György Mór Kárpáti
BUBO BUBO
A young couple moves into a holiday home, searching for a place for a home birth. They find an owl nesting in the house – the bird’s presence brings insecurities to the surface that they must cope with.
SYNOPSIS
Bubo Bubo is a chamber drama about Kristóf and Emma expecting their first child. To escape the pressure of Kristóf’s family, they leave Budapest for a summer house to have a home birth. The messy house lacks electricity and the reality is far from romantic. The couple’s peace vanishes when they find an owl nesting in the house. Kristóf views the bird as a threat, while Emma becomes obsessed with it as a good omen. When Kristóf calls an animal rescuer, Emma draws a gun to protect the nest. While in labour, Emma tries to stay silent for the bird, but her painful contractions make her scream, scaring it away. Baby Simon is born safely, but post-partum crisis follows as Emma struggles to breastfeed him. Their isolation ends when a friend's Instagram post leaks their location to Kristóf’s parents, leading to a huge confrontation. The young family decides to stay in the countryside. A year later, the owl returns to watch them, mirroring a family that has stopped trying to control everything. Bubo Bubo is a chamber drama about Kristóf and Emma expecting their first child. To escape the pressure of Kristóf’s family, they leave Budapest for a summer house to have a home birth. The messy house lacks electricity and the reality is far from romantic. The couple’s peace vanishes when they find an owl nesting in the house. Kristóf views the bird as a threat, while Emma becomes obsessed with it as a good omen. When Kristóf calls an animal rescuer, Emma draws a gun to protect the nest. While in labour, Emma tries to stay silent for the bird, but her painful contractions make her scream, scaring it away. Baby Simon is born safely, but post-partum crisis follows as Emma struggles to breastfeed him. Their isolation ends when a friend's Instagram post leaks their location to Kristóf’s parents, leading to a huge confrontation. The young family decides to stay in the countryside. A year later, the owl returns to watch them, mirroring a family that has stopped trying to control everything.
DIRECTOR
György Mór Kárpáti
WRITER
György Mór Kárpáti
PRODUCER
Eszter Lilla Kozma, Veronika Gál
PRODUCTION COMPANY
Proton Cinema
COUNTRY
Hungary
GENRE
Fiction
György Mór Kárpáti
DIRECTOR’S BIOGRAPHY
György Mór Kárpáti is a Hungarian film director and screenwriter known for his feature films 'Guerilla' (2019) and 'Summer to Come' (2022). Born in Budapest in 1984, he studied at the Directors’ Department of the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest, where he developed his craft in narrative filmmaking. His early career included acclaimed short films that screened at the Festival de Cannes and the Berlin International Film Festival, among other major fesivals, establishing him as a promising voice in Hungarian cinema. Kárpáti made his feature directorial debut with the historical drama 'Guerilla, which had itspremiere in the Ingmar Bergman Debut Competition at the Göteborg Film Festival and received the Hungarian Critics’ Choice Award for Best First Feature Film. His second feature, 'Summer to Come', a drama exploring themes of loss and adolescence, premiered at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. In addition to his narrative features, Kárpáti has directed short films including Gólyatábor (2016) and Provincia (2014), as well as more recent works such as the portrait film Own Forest (2023) and the experimental documentary Budapest idökapu (2024). His body of work often combines personal storytelling with social observation, drawing from his background in Budapest's contemporary film scene.
The inspiration for Bubo Bubo comes from a deeply personal experience: the home birth of my son. In a society in which everything is regulated, choosing a home birth felt like a radical act of true self-determination. Bubo Bubo explores free will and the quiet rebellion against rigid societal norms. When Emma and Kristóf isolate themselves in a summer house, they think they are taking control of their destiny. True autonomy, however, is terrifying. Everyday pressures and fears are challenged by the presence of the owl. The bird is not an esoteric symbol; it is an unpredictable part of nature that forces the couple to face their deepest wounds. Visually, the film will dissolve the heavy realism of daily life through the mystery of nature. By shooting in an untouched summer house with minimalist camera work, the environment becomes a character. The film is about learning to live with our fears instead of trying to dominate our environment. We must accept that we cannot control everything.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
Eszter Lilla Kozma
PRODUCER’S BIOGRAPHY
Originally coming from the art scene, Eszter Kozma graduated as an art theorist from the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design and the Curatorial Department of the Hungarian University of Fine Arts. After her university studies, she worked as a curator on independent projects and served as a board member, and later president, of the Studio of Young Artists’ Association. Since 2015, she has been working in the film industry. After a few years freelancing, she joined Proton Cinema in 2021 as assistant to Viktória Petrányi and soon became a junior producer. She works on service productions as a line producer. In 2023, she co-produced a Danish feature film in collaboration with Motor Production, and she is currently developing ideas and scripts with György Mór Kárpáti.
PRODUCER’S STATEMENT
Life presents its hurdles and every era is different. Bubo Bubo focuses on the challenges the current generation of young adults is facing, such as becoming parents in this day and age, the housing crisis, and the concept of self-governance in a world that is lacking in opportunities for everyone. György Mór Kárpáti is one of Proton Cinema's established artists, now making his third fiction feature in collaboration with the company. His approach towards social themes and the subtlety with which he introduces sensitive subjects makes Kárpáti the kinf of elegant storyteller we are pleased to place our trust in again. His style mixes everyday reality with an enigmatic edge and we believe this film will be an inviting conversation starter, even between generations.The story follows Emma and Kristóf as they make a radical life transition, leaving Budapest for an old, off-grid vacation house where their first child is going to be born. Their step into parenthood is interrupted, however, by an owl that is nesting inside the house, an incident that becomes a psychological mirror for the couple’s deepest anxieties. To match this intense emotional tension, the film’s visual identity will be raw, minimalistic, and deeply authentic.
The film is self-financed by Proton Cinema and is being shot in low budget circumstances. With the completed footage in hand, we plan to secure post-production funding at international work-in-progress markets. We believe Bubo Bubo's strong international potential lies in the universally relatable nature of the life transitions that lie at the film's core. For the world premiere, we are aiming for major international festivals that celebrate auteur cinema and current social subjects, such as at Berlin or Karlovy Vary. Our marketing strategy will build a community early by connecting with young audiences facing similar real-world life changes. Our goal is to find European co-producers and world-sales partners who believe in high-impact minimalist storytelling.
Veronika Gál
PRODUCER’S BIOGRAPHY
Veronika Gál graduated from studies in English and film at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. After her studies, she decided to immerse herself in filmmaking, and began learning about the industry in the field. She spent four years collaborating with Kornél Mundruczó, gaining invaluable experience in film development and the US market. She also enrolled in programmes on live action and animation production in 2022. Gál divides her time between working as a sustainability consultant, a script translator and consultant, and a freelance producer.
Production company profile
Established in 2003 by producer Viktória Petrányi and director Kornél Mundruczó, Proton Cinema is an independent production company based in BudapestIts focus is on the development and creation of auteur-driven feature films for domestic and global audiences. Their films make regular appearances at major film festivals, and include Kornél Mundruczó’s Pieces of a Woman and Gábor Reisz’s Explanation for Everything.
Where are we at?
TOTAL ESTIMATED BUDGET
220.000 €
NEEDED FOR COMPLETION
66.000 €
Looking for at CineLink?
Seeking post-production financing to complete the film, as well as sales and distribution partners and festival programmers. Open to international co-operation, particularly with partners from small- and medium-production capacity countries.