Oscar Winner Kristof Deak Starts Shooting Feature Debut ‘The Grandson’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Hungarian writer-director Kristóf Deák, who won an Academy Award for best live-action short, has started shooting his debut theatrical feature, “The Grandson.”

The coming-of-age drama, disguised as a crime thriller, with darkly comic undertones, will shoot for 40 days on location in Budapest. NFI World Sales is handling global distribution, with an expected release date in autumn 2021.

The cast includes emerging actor Gergely Blahó, and Tamás Jordán, who appeared in Oscar nominated “On Body and Soul” (2018), as well as “Time Stands Still” (1981), “Sweet Emma,” and “Dear Böbe” (1992).

The film centers on quiet 28 year-old office manager Rudi, the “nice guy” everyone can count on. When his beloved grandpa falls victim to a particularly ruthless scam, his comfortable world is turned upside down. Pushed by guilt and a desire to bring justice to the criminals, Rudi starts his own investigation, descending into the world of petty crime – and finding peculiar allies along the way.

The crime in the film, the so-called “grandparent scam,” is a form of telephone fraud, where the scammer pretends to be a grandchild in distress, asking “grandma” or “grandpa” for money to help solve an urgent, threatening situation.

Deák comments: “The story of ‘The Grandson’ is based on a very personal experience – my own grandpa fell victim to scammers. I’m interested in what an average nice guy like myself can do when pushed out of his comfort zone to start a journey of vengeance, to serve justice for his loved ones. How far can one go before becoming a totally different person?”

Deák is best known for “Sing” (Mindenki), Academy Award winner for best live-action short in 2017, as well as “Best Game Ever” (2018) and “Captives” (2019).

The producer is Tamás S. Zákonyi, whose credits include local blockbuster “Búék!” and Steven Spielberg’s “Munich,” on which he served as line producer. The production company is Flashback Media, and the budget was $3.4 million (HUF 1.04 billion). The DoP is Róbert Maly (“Sing,” “Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time”), and the original score is by Ádám Balázs (“Sing,” “On Body and Soul”).