Lesser of Two Evils

Project

Lesser of Two Evils is an animated short film adapted from four stories by Hungarian writer Attila Hazai, merged into a single narrative. Developed as Máté Horesnyi’s first adaptation, the film explores the absurdity and realism present in Hazai’s writing, where surreal situations remain closely rooted in everyday human behaviour. The story unfolds mostly at night, creating a darker atmosphere and requiring a different visual logic from the director’s earlier work.

Approach

The film was conceived as an experiment in combining different visual languages within a single narrative. Three animation techniques were used throughout the project: classical 2D animation on paper, 16mm stop motion and digital animation in TVPaint. Rather than forcing these methods into one uniform style, the contrasts between them were used deliberately to shift tone and perspective throughout the film. This hybrid approach became a way of looking at Hungarian identity from the outside, translating the absurd, contradictory and deeply human qualities of Hazai’s writing into a constantly changing visual system.

Selected Awards

Dargay Attila Prize
Hungarian Film Critic Special Prize
Paris International Film Festival — Prix de la Contre-écriture
Animadeba — Jury Special Mention
Tbilisi International Student Film Festival — Best Animation Prize

Selected Festivals

Mecal Pro
Animario
Animac
Animafest Zagreb
Animadeba
PÖFF Shorts
Cinanima
Anifilm
Animateka
International Animation Festival Chilemonos
Anima Brussels