''Iska's Journey'' () is a 2007 Hungarian film written and directed by
Csaba Bollók
Csaba () is a Hungarian given name for males. Prince Csaba is the legendary son of Attila the Hun in Hungarian chronicles.''Gesta Hungarorum'', Simon Keza, Edited and translated by László Veszprémy and Frank Schaer with a study by Jenő Szű ...
and stars newcomer
Mária Varga
Mária is a Hungarian and Slovak form of Maria (given name) or Mary (given name).
As of December 2020, Mária is the most common female given name in Slovakia. With over 193 thousands Slovak women bearing the name, it has a substantial lead over ...
.
Synopsis
The film is the result of director Bollók's accidental meeting with a 14-year-old street child, Maria Varga, living in a coalmining town of the Southern Carpathians. The story follows her journey from her small town to the Black Sea, where she becomes a victim of
human trafficking
Human trafficking is the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. This exploitation may include forced labor, sexual slavery, or oth ...
.
Distribution and response
The film was first screened in February 2007 at the Hungarian Film Festival, where it ended up as the surprise winner of the Grand Prize. After its international premier at the Berlinale in 2007, Iska's Journey was received on the international festival circuit as a huge success. More than 50 European, Asian, and American film festivals have presented Bollók's feature to date. Following its North American premier in Seattle last year, Iska's Journey was presented in Chicago, Cleveland, Toronto, Palm Springs and Vancouver.
It was commercially released in Hungary on 22 November 2007. The film was chosen as Hungary's
official submission to the
81st Academy Awards
The 81st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2008 and took place on February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, beginning at 5:30 ...
for
Best Foreign Language Film
The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...
.
References
External links
*
''Iska's Journey'' Trailer*
2007 films
Hungarian drama films
{{Hungary-film-stub