Hungarian Movie Nights - Heights and Depths

Date:  June 21 - June 22
Time: 23:00
Location:  Consulate General of Hungary in New York
223 E 52nd Street, NY 10022

Join us for an exciting movie screening in the framework of the Liszt Institute New York's Hungarian Movie Nights and learn about the life of Zsolt Erőss, who was the most successful Hungarian high-altitude mountaineer, summiting 10 out of the 14 eight-thousanders and also the first Hungarian to ever climb Mount Everest.

The movie Heights and Depths follows the story of Hilda Sterczer, the widow of the internationally renowned mountaineer, Zsolt Erőss. Through her eyes we get a glimpse into the events of the next few days by following Zsolt's unsuccessful conquest of the mountain, resulting in a tragedy. Hilda is forced to follow helplessly, thousands of miles away, as her husband, participating in the Kancsendzönga expedition, becomes extremely exhausted and then ultimately dies during the descent from the mountain peak. She remains alone with their two children. Having been a supporter of Zsolt throughout his life, even after his death, Hilda tries to cope with the expectations of the public and the attacks of the media, with the same attitude the deceased had. However, precisely this compliance constraint that delays the mourning process. It takes time for her to admit that she needs help in dealing with the tragedy, and that she can't handle all the obstacles alone. She has to find her own identity to start laying down the foundations of her new life.

The movie is in Hungarian with English subtitles.

"Mourning continues to be a taboo subject in our culture, with relatively little cinematic and literary interpretation. Because of that I think talking about it is very important and value-creating. This is something that happens in everyone’s life with lesser or greater intensity, yet we are not able to respond appropriately, either internally or externally.

The story of Hilda Sterczer can accurately and inspirationally talk about the process of mourning and its difficulties. Just as Zsolt came back following his foot amputation to conquer the highest heights, Hilda finally recovers from the devastation caused by her husband's death. For me, this woman’s story is very interesting and thought-provoking, and the strength that helped her through the most difficult moments is very respectable." - Statement of the Director, Sándor Csoma

Director: Sándor Csoma

Scriptwriter: Sándor Csoma

Cinematographer: Levente Tóth

Music Composer: Ádám Balázs

Editor: Dániel Márton

Sound Designer: Vajda D. Bodnár

Art Director / Production design: Anna Nyitrai, Réka Kakas

Costume design: Karola Nyitrai

Producer: Claudia Sümeghy, Tamás Yvan Topolánszky

 

MAIN CAST WITH ROLES

Hilda Sterczer -  Emőke Pál
Zsolt Erőss  - Zsolt Trill
Gerda Erőss  - Enikő Nagy
Csoma Erőss - Ábris Egri & Samuel Egri
Lajos Kollár  - Lajos Ottó Horváth
Júlia  - Erika Tankó
Kindergarten teacher  - Anna Fehér
Emőke Tapolyai  - Ildikó Tóth
András Pataky  - Iván Fenyő