Official Selection - Out of Competition
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Hen (Kota)

György PÁLFI
2025 96 min Greece, Germany, Hungary
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Synopsis

A tragicomic fable about humanity from a hen’s perspective

A hen escapes from an industrial chicken farm and finds refuge in a crumbling Greek seaside taverna run by a kind-hearted restauranteur, his daughter, and her boyfriend–who is involved in human smuggling. As the hen settles into her new home, discovers love with a rooster, and fights to protect her eggs, she becomes an unwitting witness to the darkest sides of humanity.

Shot entirely from the chicken’s perspective using eight real Leghorn hens, György Pálfi’s audacious tragicomic fable mirrors human struggles for survival and belonging against the backdrop of Greece’s migrant crisis. A visually inventive meditation on individual responsibility and resilience.

Cast/Avec

  • Yannis KOKIASMENOS
  • Maria DIAKOPANAYOTOU
  • Argyris PANDAZARAS

Screenplay

  • György PÁLFI
  • Zsófia Ruttkay

Cinematographer

  • Giorgos Karvelas

Sound

  • Marinos Athanasopoulos
  • Erik Mischijew
  • Matthias Schwab

Music

  • Szabolcs Szoke

Production

  • Martin Hampe
  • Thanassis Karathanos
  • Giorgos Kiriakos
  • Giorgos Kyriakos
  • Kostas Lambropoulos

Age classification

  • 16+

Screenings

Sunday 08 March 2026 18:00
Lieux : Ciné Utopia
Audio : Greek
Subtitles : English
Screening : 1st Screening
Wednesday 11 March 2026 14:00
Lieux : Cinémathèque @Théâtre des Capucins
Audio : Greek
Subtitles : French, Dutch
Screening : 2nd Screening

Critics

« Tour de force de mise en scène […] soutenu par l’agilité du directeur de la photographie Giorgos Karvelas, Hen est une œuvre souvent drôle, jouant beaucoup avec l’excellente musique composée par Szőke Szabolcs. »
Fabien Lemercier Cineuropa 09/09/2025

György PÁLFI

György PÁLFI
György PÁLFI

György Pálfi is a Hungarian filmmaker known for pushing the boundaries of narrative and form. He studied at the Hungarian University of Drama, Film and Television before coming to international attention with Hukkle (2002), a wordless meditation on rural life that won numerous awards. His breakthrough came with cult sensation Taxidermia (2006), selected as Hungary’s official Oscar submission. His latest, Hen (2025), is his eighth feature-length film, and cements his status as one of Hungary’s most distinctive cinematic voices.

Filmography

  • Hen 2025
  • Perpetuity 2021
  • His Master’s Voice 2018
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