October 29, 2006

President Bush Hosts Screening of Movie on 1956 Hungarian Revolution

On the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, the new Hungarian movie "Children of Glory" was screened at the private theater of the White House, at an event hosted by President and Mrs. Bush.

President Bush, in his remarks to the audience, reminded that freedom cannot be taken for granted, at times it needs real sacrifice. The legacy of the Hungarian revolution is that free nations have to hold hands to support the freedom of others.

The film is a tale of the revolution seen through the eyes of a young freedom fighter and her sweetheart, a member of the Hungarian water-polo team preparing for the Olympics in Melbourne. The film shows the rise and fall of the revolution, its defeat by Soviet forces, and in parallel the victory of the Hungarian water-polo team over the Soviets at the Olympics taking place at the same time.

A picture from "Children of Glory" (Hungarian title: "Szabadság szerelem")

The film was produced by Andy Vajna, himself at age 12 a refugee of the revolution. It was directed by Krisztina Goda. Both were present at the screening. The event was attended by Governor and Mrs. George Pataki (New York) and leading members of the Hungarian American community. Nobel Laureate Professor George Oláh; Éva Szörényi, herself a freedom fighter, Pál Maléter whose father had been the Defense Minister of the revolutionary government and was later executed for his role; actor Tony Curtis; Sándor Demján, President of the Hungarian Federation of Employers; and numerous other guests. Also in attendance were April Foley, Ambassador of the United States in Hungary, and András Simonyi, Hungarian Ambassador to the US as well as George Herbert Walker, former US Ambassador to Hungary.

After the screening, President Bush and the First Lady gave a dinner reception in honor of the invited guests. The President and Mrs. Bush discussed the movie with producer Andy Vajna and the participants, many of whom had some of their personal memories revoked by the film.