HBO Hungary counters production drought

BUDAPEST -- Despite an ongoing state budget crisis and a flagging economy that has ground scores of film and TV productions to a halt, the HBO Hungary pay TV network is launching two homegrown series, a slate of documentaries and will soon have a new head of regional production.HBO Hungary, part of the HBO Central Europe (HBO CE) network, announced that a local version of the Israeli drama "Be Tipul" (aired as "In Treatment" in the U.S.) will begin shooting in Budapest on Nov. 22 ahead of an autumn 2012 premier.HBO Hungary has greenlighted a 40-episode first season, which the network is hoping will be a hit based on the strong reception of the format in Romania, where the series is now entering its second season.Local versions of the "Be Tipul" format are about to premier on HBO Czech and Poland.In addition, the network will premiere a Hungarian version of a second Israeli format, "When Shall We Kiss" on Oct. 23. A cult hit when it aired on Israel's Channel 10 in late 2007, the "When Shall We Kiss" format (originally produced by Abot Barkai Productions) is also being considered for other markets in HBO CE, said Katalin Schulteisz, Original Production Executive for HBO Hungary.According to the series' Israeli creator Dalit Kahan, this format is also being produced in Russia and the Ukraine by another broadcaster, and Kahan credits the accessibility of the series' characters for its adaptability. "It is a human story everyone can relate to," Kahan told Variety.But future HBO productions will not be restricted to formats. In addition to on-going documentary production (HBO Hungary alone produces as many as three to four new docs a year), HBO CE is now considering original scripted productions."We want to move out of using formats and start producing our own material," said Schulteisz. "We're now looking at lots of scripts and concepts."Production is expected to accelerate after Oct. 17 when Antony Root, former senior VP European Production for Sony Pictures Television, begins his first day on the job as executive vice president of regional production for HBO CE. Root is expected to oversee and coordinate production in all HBO CE's networks.HBO's production blitz comes as recession, budget cuts and industry restructuring has created a historic slowdown in Hungarian domestic film-making. "I feel like I'm on an island," admitted production executive Schulteisz. "It's an exciting time to be [at HBO]. Not very many people are doing what we are doing in the market place. Not with this quality." Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com