Hungary Film & Photography Production Services & Camera Crews

Are you a media company, brand, ad agency or production company looking for film / photography production support or shooting crew in Hungary? Contact us for trusted fixers, producers, directors, DoPs, videographers, photographers, and full shooting crews tailored for the specific needs of your project.

Filming in Hungary

For an introduction to shooting in Hungary see below notes on film locations, permits, when to shoot, unique local stories, costs, tax incentives, crews, talent, equipment, communications, art department, studios, post facilities, visas and work permits for filming, transport, film-friendly accommodation, and safety advice.

Hungary Film Locations

Hungary is a landlocked country in central Europe. It has long been a popular destination for productions looking to double other European cities, towns and natural locations, at a fraction of the cost of filming in Western Europe. Film locations of note include thermal baths, palaces, castles, museums, concert halls, churches, mansions, railway stations, bridges, airports, stadiums, Communist-era architecture, picturesque towns, rural landscapes, national parks, forests, rivers, and lakes.

Agricultural film locations include vineyards, as well as plantations of wheat, corn, barley, canola, paprika, and sunflowers. Hungary is the world’s largest exporter of foie gras. Industrial locations include a range of factories producing automobiles, machinery and chemicals. Energy locations include nuclear power plants, and oil and gas fired power plants.

Hungary has hosted many productions including Dune: Part Two (2024), Poor Things (2023), The Invitation (2022), 1242 – Gateway to the West (2022), Black Widow (2021), Midsommar (2019), The King (2019), The Witcher (2019-), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), The Martian (2015), Spy (2015), World War Z (2013), Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Homeland (2011-2020), Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (2008), Munich (2005), and Evita (1996), to name a few.

Film locations can be divided into the following regions:

Central Hungary

Central Hungary includes the county of Pest and the capital Budapest.

Hungary’s capital Budapest is an elegant city with a wealth of baroque, classical and art nouveau architecture. Budapest is a city of cobbled streets, busy cafes, castles, museums, parks, thermal spas, and spectacular Danube River city vistas. Budapest is a popular film location often used to double for other European cities, such as Vienna, Berlin, London, Paris, Rome, Moscow, and Monte Carlo.

Palatial buildings of note include the Hungarian Parliament building, Sándor Palace, Exchange Palace, Fisherman’s Bastion, Buda Castle, Vajdahunyad Castle, Gresham Palace Hotel, Anantara New York Palace Budapest Hotel, Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library, Adria Palace, and Citadella.

Museums of note include Museum of Applied Arts, Hungarian National Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Ethnography, Ludwig Museum, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest Hall of Art, Hungarian National Gallery, Aquincum Museum, Franz Liszt Memorial Museum, Holocaust Memorial Center, House of Terror, Budapest History Museum, Semmelweis Museum, Hungarian Railway Museum, and Geological Museum of Budapest.

Religious locations include St Stephen’s Basilica, Matthias Church, Dohány Street Synagogue, Tomb of Gül Baba, and Kerepesi Cemetery.

Entertainment venues include House of Hungarian Music designed by Sou Fujimoto, Müpa Budapest, Hungarian State Opera House, Budapest Operetta and Musical Theatre, Katona József Theatre, Madách Theatre, National Theatre, Vigadó Concert Hall, Comedy Theater of Budapest, and Budapest Whale.

Great Market Hall is a beautiful market location.

Grand coffee houses of note include Café Gerbeaud, Café Central, and New York Café.

Centres of learning include Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest Business School, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.

Parks of note include Communist-era Memento Statue Park, Heroes’ Square, City Park, and People’s Park.

Bridges of note include Széchenyi Chain Bridge, Elisabeth Bridge, Margaret Bridge, Liberty Bridge, and Megyeri Bridge.

Transport locations include Keleti Train Station, Budapest Nyugati railway station designed by Gustave Eiffel, Budapest Metro, Budapest Castle Hill Funicular, Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport, Budaörs Airport, and Tököl Airport.

Thermal baths of note include Gellert Baths, Széchenyi Baths, Király Baths, and Rudas Baths.

Sport venues include László Papp Arena, Puskás Aréna, Szusza Ferenc Stadion, Hidegkuti Nándor Stadion, Alfréd Hajós National Swimming Stadium, and Danube Arena.

Kelenföld Power Station is disused power station.

Black Widow (2021), The Witcher (2019-), The Martian (2015), Spy (2015), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (2008), Munich (2005), and Evita (1996) filmed extensively throughout Budapest.

The surrounding Pest County is a short drive away. Locations of note include:

Szentendre is a charming riverside town known for its baroque architecture, churches, colourful houses, and cobblestone streets.

Gödöllő is a town known for the Royal Palace of Gödöllő, Royal Waiting Room, and Szent István University.

Visegrád Castle is a castle ruin location.

Midsommar (2019) doubled Budakeszi for Sweden.

Hungaroring is a motorsport racetrack in Mogyoród that hosts the Hungarian Formula One Grand Prix

Northern Hungary

Northern Hungary includes the counties of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, Heves and Nógrád.

Castles of note include Eger, Diósgyőr, Füzér, and Sárospatak.

Károlyi Mansion and L’Huillier-Coburg Palace in Edelény are beautiful buildings.

Hollókő is a traditional Hungarian village.

Elizabeth Square is located in Miskolc.

Tokaj is a famous wine region.

Bükk National Park is known for its limestone karst formations.

The Stone Waterfall is located in Salgótarján.

Northern Great Plain

Northern Great Plain includes the counties of Hajdú-Bihar, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok, and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg.

Debrecen is Hungary’s second largest city. Locations of note include Déri Museum and Protestant Great Church.

The Szolnok Gallery is a gallery in the former Szolnok Synagogue building.

Rétköz Museum is located in Kisvárda.

Hortobágy National Park is located in this region.

Southern Great Plain

Southern Great Plain includes the counties of Bács-Kiskun, Békés and Csongrád-Csanád.

Szeged is home to many fine buildings including the Mora Museum, Szeged National Theater, Szeged Water Tower, Szeged Csanad Cathedral, and Szeged Synagogue.

Wenckheim Mansion is located in Szabadkígyós.

Károlyi Mansion is located in Nagymágocs.

Baja’s town hall is an impressive location.

Central Transdanubia

Central Transdanubia includes the counties of Komárom-Esztergom, Fejér and Veszprém.

Esztergom is known for its cathedral, Saint Stephen’s Square, and Castle Hill.

Székesfehérvár is the City of Kings. Veszprém is the City of Queens.

Impressive mansions in this region include Esterházy Mansion in Csákvár, Károlyi Mansion in Fehérvárcsurgó, Brunszvik Mansion in Martonvásár, and Nádasdy Mansion in Nádasdladány which featured in The Invitation (2022).

Sümeg castle and Tata castle are located in this region.

Tihany Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Tihany.

Hajmaskér Barracks is an abandoned ruin.

Bokod Floating Houses are located in Oroszlány.

Lake Balaton is central Europe’s largest lake. The lake is famous for its blue waters, beaches, volcanic hills, resort towns, high-rise hotels, and surrounding vineyards that date back to Roman times.

Etyek featured in Black Widow (2021).

Western Transdanubia

Western Transdanubia includes the counties of Győr-Moson-Sopron, Vas, and Zala.

The town of Sopron is known for its baroque, renaissance and gothic architecture including Goat Church and Holy Trinity Column, Saint Michael’s Church, County Hall, Fire Tower, Town Hall, Petőfi Theater, and Orsolya Square.

Eszterháza is a palace in Fertőd that is Hungary’s answer to Versailles.

The Benedictine Pannonhalma Archabbey is a large medieval building in a forested setting.

The Festetics Palace is a Baroque palace located in Keszthely.

Kőszeg town square is a beautiful film location.

Szentgotthárd Abbey is an impressive location.

Batthyány Mansion in located in Körmend.

Hévíz is the largest thermal lake in Europe.

Fertő-Hanság National Park is home to a diversity of birdlife.

Southern Transdanubia

Southern Transdanubia includes the counties of Baranya, Somogy and Tolna.

The city of Pécs has several impressive examples of Ottoman and Habsburg period architecture including Pécs Cathedral, Széchenyi Square, Barbican, Jakovali Hassan Mosque, Mosque of Pasha Qasim, and Kossuth Square.

The Holy Spirit Church in Paks has a unique design.

Siófok Water Tower is located in Siófok.

Castles of note in this region include Simontornya Castle, and Siklós Castle.

Danube-Drava National Park is located in this region.

Paks Nuclear Power Plant is also located in this region.

Hungary Film Location Permits

Most locations only take a few days to permit. For instance, if shooting b-roll on a tripod, as long as you don’t require exclusive use of public space. Permission is required from each municipality and in some cases the specific location (markets, parks, castle district, etc), so to make sure you’re covered our fixer / producer will apply for permission to shoot at multiple locations. For larger shoots, officially it takes 3 weeks to shut streets but this can be fast-tracked if necessary. Shooting inside or on the grounds of the Hungarian Parliament building is not permitted but there are several good spots to film / photograph the building exteriors from afar. Please contact us for more location specific information.

When To Shoot?

Hungary has a typical four-season climate with warm summers (June to September), colourful leaves in fall (October to November), white winters (December to March), and spring (April to May) in full bloom. May through to September are the best months to film for weather. For monthly weather statistics please see here.

Festivals and events of interest to filmmakers and photographers include:

• Busójárás festival in Mohács in February.
• Budapest Spring Music Festival in March.
• The Danube Carnival in Budapest in June.
• Hungarian Formula One Grand Prix in Mogyoród in July.
• The Kurultáj takes place in Bugac in August.
• Sziget Festival takes place in Budapest in August.
• Budapest National Gallop in September.
• Budapest Christmas Fair and Festival in November and December.

Christianity is the largest religion, so those holidays are observed. Many Hungarians are non-religious.

Public holidays may affect timing, availability and costs. See here for public holiday dates in Hungary.

Unique Local Stories

Brands are looking for local stories that match their brand narrative. Our local teams are a great lead for sourcing those unique stories and characters.

If you are looking for stories for your next shoot, send us your brief and we will pitch you ideas.

If you have a unique story you would like to pitch to a brand anywhere in the world, pitch us your idea. We have well-established processes to ensure that your ideas are properly seen and protected.

Costs & Tax Incentives

Costs. Although prices have increased in recent years, Hungary still offers high production value. Production standards are very high and only a fraction of the cost of shooting in Western Europe or the United States. Compared to other countries in the region, Hungary is roughly on par with Czech costs, but more expensive than Romania, Latvia and Ukraine. Our Budapest based fixer / service producer will negotiate local deals and provide the appropriate level of production support to match every budget. See here for the current VAT rate.

Tax Incentives. Productions visiting Hungary to shoot feature films, TV series, documentaries, or animation for TV may be entitled to a 30% rebate of their total production costs. There is no minimum spend requirement. Although TV commercials are not eligible for the rebate, VAT reimbursement is possible. For more information visit the Hungarian National Film Fund.

Film Crew & Talent

Crews. Hungary has a small but good pool of local directors, directors of photography and stills photographers. Local crews are non-union. Hungary has some exceptional crews who have extensive experience in servicing international productions. Crews all speak fluent English. Hungary’s close proximity to major European production centres allows easy access to those pools of creative talent should you ever need to look further.

Contact us if you are looking for a Budapest based director, DP, photographer, videographer (cameraman / camera operator), camera assistant (focus puller), sound operator, grip, gaffer, stylist, hair and makeup, PA / runner, production driver, or any other film crew in Hungary.

Talent is non-union and buyouts are negotiable.

Hungarian is the official language.

Hungary is predominately ethnic Hungarian. There is also a sizable Roma population. Hungary’s close proximity to other major European production centres allows easy access to those pools of talent should you ever need to look further.

Hungary Film Equipment

Equipment. Hungary has rental houses that stock both Arri and Panavision equipment. All of the standard cameras, lights and cranes are available locally. Hungary also has more specialised film equipment including motion control, Giraffe and Pegasus cranes. For productions looking to bring in film equipment Hungary is an ATA carnet country.

Communications. Communication is key. Our agility and global experience allows us to customise the right communications systems for every shoot.

Web posted casting, scouting, and videoconferencing.

For clients that are unable to attend set we offer a virtual video village solution. This dedicated and secure high-resolution video streaming platform allows clients from one or multiple timezones to view setups without compromise and to participate in real-time with the team on set. Separate systems can be set up for the discrete conversations that are required to make a job run right. Working remotely with our local teams reduces your content production costs, turnaround times, carbon footprint, and risks associated with unpredictable global events.

Art Department, Studios, Backlots, & Post Production

Art department and set construction. One of the main areas that sets Hungary apart from the rest of the world is its world-renowned art department. Construction teams are among the best in central Europe.

Studios are a major reason why productions choose to shoot in Hungary. Several large modern studios with state of the art facilities exist, including one of the world’s largest sound stages. Backlots in existance include a Renaissance town, Medieval village and New York City. Studios also have vast, empty backlot space suitable for set construction. Korda Studios offer 6 sound stages, water tanks, and extensive backlot facilities. Origo offers 9 sound studios. Mafilm has 4 sound studios and a large outdoor underwater tank.

Post Production. Hungary has several good post production facilities.

Visas & Work Permits

Hungary is a member of the Schengen Area. Only certain countries need visas and there is no need for work permits for foreign crews. Visiting US film crews can enter visa-free for a period of up to 90 days. Contact your local Hungarian embassy / representative for more information.

Transport & Accommodation

Transportation Infrastructure. Roads are in a good condition. Hungary is serviced by several international and regional budget airlines.

Accommodation. Contact us for film friendly hotels in Budapest. For longer stays we can also organise serviced apartments. Hotels of note include:

Lanchid 19
Hotel Moments Budapest
Fraser Residence
Mamaison Hotel Izabella
Starlight Suiten Hotel Budapest

Final Notes

Safety. Hungary is a very safe and reliable filming centre. See here for up to date travel advice.

Down Time. Relax in one of Hungary’s famous baths and enjoy a glass of wine from one of the many impressive vineyards.

Projects. For an example of TV commercials, stills campaigns, online content, corporate videos, virtual reality 360 content, feature films, TV series and documentaries shot in Hungary, please see below:

Hire Hungary Production Support & Shooting Crew

If you are looking for a film or photographic production service company, line producer or fixer for your shoot in Hungary, please contact us.

If you are looking for a shooting crew for your shoot in Hungary, such as a director, DoP, photographer, videographer (cameraman / camera operator), camera assistant (focus puller), sound operator, grip, gaffer, stylist, hair and makeup, PA / runner, production driver, please contact us.

We are able to provide you with answers, references and bids quickly.