“It is thanks to Andy Vajna that we have entered the new golden age of Hungarian cinema”, Minister heading the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister Antal Rogán said at the funeral of the world-famous film producer and Government Commissioner for the Development of the Hungarian Film Industry.

“In his dictionary, loving one’s country meant showing the whole world this lonely and often misunderstood people that are isolated in their language and history. And what is even more important: awakening pride in young Hungarians towards their own homeland”, Mr. Rogán stressed in his speech at the private funeral service on Thursday, a copy of which was provided to Hungarian news agency MTI by the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister. “Patriotic pathos and ostentatiousness, and the national melancholy, were far removed from Andy Vajna”, he added.

“Andy Vajna was in love with Hungary, and this love motivated him throughout his life to remain a Hungarian even in Hollywood, and to wait for the right moment when he could give something back from what he had received from Hungary. Never for a moment was there any doubt in his mind that he would eventually place the knowledge, influence and connections that he had accumulated throughout his life’s work in the service of Hungary”, the Minister highlighted.

According to Mr. Rogán, although Andy Vajna never boasted about it, it was obvious from the first moment that he regarded modernising the Hungarian film industry as one of the most important tasks he had ever undertaken as a producer.

“And he also made a success of this endeavour. He fulfilled what he had promised. He realised what he had undertaken to do. It is thanks to him that we have entered the new golden age of Hungarian cinema”, Mr. Rogán said in his speech at the funeral.

“Andy Vajna left Hungary in 1956 at the age of twelve, and setting out from an ill-fated Hungarian family went on to conquer the world and become world famous through his dedicated work within a field, the American film industry, about which everyone believes that one has to be born there to achieve success”, he stated.

The movie professional, who was regarded as one of the determining figures of the international film industry, died at his home in Budapest on 20 January at the age of 75 following a long illness. Andy Vajna was laid to rest at the Fiumei Road National Graveyard on Thursday.

(MTI)