“I don’t define myself by my age, and I’m very angry when anyone is defined by their age,” said one of the best-known Hungarian models of the 70s and 80s, who has been working as a film producer since the 2000s. When it comes to aging, he generally thinks that his personality does not change because he gets older physically, but at most because his opinion on certain issues changes, “but not because of my age, but because of the life I have experienced.”
He became the advertising face of the brand Helia-D a few years ago, according to him, these products and his presence are about showing that not only youth has a right to exist. Although he accepts his age, he also says that he does not want to be average:
“On average, women over seventy accept that they have been retired, or they themselves recede into the background. The average 73-year-old woman tries to meet social expectations, which means that she has to appear, dress, and behave in accordance with what society expects. I don’t agree with that at all.”
The elderly also deserve to live as they like, as they feel good. “If I don’t like myself at home, then I can wear anything I like and accept myself”. With her appearance, she also intends to inspire others, just as she was inspired by foreign stars who accepted their age, wrinkles, and white hair, but did not give up their femininity, their dreams, and their careers.
Throughout his life and career, he has learned to embrace the passage of time and says that everything is relative, and he does not want to be old compared to himself. “This doesn’t mean that I’m fussing about my youthful appearance or myself, but I’m fussing a lot in order to enjoy the age I’m in right now.”
“Aging and getting old are obviously also an existential question of what we can afford in our old age. The poorer the country we live in, the more this is true, and obviously Hungary is not Germany or America, where people sigh at the age of seventy that they have freed up a lot of time and know what to do with it. But in Hungary, we often experience that those who could afford it do not take advantage of these opportunities,” he stated.
Regarding the relationship between beauty and age, he also noted that “when we talk about beauty in a woman of any age, it is very important for me to have meaning in her eyes. No matter how many centimeters someone has, if they have a stupid look, it’s not beautiful to me”
An entire profession cannot be marginalized
Pataki is one of the producers of one of the most successful Hungarian independent films of recent years, Fekete pont. Bálint Szimler’s film is about a ten-year-old boy who moves home from Germany and enters the Hungarian education system. Through his story, we get an insight into the problematic world of Hungarian schools.
Pataki considers the film to be exemplary because it was made by the cooperation of ten production offices, without state support. “It’s about something that is part of our everyday life and raises very deep questions and issues, right from the ground up,” he said of the film, which won three awards at the Locarno Film Festival.
When asked if the film would be very different if it could have been made with a lot more money – for example because it had received state support – Pataki said that it would not be different, but the workers would have been paid. “It’s not normal at all for everyone to work for starvation wages. It would be normal if talented people or good skilled workers in the film industry could get a normal salary for their work. But these films are practically made up of friendly favors or cooperation between producers”.
“We see very small films being made with big money, but very small ones, and we see very important films being made with little money”.
the producer stated.
According to him, the last few years have taught filmmakers that it is unnecessary to apply for state funds, because it does not matter what the project is like, but rather it depends on who submitted the application.
“In the present, low-budget, independent films have a right to exist, but I hope that this is not the future. I really hope that this will change. This may require a system change, but I hope so. It is unacceptable for an entire profession to be marginalized”. According to Pataki, independent films are now needed so that the industry can breathe and communicate ideas.
Compared to her husband, film producer Gábor Kovács, she has always been quieter, “but when it comes to the film industry, I would consider it a betrayal if I remained completely silent.” – said the producer, who doesn’t even feel sorry for themselves because they can’t make films with state funds, but for those directors who, instead of practicing their profession, have to become, for example, bricklayers.
When asked if he had seen Philip Rákay’s film, he said that “of course I went”, as they watch almost all Hungarian films. Now or never, according to him, the broad group of the target audience laughed at him, and then added: “let’s say it too.”
“From a filmic point of view, we are absolutely on the coast,” he said, but at the same time, by participating in independent films, “we want to demonstrate, primarily to ourselves, that we exist, that we are, that we are interested and that we are happy to do it.” He is confident that they will even make a big film on their own. He can’t say whether the stranding is political or simply because resources are scarce and few people have access to the meat pot.
