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 in the Narrative category – that is, for the competition programme – with the Gundel film representing Hungary. It is a huge success that Gundel belongs to everyone! The short film of the same name narrowly missed out on the top prize at the festival.

The film about Gundel, shot by the renowned film director Péter Bergendy and his crew, which premiered this March, not only focuses on the commitment of Hungary’s most famous restaurant to corporate social responsibility, but also conveys a profound message about the importance of acceptance and equal treatment. As part of this, staff have learnt key signs in both English and Hungarian, whilst a Braille menu has been produced for visually impaired guests.

Jenő Magyary, managing director of Gundel, said of the 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 three 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 create 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.