Civil Techniques – Fidesz

Civil Techniques – Fidesz

Regime Change in Hungary, 1988–1990: Fekete Doboz Films at Cirko, Pt1.

Fekete Doboz was the first independent video collective in communist Hungary, serving both as a chronicler and an active shaper of the regime change. It was founded in 1987 by Judit Ember, Márta Elbert, István Jávor, András Lányi, and Gábor Vági. Their documentaries were distributed on VHS as a samizdat video journal. Their aim was to document opposition figures excluded from the state-socialist media, as well as demonstrations and political events.

With nearly four thousand hours of footage, their video archive is today the largest private Hungarian archive of the regime change period. After 1990, their focus shifted to groups marginalized by society. In 1993, their work was recognized with a Pulitzer Memorial Prize.

Six evenings, six films, and ten invited guests await audiences at the Cirko-Gejzír. Opening remarks will be delivered by Zsuzsa Zádori, archivist and curator of the Fekete Doboz Collection at the Blinken OSA Archivum.

The series is presented in collaboration with Fekete Doboz, Cirko-Gejzír, Blinken OSA Archivum, and 444.hu.

1. February 23, 2026, 6:00 p.m. Civil Techniques – Fidesz

documentary film, 1988, 71 minutes

For six months, the cameras of Fekete Doboz followed a group of young men—including Viktor Orbán, Gábor Fodor, László Kövér, József Szájer, Péter Molnár, and Tamás Deutsch—documenting the founding of the Alliance of Young Democrats (Fidesz). The film offers a rare, close-up view of spontaneous discussions and debates among liberal law students and the process of shaping political strategy.

Directed by: Judit Ember, Márta Elbert, Gábor Halász, István Jávor, Csaba Káel, András Lányi, László Pesty

Guest: Csaba Iván, founding member of Fidesz, and Dániel Ács (444.hu)

Venue: Cirko-Gejzír Cinema, 15–17 Balassi Bálint Street, 1055 Budapest

Hungarian-language event. Tickets: 2,500 HUF Program curator: Márta Elbert Contributors: Nóra Bertalan, Judit Hegedüs, Katalin Székely, and Zsuzsa Zádori (Blinken OSA Archivum)

The Fekete Doboz Collection is administered by the Blinken OSA Archivum. The full list of documentary films is available here.