Private Project

The Daddy of Ferike Herner

Somewhere in a small village in Hungary three public workers dig the same ditch year after year for aid, while they talk about the same day after day.

One of them, Béla learns that the TV news showed a former classmate of them, Frike Herner, whose father was the village’s policeman when they were children.

Béla recalls how at that time a childish conflict between the two of them grew to a great extent. As he remembers more and more details, begins to realize that human destinies repeat themselves from generation to generation and are just as constant as the always-the-same ditch in front of them.

Comical and sometimes painfully thought-provoking story through present and past try tofind the answers to questions ranging from the individual tot he entire world: are we in God’s hand, or is God inside us, and can we shape our own destiny?

The film is based ont he play of the popular Hungarian writer, János Háy.

  • Gabor Attila Kovacs
    Director
    Symptoms, My Apartment in Paris
  • János Háy
    Writer
  • Gábor Attila Kovács
    Writer
  • Tamás Noveczky
    Producer
  • Gergő Kaszás
    Key Cast
    "Béla Krekács"
  • Ferenc Borbiczki
    Key Cast
    "Pityu Herda"
  • Balázs Lázár
    Key Cast
    "Lajos Banda"
  • Réka Juhász
    Key Cast
    "Marika"
  • Tímea Buza
    Key Cast
    "Mrs. Officer"
  • Csaba Molnár
    Key Cast
    "Officer"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    A Herner Ferike faterja
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama, Comedy
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 11 minutes 11 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 10, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    26,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Hungary
  • Country of Filming:
    Hungary
  • Language:
    Hungarian
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • AltFF Alternative Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    2022 Nominee / Winter Award / Best Comedy, Best Cinematography
  • The IndieFEST Film Awards
    La Jolla
    United States
    2023 Winner / Award of Excellence / Feature Film
  • Brno Film Festival
    Brno
    Czech Republic
    2023 Winner / Festival Award / Best Independent Feature
  • Kosice International Monthly Film Festival
    Kosice
    Slovakia
    2022 Winner Honorable Mention Award / Best Feature Film
  • Madrid Indie Film Festival MADRIFF
    Madrid
    Spain
    Official Selection
  • Dumbo Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    Semi-Finalist
  • Budapest Movie Awards
    Budapest
    Hungary
    Best Indie Feature Film
  • Your Way International Film Festival
    Valletta
    Malta
    Official Selection; Best Editing (Gábor Attila Kovács); Best Actor - honorable mention (Gergő Kaszás); Best Supporting Actress - honorable mention (Réka Juhász); Best Director Debut - honorable mention (Gábor Attila Kovács); Best Scenography - honorable mention (Mihály Lukács, Máté Lukács)
Director Biography - Gabor Attila Kovacs

My previous projects are:
The Puppetry (Feature film developing - screenwriter, 2021-2022)
The Daddy of Ferike Herner (feature film, 2022)
Between Friends (TV daily drama – UFA Hungary - screenwriter, storyliner, 2015 - 2021)
Symptom (Short film - writer, director, 2013)
Subjective Constructions (Documentary – director, screenwriter, 2015)
Experimental Egoism (Short documentary – director, screenwriter, 2014)
In the Middle of the World (Short documentary – director, 2014)
Thrown Back (Short film – writer, director, 2013)

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I've been working as a screenwriter and director for 9 years, I’ve made shorts, documentaries and social issues spots, then I started to work as a screenwriter and storyliner at UFA Hungary for the longest running Hungarian TV series, Between Friends. In 2019 I started to develop an original feature screenplay based on the life of Hungary’s most popular puppeteer, Henrik Kemeny, and I started to direct theater plays, such as Marvin’s Room by Scott McPherson and Dinner with Friends by Donald Margulies. Last year I've been working on my first feature film, The Daddy of Ferike Herner, which is an adaptation of a stage play by the famous Hungarian writer, Janos Hay. I strongly believe that the storytelling is something that can help us making the world a better place.