They resigned on August 31, their 30-day notice period has expired, but the stalemate still persists at the University of Theater and Film Arts (SZFE). According to Attila Vidnyánszky, “being serious will be painful.”

There is growing resistance from students and professors to the erosion of the autonomy of the University of Theater and Film Arts (SZFE) due to the government’s decision to continue the university as a foundation under Attila Vidnyánszky. More and more world-famous artists are joining the solidarity movement around SZFE, but the Vidnyánszky family is not expanding. You can follow the latest news from the SZFE scandal in our article series.

László Bagossy, Gábor Balázs, Máté Gáspár, György Karsai, Gábor Németh, Eszter Novák and László Upor were on duty Wednesday night at the University of Theater and Cinematographic Arts (SZFE) building on Vas street. The leaders who stood up with the torches were first applauded, then they said goodbye with silent silence, more than a hundred of their students stood out in the pouring rain in their honor. The institution’s leadership and senate announced their resignation at the end of August, justified by the fact that the new founding document deprived the university leadership and the senate of all their powers.

On this occasion the singing was neither happy nor danceable, because as of October 1 the last bastion of the students will be lost to the board chaired by Attila Vidnyánszky. The new rector, the military officer Gábor Szarka, recently threatened not to pay if he was not admitted to the occupied university on September 1.

At 9pm on Wednesday, the students thanked their leaders so far for standing up for them, and further emphasized that they would not put their demands aside. As they said, they lit an earth flame that burned until their requests were taken care of. The blockade will remain until that moment and members of the new management will not yet be admitted. They added that this flame burns not only for them, but for the freedom of all Hungarian universities.

Attila Vidnyánszky announced on Wednesday night on public television who will be the new Vice Chancellors for Performing Arts.

Vidnyánszky: Being serious will hurt

Vidnyánszky also spoke here that a small minority at the university is “one that is so isolated and affects the majority.” As he said, students have become instruments of politics and the left sees the situation at SZFE as a “ray of hope.” According to him, students run the risk of invalidating this semester. “It will hurt to be sober,” he said, when students will face “missing persons” for a month. The chairman of the board of trustees said the strike at the university, which started Thursday, is illegal and, as he said, he hopes the court will decide to do the same.

Attila Vidnyánszky also spoke about the fact that it is currently a crisis situation, and his measures, such as the appointment of Gábor Szarka as chancellor, are trying to solve the crisis. The two new vice-chancellors will be tasked with seeing how and how the operation deviates from the usual, he said. “We are determined to build the new campus,” Attila Vidnyánszky said, adding that the new rector, Gábor Szarka, was the campus director of the public service university, was involved in real estate development, was the right person for the goals. that they had noticed.

He stressed that everything possible will be done to normalize the situation, if he does not go to university, they will start education in another place, however, as he said, he hopes to achieve convergence of their positions in the coming days. Next week, they sit down to discuss, wanting to negotiate with those who work in the film and theater section of the university.

“From the beginning, we have full control of the university. We have to spread the word,” he emphasized. He stressed that no one was sent, teachers were asked to continue the work. Students who are in the system can be escorted to graduate by the professors who teach them, he said. She stressed that it is in the interest of the profession to initiate professional consultations. Consideration should be given to starting management training in the “actor’s part” at university. He also spoke about the fact that there are areas where there is over-training, but for example, only sixty percent of rural actors are graduates and there are “hardly” young directors.

When asked about his possible misstep, Attila Vidnyánszky said:

you get a lot of support and you think you have to do it to the end.

The change in the university’s model took place in a few months, and at the end of July it was officially revealed that Attila Vidnyánszky had become the president of the board of trustees that maintained the SZFE, but professional circles already suspected that this would be the end. György Bacsa, strategic CEO of Mol, director of photography and producer Tamás Lajos, Zoltán Rátóti, actor and director, and Oszkár Világi, president and CEO of Slovnaft’s board of directors, joined the board of directors. The university has learned from the press about the composition of the panel, which does not include any of its nominees.

Many actors protested against the appointment of Vidnyánszky.


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