In the summer of 2018, OSA received a unique collection of propaganda and promotional films produced by the Hungarian Propaganda and Tourism Agency (Idegenforgalmi Propaganda és Kiadó Vállalat, IPV) before the regime change in 1989-1990.
The IPV film studio was established in the 1970s and its mere existence signaled a shift from hard-core communism to a more open, West-oriented “entrepreneurial” Socialism. The film studio was to produce promotional and image films about Hungary, to sell the country as a friendly place in Europe. The films were screened at Western tourism fairs in Berlin, London, Milan, Paris and Vienna. Besides attracting hard currency paying tourists to Hungary, IPV’s task was to help sell services and products of some Hungarian companies such as MALEV, Chemolimpex, IKARUSZ, Hungarovin, MOL, Videoton, Tungsram, Biogal, Chinoin and Csepel auto.
These films reveal the somewhat twisted mindset of the Hungarian Communist state: while it constantly criticized, attacked and despised the imperialist countries, “the rotten West”, it wished to appeal to them and gain their admiration not only for what was produced by the nationalized industry but for Hungary’s cultural and natural assets too.
OSA started processing the collection in December 2018, the initial processing has now been completed: an inventory of the full stock is ready, the sorting, arranging, labeling, listing and shelving of the video cassettes is done. The first public draft description is now on-line. The next step will be the intellectual processing. After digitizing and describing the films, OSA will publish them online in its Digital Repository.