Gyöngyösi Zsolt
He is the man behind Néma Dollar Baby Film.
SKSM: Could you start with telling me a bit about yourself? Who are you and what do you do?
Gyöngyösi Zsolt: I’m 24 years old and I live in Hungary, Europe. I work as a teacher of English. I’ve been making independent films since 2008.
SKSM: When did you make Néma? Can you tell me a little about the production? How much did it cost? How long did it take to film it?
Gyöngyösi Zsolt: We finished it this September. Filming began in the autumn and wrapped in a month. Post-production took about 10 months to finish, with intermissions. It cost us 50,000 Hungarian forints which is about 220 American dollars. Yes, it is correct: two-hundred dollars.
SKSM: How come you picked Mute to develop into a movie? What is it in the story that you like so much?
Gyöngyösi Zsolt: When I was checking through the list I picked Mute because I liked the parallel narrative in it. And of course, I had to pick a story that was easily executable into film at amateur level.
SKSM: How did you find out that King sold the movie rights to some of his stories for just $1? Was it just a wild guess or did you know it before you sent him the check?
Gyöngyösi Zsolt: I had known everything before I contacted him, because one of my friends called my attention to it.
SKSM: Was there any funny or special moment when you made the movie that you would like to tell me about?
Gyöngyösi Zsolt: Not particularly funny, but there were special moments. We had to set up a confession booth because the church we were allowed into belonged to a denomination in which the act of confessing is not done. This is also a deliberately made mistake in the film.
SKSM: How does it feel that all the King fans out there can’t see your movie? Do you think that will change in the future? Maybe a internet/dvd release would be possible?
Gyöngyösi Zsolt: I’m really sorry about ith and I’ll try to spread it to film clubs and festival in order to as many people could see it as possible. I really hope this changes in the future!
SKSM: What “good or bad” reference have you received on your film?
Gyöngyösi Zsolt: Everybody praised the cinematography, the acting and the atmosphere. The negative reviews complained about some unreal foley sounds and some overindulgent lines of the script.
SKSM: Did you have any personal contact with King during the making of the movie? Has he seen it (and if so, what did he think about it)?
Gyöngyösi Zsolt: Nothing personal. His assistant told me he might watch it and if he wants he will contact me about it.
SKSM: Do you have any plans for making more movies based on Stephen King’s stories? If you could pick – at least – one story to shoot, which one would it be and why?
Gyöngyösi Zsolt: I’m not planning to adapt any more SK stories. I would pick a novel if I could. I’d be happy doing an ‘It’ remake/re-adaptation.
SKSM: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Is there anything you want to say to your fans?
Gyöngyösi Zsolt: I don’t think I have any fans? But for all of those out there who ever watched a movie of mine, I have one thing to say regardless they liked it or not: Thank you!
SKSM: Do you have anything you’d like to add?
Gyöngyösi Zsolt: If I could ask one thing, please rate my Mute if you have seen it: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2351794/
Thanks for the interview and thanks to the Dollar Baby community for their support! Hope to see you soon!
