Ladies and Gentlemen:

This letter is to update you on the latest developments on the feature-length documentary film project “Torn from the Flag” about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, its international participants and significant global effects. Our momentum continues; we have had another successful quarter and thanks to many generous contributions and support from many directions, we are making progress toward our goal. We are happy to report that the creative team spent the summer preparing for filming; we anticipate cameras will begin rolling this fall.

Our fundraising event in Los Angeles on May 29 at the United Hungarian House was a success. Szabolcs Kerek-Barczy, Consul General of the Republic of Hungary, acted as the Principal Patron of the evening. The occasion was further graced by the presence of two prominent guests of honor: Nobel laureate Gyorgy Olah and Oscar nominee Laszlo Kovacs. There were close to 120 guests in attendance. The youngest participant was just under 10 and the oldest was approximately 90. There were also big families with several members present, and there was even someone who came specifically for this event from Texas! Judith Neszlenyi played a Franz Liszt work with her usual passion and skill, and shared an equally passionate remembrance about an international music competition from a time before the 1956 uprising. Genie Award (Canadian Oscar) nominee and Jaszai Mari Award-winning comedienne Georgina Hegedos provided excellent entertainment in the form of her brilliantly funny cabaret program.

We would like to thank all those who contributed, especially those key individuals who made this evening possible. Miklos Perehazy, the President of the United Hungarian House, donated all the liquid refreshments. Livia Feher was the unsung organizational heroine of our event (and has also generously offered her time to make improvements to the website as an in-kind donation). Pal and Katalin Joo provided the delicious dinner, Zsuzsa Dobai donated the beautiful, 1956-themed painting for the raffle and Susan Jancso was kind enough to provide advertising free of charge in her newspaper, the American Hungarian Journal. We would like to acknowledge the individuals who knew in advance they were not attending the dinner but paid for it anyway to support the film: Dr. Ildiko Cseto; Dennis Fredricks; Andrew Friedman; Maria Hollos; Marianne Martin; Agnes Orser; John and Muriel Ridland; and Andrew Stevens. Additional donors were: Marta Ferenczik; Grace Hungarian Reformed Church; Frederick and Magda Hefty (second donation check!); Annegret E. Kmeth; Eva M. Lummus; George and Judith Olah; Anna Schaffer; Susanne Linda Ternovsky; Kinga J. Toth; Isabelle Van Offel; and Peter and Gizella Varga.

Separately from the above-mentioned event, the following donors also gave generously: J. Andrea Alstrup; Attila B. Beres, Ph.D., P.E.; Dr. Andras Both; Professor Karoly and Judith Balogh; Amy Dockendorf; European Travel Services; Ica Horvath; International Technology Foundation; Lawrence W. Leighton; Marylee J. Meehan; John Moore; Pannonius Foundation c/o Lauer family; The Szechenyi Istvan Society, Inc.; Frank S. Rogocz; and Dr. Karl G. Verebey.

I am thrilled to report that six-time Oscar nominated actor Tony Curtis called and expressed his interest in being part of the project by helping advertise it in the film community.

Alfred Klein, who was chosen as a “Superlawyer” and belongs to the top 5% of labor attorneys in Los Angeles, charitably offered his services as an in-kind donation for the film so that all legal aspects of employment are correct.

Guiding Stars, a novel by Julius Ling, was kindly donated to benefit our film. Guiding Stars is a story of love and perseverance set in Hungary in the aftermath of the Second World War and the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. A Budapest jury voting in a highly prestigious annual contest to select the best written stories for movie consideration chose Guiding Stars as one of its five selections out of more than 3,000 entries. A professional jury in Budapest chose it as the Second Best Novel in the Last Decade of the 20th Century. As a New York reader put it, “It is bursting with life. But it is more than just a beautiful love story - it is a story of decency; of being human in the deepest sense of the word.” Purchase this moving, English-language book for US$20.00 by replying via email.

Famous concert pianist Christina Kiss, a specialist in the music of Franz Liszt, has magnanimously donated live recordings on CD of Liszt's piano solos to benefit “Torn from the Flag.” The New York Times commented: “Miss Kiss has beautifully regulated tone and passionate phrase shaping...that made her readings breathe and transformed their technical fire into something deeper.” Four different CDs are available now for purchase at $16.00 each:

• "Romantic Masterpieces" includes Hungarian Rhapsodies 2 and 14 among its selections.
• "Italian & German Inspiration" includes collaborations with Verdi and Wagner, from Rigoletto, Lohengrin and Tristan und Isolde.
• Highlights from "Masterworks" include the Mephisto Waltz and Ave Maria.
• Finally, "Piano Music" includes the Rakoczi March and Die Lorelei among its several selections.

Reply by email to reserve your copies of this beautiful music!

Lately we have received many inquires about the changing genre of documentary films; therefore we would like to share some information with those who are unfamiliar with the subject. The fact is that recent developments in moviegoers’ habits are good news for our production and its investors; documentaries have become popular. Recently, the Los Angeles Times dedicated their Calendar section to the topic: “There’s never been a time when so many art-house hits were documentaries.” Even such known directors as Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese and James Cameron have gotten into the documentary game. “This comes as no surprise to critics, who’ve known for years that the best film festival movies are found among the documentary entries.” Documentaries are a “hot ticket” on HBO: “We used to pursue film distributors. Now they’re calling us. It’s like Lana Turner at the soda fountain - documentaries have been discovered!” They “are filling a vacuum created by Hollywood. New documentaries avoid clichés, in part because they’ve sought out real stories, which provide twists, turns and troubling truths that have been airbrushed out of most of today’s studio films.” IndieWIRE magazine also comments on this phenomenon: “Politically aware docs will vie against blockbusters.” These films speak to “the public’s new-found political awareness…moviegoers are primed for social activism - and political education. Documentaries have proven themselves to be box-office successes.”

Many of you also requested a brief summary of the previous year’s work and we are delighted to share:

• Due to our fundraising events in the USA, Canada, Hungary and Switzerland, we received contributions from close to 250 individuals.
• We were honored with grants/donations from 14 multicultural foundations/institutions.
• We were also honored with many in-kind donations and 2 corporate sponsorships.
• With our targeted PR campaign we involved many Hungarian communities all around the world.
• We were subject to fantastic media coverage in the USA, Canada and in Hungary; that includes 5 TV and 2 radio interviews, 14 newspaper/magazine articles and many website write-ups.
• We secured the support of some of the most established institutions and individuals around the world.

Naturally, these are just some of the highlights of our recent progress. With all this effort we were able to raise just over half of our budget, a significant amount of money, especially if we consider that we started from zero just a year ago. We worked very hard and put in a tremendous amount of time, effort, sweat and, we must admit, sometimes tears. However, we still don't have enough to make a quality film. We need to acquire as close to our full budget figure as possible to create a project this subject deserves, especially with the 50th anniversary approaching. Therefore several additional fundraising events are planned in cities across the country; we hope that the American-Hungarian community will come through for this cause.

San Diego’s fundraising event will be held Saturday, September 25th starting at 6 p.m. We are extremely grateful to the organizer, Zoltan Gidofalvi, the President of the Hungarian House of San Diego, where the event will be hosted, as well as to Georgina Hegedos; she will be reprising the hilarious cabaret act that she performed in Los Angeles and Vancouver with great success. She comes to us from British Columbia and volunteers her time and talent for this good cause. Admission with dinner is $25. We will dedicate all the evening’s proceeds for the film. Please call our sponsors for the evening, Judit and Laszlo Baranyi, at 858.487.3504 for reservations and for further information.

There are several things the project still needs and welcomes:

• We are desperately looking for an airline sponsor. If you have connections with someone within this industry, please, please let us know as soon as possible.
• We welcome travel-related in-kind donations, e.g., airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, etc.
• We are seeking part-time volunteer translators and text researchers worldwide.
• We welcome ‘56-related, never before or seldom published visual materials as gifts (photographs, maps, etc.).
• Craft service (meal) donations while shooting on various locations are also needed.
• Website-designer volunteers who are willing to design and maintain the film’s website.
• Printers who are willing to reproduce PR materials (flyers, postcards, brochures, etc.).
• Office-related donations (printer/copy paper, envelopes, thank-you cards, printer cartridges, etc.).
• A press and marketing specialist who is willing to donate his/her time and knowledge to the project.
• We are seeking women who participated in the “Women’s March” on December 17, 1956 in Budapest.
• We are also looking for freedom fighters who fought in Csepel.

We deeply appreciate those who have sent additional resource/research materials such as books and videos, sometimes loaning their own precious copies long-term for our use over the course of production. Now that we are moving into the filming phase, please check with us regarding whether we already have any such items before you send them to us.

Again, it is imperative for us to complete the budget in the very near future. Investment opportunities are still available, as is the possibility to donate using your credit card or by personal check. Donations are tax-deductible for US taxpayers. The International Documentary Association has confirmed that they can indeed accept stock donations and can handle the selling for the project. The International Documentary Association's bookkeeper, Traci Austin, is available to provide you with additional information regarding such transactions. Her number is (213) 534-3600, press 0 and ask for her directly. Since she is not in every day, you may want to talk to Janice Van Wagner, Fiscal Sponsorship Coordinator, first. She is at extension 7550, at the same phone number above. If you supported “Torn From the Flag” last year, kindly consider matching your 2003 contribution in 2004. Do not hesitate to inform your family and friends either! Please take action and make your donation check payable to the International Documentary Association and mail it to:

Klaudia Kovacs, Producer / Director
1626 North Wilcox Avenue #393
Hollywood, CA 90028

If you have already committed to making a donation and have not yet gotten it to us, please take a moment to do so now or, alternatively, let us know the date by which we may count on your promise. If you are no longer able to contribute, please simply let us know that this is the case, and accept our deep gratitude for your intention and desire to be supportive.

Thank you again for your interest in and generous support of this important, rewarding project.

Sincerely Yours,

Klaudia Kovacs
Producer, Director, Writer
www.klaudiainc.com