A new English-language documentary, entitled Torn from the Flag, is taking a look at the legacy of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Directed by Klaudia Kovacs, the film makes use of recently declassified archival documents and interviews a wide range of people who either took part in, or witnessed the unfolding of events in October-November 1956. Communist party functionaries and members of state security organizations are interviewed, along with former political prisoners and revolutionaries. The film also examines the uprising from a global perspective, including the views of the United States, the United Nations and the former Soviet Union.
The cinematographer was multi-award winner Laszlo Kovacs, ASC (Easy Rider; Paper Moon; Shampoo; What’s Up, Doc?; New York, New York; My Best Friend’s Wedding ).
A number of organizations in the US, Canada and Europe supported the production of Torn from the Flag. Ms. Kovacs’s film will be screened at the 2007 American Film Institute (AFI) Fest, on Saturday, November 10, 2007, in Los Angeles.