Another triumph: MOME diploma film competes at the Berlinale!

Date: 2025.01.16
Another triumph: MOME diploma film competes at the Berlinale! Mirjána Balogh’s animation Wish You Were Ear will represent Hungary at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals, which begins on 13 February. Created in 2024 as a diploma film at the Animation programme of Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME), with support from the National Film Institute (NFI), the film will make its international debut in the Generation 14+ programme. Selected from thousands of entries, this thought-provoking animation explores how romantic relationships leave lasting impressions on our sense of self.

Wish You Were Ear is set in a world where, after a couple parts ways, they are required to exchange a body part. In this way, individuals not only literally lose a part of themselves but also carry remnants of all their past relationships. Two people deeply connected to each other inevitably shape each other, and the changes experienced during their time together become an integral part of who they are. The filmmaker used body parts to reflect on the transformative power of relationships, with each foreign part symbolising a new change. 

“In my film, I wanted to capture how we can – or cannot – accept the changes brought about by past relationships once they have ended, and how these changes become a part of our self-image. Some people perceive the transformation as a loss, while others feel it has fully become part of who they are. I believe this is a profound process of self-acceptance, and that is what the story is about,” explained Mirjána Balogh, who completed her master's degree at MOME in 2024. 

The film was produced by MOME with the involvement of numerous current and former students. Its distribution and festival promotion are managed by MOME's Film Knowledge Hub in collaboration with the NFI. The sound design was created by József Iszlai, with editing by Judit Czakó and production by József Fülöp. 

  

Each year, the Berlinale receives thousands of submissions from around the globe. The festival's Generation section focuses on films that place youth at the heart of their narratives and cinematic language. These films tell stories through the perspectives of young protagonists, offering an authentic glimpse into their worlds. 

  

The section's two competition programmes feature an equal mix of feature films, documentaries, animations, genre films, and works that expand the language of cinema. 

  

The inclusion of Mirjána Balogh’s film adds to a long-standing streak of success: since 2017, MOME Animation diploma films have consistently been selected for the competition programmes of this highly prestigious film festival.  Wish You Were Ear joins the ranks of films such as Réka Bucsi's Symphony No. 42 (2014), Katalin Lovrity's Volcano Island (2017), and Flóra Anna Buda's Entropia (2019), the latter of which won the Teddy Award. 

Most recently, in 2023, Domonkos Erhardt's From the Corner of My Eye was featured in the Berlinale Generation 14+ competition programme, earning a Special Mention. 

  

  

According to Dr Zsuzsanna Vincze, head of the MOME Film Knowledge Hub, established under the University of the Future initiative, MOME Anim's emergence as an outstanding, globally recognised animation hub is the result of years, even decades, of consistent and persistent development. The key to success lies in discovering and mentoring talents with unique perspectives, providing diploma film support that ensures professional production conditions, and the dedication and professional humility shown by both educators and students. 

Autumn 2023 will mark a new chapter in the history of MOME’s Animation programme. The internationally renowned programme is now offered in English, with new specialisations added, such as Video Game, and Immersive Storytelling in addition to Animated Content. 

  

Wish You Were Ear teaser: https://youtu.be/5WLhao6WFRI 

Instagram :@mirjna 

  

  

Contact:  
MOME Press  
press@mome.hu 

  

More information about the Animation programme: 
Animation MA in English language 

  

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