Country: Hungary | Genre: Fiction | Year: 2024 | Duration: 119’ | In Hungarian with Ukrainian and English subtitles

ABOUT THE FILM

Palkó is a 10-year-old schoolboy who has moved to Budapest from Berlin and is trying to adapt to the demanding Hungarian education system. Once at a new school, he has to find friends again, endure boring lessons and disgusting lunches in the canteen, and face the cruelty of teachers. Palko feels like an outsider in this outdated system, but he is not alone. A young teacher, Juci, opposes the archaic school methods.

Reasons to watch

The film premiered at the 77th Locarno Film Festival in the Cineaste del Presente section, where it received the Special Jury Mention. Director Bálint Simler won the Boccalino d'Oro for Best Director, and actress Anna Mészöly (Juci) won the Golden Leopard for Best Actress.

Lesson Learned was shot on 16mm film by Emmy Award-winning cinematographer Marcell Rév of Euphoria. The film was a great success in Hungary, with 130,000 viewers

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Bálint Szimler is a Hungarian director who makes films, commercials and music videos. His short film, Here I Am, shot during his third year of studies, won the Hungarian Film Week and was selected for the Cinefondation program at the Cannes Film Festival, and was later nominated for the European Film Award and won at the Lisbon and Estoril Film Festivals. His music documentary, The Balaton Method, became the first Hungarian film with a successful crowdfunding campaign. The film premiered at the Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival. The drama, Lesson Learned, is his feature deput.

Фестивалі

• Locarno Film Festival, 2024

• Cork International Film Festival, 2024

• Shanghai International Film Festival, 2025