Gundel Restaurant’s film showcasing sign language communication came second at one of the world’s most prestigious short film festivals. The 3 Minute Film Festival in Santa Barbara celebrates the creativity and message of three-minute films and is highly regarded amongst filmmakers.

This year, 12 films from five countries (England, India, the United States, Hungary and Turkey) were shortlisted for the „Narrative” category – that is, for the competition programme – with the Gundel film representing Hungary. It is a huge success that the short film *Gundel Belongs to Everyone* came within a hair’s breadth of winning the festival.

Thanks to the team of acclaimed film director Péter Bergendy, the film *Gundel*, which premiered in March this year, not only focuses on the commitment to CSR of Hungary’s most famous restaurant, but also conveys a profound message about the importance of inclusivity. As part of this, staff members learnt the most essential signs in both English and Hungarian, whilst a Braille menu was produced for visually impaired guests. Alongside its legendary hospitality, social responsibility and sensitivity have always been part of Gundel’s core values and have shaped the attitude of its staff, which is also evident in the care shown towards guests with visual and hearing impairments. This further reinforces the staff’s conviction that Gundel belongs to everyone!

Jenő Magyary, managing director of Gundel, said of this success: „It is a great honour for us that our film has been selected for the 3 Minute Film Festival programme. To ultimately feature in the Top 3 amongst such illustrious company is a source of immense joy for the entire Gundel team and all our partners who have supported us in this endeavour. We would like to take this opportunity to express our immense gratitude to the dedicated Gundel team, our group of companies responsible for operating Gundel, the Eventrend Group, Péter Bergendy’s team, who work with such refined sensitivity, and the experts at SINOSZ (National Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing), who have enthusiastically helped us learn sign language. This recognition only serves to reinforce our commitment and further encourages us to make Gundel’s hospitality accessible to everyone.”.

Now in its 12th year, the 3 Minute Film Festival aims to provide a platform for short yet thought-provoking films that powerfully convey human stories and social messages. What makes the festival unique is that the three-minute format allows filmmakers to express their message concisely yet powerfully, thereby offering viewers a unique and memorable experience.

The finished short film can be viewed via this link: