HFF- Children of Glory

At the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, the Hungarian water polo team faces off against the Russians in what will become known as one of the bloodiest matches in the sport’s history.

The time is 1956, the coldest year of the Cold War and Hungary is politically dominated by the Soviet Empire. Yet, Hungary is also a superpower the Hungarian national water polo team remains undefeated… invincible. While Communist oppression hangs like a dark cloud over the Hungarians’ everyday life, the team’s star athletes are shining heroes to the nation, treated like modern day rock stars with money jingling in their pockets and a beautiful girl on each arm.
As the film opens, the team is training for the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. Meanwhile, students at the University in Budapest are organizing the fight against the Russian occupation and the Hungarian secret police who terrorise the nation. The students light a spark that is quickly embraced by the nation the police, the army and the peasants unite in the struggle for freedom. Politics, however, are of no concern to Karcsi (Iván Fenyő), the handsome, hot-headed star of the team, and his best friend, Tibi (Sándor Csányi). But after witnessing a student demonstration and seeing the fiery Viki Falk’s (Kata Dobó) demand that the students be allowed to speak, Karcsi becomes intrigued. He follows the beautiful girl and soon finds himself in the middle of a revolution, when a peaceful demonstration turns into bloody combat… students, children, and housewives battling the Russian tanks. This epic match in Melbourne was a high moment of sports drama in 1956 in 2006 it will once again be one of the most talked about games in Olympic history and inspiration to freedom loving people everywhere.