), and CBC Films (Canada) are behind the financing of the film.
The production reunites István Szabó with some of his former collaborators. He worked with producer Robert Lantos and Ralph Fiennes on his previous films Sunshine / A napfény íze (1999, ISL Film) and again with Robert Lantos on Being Julia (2004, ISL Film).
Embers’ score is composed by Oscar-winning Mychael Danna, with production design by Attila F. Kovács, cinematography by Dániel Garas, costume design by Bea Merkovits, and editing by David Wharnsby. The casting director is Oscar-nominee Nina Gold.
Embankment Films (UK) is handling international distribution, and sales will begin even before the Cannes Film Market (12 – 20 May 2026). The date of the theatrical release is yet unknown.
István Szabó (88) won an Oscar for Mephisto in 1982 and released his latest film, Final Report / Zárójelentés, produced by Film Street, in 2020.
Production Information:
Producers:
Serendipity Point Films (Canada)
Tibor Krsko, HGO Films (Hungary)
Potboiler Films (United Kingdom)
Credits:
Director: István Szabó
Scriptwriter: Christopher Hampton
DoP: Dániel Garas
Editor: David Wharnsby
Composer: Michael Danna
Production designer: Attila Kovács F.
Costume designer: Bea Merkovits
Casting director: Nina Gold
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling, Katherine Langford, Louis Hofmann, Gijs Blom, Evelyne Brochu, Jonah Russell
