17/11/2023 - Orsolya Török-Illyés, Vera Sipos and Rozália Székely star in this Lupa Pictures production, which examines motherhood from three angles in Budapest, Berlin and Paris

Director Borbála Nagy (right) on the set of The Origin of the World

Having kicked off on 28 October, filming on Borbála Nagy’s debut feature film The Origin of the World is set to wrap on 3 December. The Hungarian director who studied at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB), among other institutions, previously caused a stir with her short films Land of Glory and Everything Alright, as well as taking part in the Cannes Film Festival’s Cinéfondation residency in 2021-2022.

Written by the director, the film shines a fictional light on three women in three European cities (Budapest, Berlin and Paris) who have just one day to make one of the hardest decisions of their lives: adoption, artificial insemination or abortion. It paints a panoramic picture of women whose choices don’t fit the social norm, examining the different ways in which these three forty-year-olds are confronted with the possibility of motherhood and exploring the dilemmas surrounding this subject. The three women in question are played by Orsolya Török-Illyés, Vera Sipos and Rozália Székely.

The story takes us to Budapest, where Nóra and her husband are attempting to adopt a child. When their marriage runs into difficulties, Nóra starts to doubt whether their relationship is stable enough for such a huge decision... In Berlin, meanwhile, Rebeka reveals to her family during a visit that she intends to have a child through a sperm donor and to raise it as a single parent. Her announcement is met with all-round astonishment… Adél, for her part, accepts a job opportunity in Paris after her father’s passing, and becomes pregnant by a much younger man while trying to redefine herself. She considers the option of an abortion…

The Origin of the World is produced by Petra Iványi on behalf of Lupa Pictures, in co-production with French firm Sister Productions (Julie Paratian) and German outfits Voices Films (Margarita Amineva-Jester and Daria Wichmann) and Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin. The feature film also enjoys support from the Incubator Programme organised by the National Film Institute Hungary (NFI). The project won the Award for the Most Promising Film at the Budapest Debut Film Forum and took part in the Full Circle Lab, as well as Connecting Cottbus (where it scooped the Producer’s Network Prize). The 30-day film shoot is mainly focused on Budapest, but it will also involve Berlin and Paris, with Germany’s Moritz Friese heading up photography.

For the record, Lupa Pictures recently produced Cat Call [+see also:
film review
interview: Rozália Szeleczki
film profile] by Rozália Szeleczki, which is set to enjoy its international premiere today in the Tallinn Black Nights Festival’s first feature films competition.

(Translated from French)