"Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

This progress report is to update you on the latest developments regarding the documentary film Torn from the Flag, about the fall of communism and the significant global effects of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and Freedom Fight.

As many of you know, Torn from the Flag had its world premiere at the AFI (American Film Institute) Film Festival, one of the most influential film festivals in North America, at the exquisite ArcLight movie theater in Hollywood, right in the film capital of the world. Its success was recorded for posterity by Leslie Eloed; see his photos here. Also, the latest (favorable!) reviews can be viewed here.

The Hungarian American Coalition, a major supporter, was kind enough to organize and host a private screening in Washington, D.C., in December 2007. Click here to view Dr. Emery Imre Toth's and Suzanne Kiss Toth's photos of the event. In the HAC press release, Edith Lauer, HAC Chair Emerita, said:

"Klaudia Kovacs and her team have more than justified our confidence. They have produced a film all of us can be proud of. Torn from the Flag not only immortalizes the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, but it also provides a compelling insight into the terrible crimes of communism. Every high school and college student of 20^th-century history should see this film."

Helen M. Szablya, 2007 HAC Chair, is quoted:

"Klaudia Kovács managed the impossible by showing an objective picture of the 1956 Revolution. Everyone’s ‘other side of the story’ is presented, from the heir to the throne, Otto von Habsburg, through the disillusioned peasant, recipient of the initial redistribution of land, to the Soviet soldier stationed in Hungary. Each expert appears several times, while the story emerges driven by topics. This makes the documentary exciting and colorful. The 95 minutes fly by in an instant."

If you have seen the film, please take a few minutes to post your comments on imdb.com, which is an important film industry site. Your comment will help the film's distribution. Click here to start the comment process (which is a simple and short one).

I’m delighted to share that the film has been selected to the Cleveland International Film Festival! There will be 2 screenings: Saturday, March 15, 2008 at 4:45 p.m. and Sunday, March 16, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. Both screenings are at Tower City Cinemas, 230 West Huron Road, Cleveland, OH 44113. We filmmakers do not have tickets, as we ourselves are guests; however, you can purchase them here for the 15^th and here for the 16^th. We would love all of our local donors to come see the film and vote for Torn from the Flag to receive an Audience Award! Come and meet the filmmakers. George Adams, Associate Producer, who is the only person who worked on this project with me from the beginning, will also be in attendance! Please welcome him with open arms. As far as I'm concerned, after 9 years of working for a Hungarian cause, he is an honorary Hungarian!

We will have a French premiere, too! The European Independent Film Festival in Paris has selected Torn from the Flag. The screening will be on Saturday, March 15 at 11:45 a.m. in the Petite Auditorium of the Bibliothèque nationale de France/François-Mitterrand Library. The address is Quai François-Mauriac, 75706 Paris Cedex 13, France. After the screening you will have the chance to meet the filmmakers and to vote for the film to receive an Audience Award! Tickets are free. To secure your place, please email rsvp@ecufilmfestival.com We need to fill 250 seats in Paris; please do forward this information to anyone you know in the area who speaks English and/or Hungarian!

When it rains, it pours! We’ve also been selected to the Tiburon International Film Festival (San Francisco area)! The screening will be on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 9:45 p.m. at the Tiburon Playhouse, 40 Main Street, Tiburon, CA 94920. You can vote for Torn from the Flag to receive an Audience Award here, too! Purchase tickets here or by calling (415) 381-4123. I very much hope that all our local supporters will come to see the film.

We have also been selected to the Atlanta Film Festival, which will take place April 10-19. We do not yet have a specific Torn from the Flag screening date or location for that festival; however, we would very much like your presence and support in the audience!

Though the film is complete, the work is not done yet! We are seeking an effective, high-profile distributor so that Torn from the Flag will have long-lasting, worldwide impact. Making, and properly distributing, a film are two processes that can take an equal amount of energy and money. The chronological order of distribution is as follows:

1. Obtaining a Producer's Rep to represent the film (done)
2. Participating at Film Festivals (in progress)
3. Participating in the Oscar® race
4. Obtaining a Distributor
5. Theatrical release
6. Television broadcast
7. Release on DVD
8. Additional screenings in the Community- and Educational/Academic arenas

The release of the film will be the most exciting and rewarding phase for you: you will be able to see this extraordinary film on the big screen, as well! Now that we are so close to success, I would like to invite you to further support Torn from the Flag. Until we obtain a distributor, we need to cover many expenses ourselves, by July 1, 2008. They include:

Errors & Omissions Insurance (required for distribution); 35mm film print (9000 feet of film); Optical Stereo Sound Track for 35mm film print; Optical Track Line-Up; MPAA Rating; PR Fees; PR Materials; Festival Submissions; Festival Travel Expenses; Festival Promotional Material; Oscar®-Qualifying 14-US-City Theatrical Run; Oscar®-Qualifying 1-Week Los Angeles/New York Theatrical Run; Additional Oscar® Material; 2^nd 35mm film print required for Oscar® race (9000 feet of film); etc.

Please make your check payable to the International Documentary Association, writing the words "Torn from the Flag" in the memo section, and mail the check to:

1626 North Wilcox Avenue #393
Hollywood, CA 90028
Attention: Torn from the Flag – Klaudia Kovacs

The International Documentary Association will send you a receipt within 30 days so that you may deduct your donation from your U.S. taxes.

The project also needs and welcomes the following:

1. U.S. and Hungarian media contacts.
2. Air transportation to festivals. Please donate either funds or miles for this purpose.
3. The production office needs 2 new computers. After 9 years of using the same ones on the project, they are on their last legs. They are not functioning properly and sometimes die on us. A laptop would be welcome!

We would like to thank the following this quarter: Per Bang-Jensen; Laszlo & Jill Birinyi; Terri & Walt Boyne; Clara M. Graff; Paul Greskovics; Mrs. Barbara Kiss; Drs. George & Ildi Kunos; Mrs. Ilona Lang; Imre & Agnes Lendvai-Lintner; Tibor & Katalin Mayer; Akos L. Nagy; George & Klara K. Osapay; Phillip Schopper; Suzanne Kiss Toth; and Drs. Maria & Karoly Varga for their donations. Leslie Eloed; Dennis Fredricks, Esq.; Cam Haynes; Zsofia Nemeth, Esq.; Dr. Emery Imre Toth; Maria Szalay; Robert Wappel, Esq.; and the Hungarian American Coalition, especially Edith Lauer, Max Teleki and Zsolt Szekeres, for their kind assistance.

We do not have correct, current contact information (mailing address, email and/or phone numbers) for Frank Balogh, Esq.; Gabor Beszedes; Annegret E. Kmeth; Stephen Kmeth; Gabriella Oroszi; Sarolta Petro; and Klara R. Toth; kindly send your current info via email to ktothfilm@gmail.com.

We are all extremely excited about how well the film has been received so far and how the fantastic the reviews have been. We are truly on the brink of international recognition. Please contribute toward making the film a worldwide success never before seen for a Hungarian documentary!

Respectfully and gratefully yours,
Klaudia Kovacs
Producer, Director, Writer
www.klaudiainc.com
klaudiakovacs@msn.com