Teen's View: Life Beside a Vehicle Test Track

Premiering at the Venice Film Festival's Orizzonti Short Films International Competition on September 11, "Tesztpálya (Test Track)" delves into the realities of rural Hungary. The documentary captures the complex lives of residents grappling with disappearing economies over two decades of Viktor Orbán's governance.

Shot from the viewpoint of 14-year-old Hunor, the film portrays a family adapting to their unique surroundings. Their rural home is juxtaposed with Europe's advanced test track for automated vehicles, tractors, and tanks, symbolizing the region's changing landscape.

Directed by Lydia Cornett, the film is a Guardian Documentary commission produced with Hungarian collaborators Good Kids and Roughhouse Project. It received support from the Fulbright and Pulitzer Center, underscoring its international significance and artistic merit.