Motion-Picture History, Parts I–II

Motion-picture History I–II

Regime Change in Hungary, 1988–1990: Fekete Doboz Films at Cirko, Pt2.

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.

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

2. March 2, 2026, 6:00 p.m. Motion-picture History, Parts I–II

documentary film, 2006, 120 minutes

Constructed from television broadcasts and archival footage from Fekete Doboz, this film presents the history of the Hungarian and East European regime changes through interpretive narration accompanying the images.

Guests: Márta Elbert, director, and Dr. Béla Révész, historian, editors of the film

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.