The Hungarian Dressmaker deals with the precarious border between humanism and the protection of one’s own life in situations when one excludes the other. Marika Sándorfi is hiding a Jewish boy during the dramatic era of the First Slovak State on the Slovak-Hungarian border. Šimon Holan, the boy in hiding, has a special ability to survive thanks to dreaming and a child’s fantasy.

What the Critics Are Saying

“Iveta Grófová’s delivers a somber, sobering tale of survival and heroism with her third feature, The Hungarian Dressmaker.”
– Frank J. Avella, The Contending

“The world is not only upside down, but also blurry and slipping out of grasp: a perfectly suitable way to imagine how World War II must have felt for a lonely dressmaker and an abandoned child in wartime Slovakia.”
– Savina Petkova, Cinecittà

“Director Iveta Grófová makes shrewd decisions in his World War II-set drama, which marks Slovakia’s Oscar submission for best international feature.”
– Stephen Saito, Variety

Awards

5 wins & 10 nominations

Czech Lions

Nominated, Czech Lion
Best Supporting Actor (Muzský herecký výkon ve vedlejsí roli)
Milan Ondrík

Palm Springs International Film Festival

Nominated, FIPRESCI Prize
Best Foreign Language Film
Iveta Grofova

Sun in a Net Awards, Slovakia

Won, Sun in a Net
Best Supporting Actor (Najlepsí muzský herecký výkon vo vedlajsej úlohe)
Milan Ondrík

Nominated, Sun in a Net
Best Visual Effects (Nejlejpsí vizuálne efekty)
Tibor Melis

Won, Sun in a Net
Best Art Direction (Nejlejpsí Architektúra – scénografia)
Tomás Svoboda, Miriam Struharova

Nominated, Sun in a Net
Best Director (Najlepsia rezia)
Iveta Grofova

Nominated, Sun in a Net
Best Screenplay (Najlepsi scenar)
Iveta Grofova, Peter Kristúfek
The nomination for Kristufek was posthumously.

Nominated, Sun in a Net
Best Costume Design (Najlepsie kostýmy)
Katarina Bielikova

Won, Sun in a Net
Best Make-up (Nejljepsí masky)
Andrea Strbová, Tomás Richter, Viktor Nagy, Ivo Strangmüller

Nominated, Sun in a Net
Best Cinematography (Najlepsi kameramansky vykon)
Martin Strba

Nominated, Sun in a Net
Best Picture (Najlepsi film)
Ondrej Trojan, Zuzana Mistríková

Nominated, Sun in a Net
Best Sound (Nejlepsí zvuk)
Tobias Potocny, Matej Hlavác

Won, Sun in a Net
Best Leading Actress (Najlepsí zensky herecky vykon v hlavnej ulohe)
Alexandra Borbély

Won, Sun in a Net
Best Supporting Actress (Najlepsí zenský herecký výkon vo vedlajsej úlohe)
Éva Bandor

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

Nominated, Crystal Globe
Best Film
Iveta Grofova