We’re in the heart of the Castle Weekend! TIFF once again invites audiences today to the Bánffy Castle in Bonțida, with a program that includes a concert by psychedelic punk rock band Vágtázó Halottkémek (VHK) at 7:30 PM, followed by the screening of the Estonian film The Invisible Fight at 9:30 PM. In an interview with Louisa Miclăuș, Andor, a young VHK fan, tells AperiTIFF how he first discovered the Hungarian band’s unique sound.
It’s an interesting story. I got into punk music when I was around 16. I was drawn to the rebellious aesthetic and the rawness of the sound. [...] Then I learned that in the 1980s, a lot of Hungary’s punk scene was made up of far-right extremists. And to me, that just made no sense! American and British punk was all about “Power to the people, unite, reject oppression!” And it seemed like my local scene just… didn’t get it. But I didn’t give up, and I dug deeper—eventually, I found some older bands that hadn’t bought into the fascist stuff other Hungarian bands were doing. Come On Punk Group, Böjler, and of course, VHK. VHK didn’t sound like anything I had ever heard before—that’s what grabbed me immediately. CPG and Böjler were essentially Hungarian versions of Black Flag, but VHK were something else entirely.
The punk scene has evolved a lot since then, and punks today are super progressive and awesome, but still—nothing compares to VHK.
First of all, they’re incredibly unique. When you hear VHK, you know it’s them. No one else sounds like that. It’s spontaneous, it’s powerful, and somehow never quite the same, yet always recognizable. The other thing is how they invoke a certain mental state in their audience—almost spiritual. I don’t do drugs or drink, but with VHK, you don’t need hallucinogens to feel a different reality. It’s primal, like a shamanic chant. You can’t dance to their music in the traditional sense—you just let your body do what it wants. Their music isn’t meant to be understood; it’s meant to be felt.
Andor Dimény, 22, student, Cluj-Napoca
Yesterday, Bánffy Castle hosted British post-punk duo The KVB, and a screening of the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Among the audience were Laura and Vasile Hotea-Fernezan, who’ve made watching Jim Sharman’s film an annual tradition.
“I first saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show in 2012 at the first edition of Full Moon – The Horror and Fantastic Film Festival in Biertan. [...] I instantly ‘fell in love’ with this horror musical comedy at first sight and sound—it’s my all-time favorite musical. We joyfully revisit it every year at Full Moon and have never missed a screening. [...] This year, the film turns 50, and there couldn’t have been a more fitting venue than Bonțida Castle for this milestone screening. [...] I still believe it was—and remains—a visionary film. Daring for its time, provocative, exceptional. It parodies and critiques conventional gender models, mocks heteronormativity, and celebrates gender fluidity, emancipation, and sexual liberation.”
— Laura Hotea-Fernezan, 49, IT professional, Cluj-Napoca
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show was visionary from the start—for its themes, music, boldness, and cheekiness. It’s amazing to watch the ‘virgin’ audience members react to the rice cup, while the veterans sing, dance, and know every line and lyric. It’s a joy to watch it again and again—and Bonțida Castle is a perfect venue. So perfect, it deserves to be in the film. Happy 50th, Rocky Horror! Let’s do the Time Warp again!”
— Vasile Hotea-Fernezan, 49, Journalist and Professor at the Faculty of Theatre and Film, Cluj-Napoca
To and from Bonțida, the festival provides shuttle buses, departing at 6:30 PM from Iulius Mall, just below the roundabout. After the program ends at the castle, return trips to Cluj will begin at 11:30 PM. Each ride costs 20 RON (20 RON one way, 20 RON return), payable in cash only, upon boarding.
You can also travel to the castle with your personal car.
Let me know if you want this in a press release format, or styled for social media, event promotion, or program booklet.