Movies
György Pálfi Returns with Bold Fable Hen, Set for Toronto Premiere
Acclaimed Hungarian auteur György Pálfi, celebrated for his visually striking and thematically daring films like Taxidermia (Cannes Un Certain Regard), Final Cut (Cannes Classics), and Karlovy Vary winner Free Fall, makes his long-awaited return with Hen. The film will world premiere in the Platform section of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival (4–14 September), marking the sidebar’s 10th anniversary with its focus on bold directorial visions.
A darkly poetic fable blending absurdity and tenderness, Hen follows a runaway chicken who flees an industrial farm and finds refuge in the decaying courtyard of a once-bustling Greek seaside restaurant. There, she navigates love, hierarchy, and survival—fighting to protect her eggs from a predatory owner while seeking a place to call home. Her journey, at once surreal and deeply human, mirrors the quiet struggles and fragile hopes of motherhood.
Shot entirely in Greece with a local ensemble—including Yannis Kokkiasmenos, Maria Diakopanagiotou, Argyris Pantazaras, and Antonis Kafetzopoulos—the film hinges on its non-human protagonist, realized through Pálfi’s signature blend of realism and allegory. Despite not speaking Greek, the director co-wrote the script with longtime collaborator Zsófia Ruttkay and leaned into visual storytelling, drawing inspiration from Greek tragedy’s primal emotions.
The creative team unites Greek and Hungarian talent: cinematographer Giorgos Karvelas (Digger), editor Réka Lemhényi, and production designer Konstadinos Zamanis shape the film’s starkly beautiful aesthetic, while costume designer Vassilis Barbarigos and makeup artist Sissi Petropoulou enhance its tactile realism.
A German-Greek-Hungarian co-production, Hen is produced by Thanassis Karathanos (Pallas Film), Giorgos Kyriakos and Kostas Lambropoulos (View Master Films), and Martin Hampel (Twenty Twenty Vision), with Hungary’s Focusfox co-producing. Funding comes from the Hellenic Film Center, ERT, ZDF/ARTE, MDM, and Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg. International sales are handled by Lucky Number, with mk2 Films co-representing.
Pálfi’s first feature in nearly a decade, Hen promises to be a provocative addition to his oeuvre—a film that, like its protagonist, defies easy categorization.
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