Oscars: Hungary Submits ‘Semmelweis’ for International Feature Race

Lajos Koltai’s period drama tells the story of Hungarian doctor Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis, an early pioneer of antiseptic procedures known as “the savior of mothers.”

Hungary has picked Lajos Koltai’s biopic Semmelweis as its contender for the 2025 Oscars in the best international feature category.

The feature traces the life of Hungarian doctor Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis, an early pioneer of antiseptic procedures who became known as “the savior of mothers” for his efforts in fighting deadly infections following childbirth. Set in 19th-century Vienna, it shows Semmelweis, played by Miklós H. Vecsei as a passionate, if short-tempered, doctor determined to find the cause of puerperal fever, a mysterious epidemic decimating patients after childbirth. Even after he discovers the cause of the infection and a means to prevent it, his peers and superiors work to discredit him.

Semmelweis was a commercial hit back home, selling more than 350,000 tickets and grossing more than $2 million on its theatrical release, becoming the most successful Hungarian movie of the past five years. NFI World Sales is handling world sales on the title.

Outside Hungary, Koltai is best known as a cinematographer of such features as Sunshine, The Legend of 1900 and Taking Sides. He received an Oscar nomination in 2001 for his lensing of Giuseppe Tornatore’s Malena.

The Hungarian Oscar Committee made up of representatives of Hungarian National Film Institute and the Film Academy, as well as industry professionals, picked Semmelweis to represent the country in the 2024 Oscar race.

Hungary has long punched above its weight at the Oscars, with a total of 10 nominations and two wins, for István Szabó’s Mephisto in 1981 and Son of Saul in 2015. But no Hungarian film has been nominated for the Academy Awards since 2017, when Ildikó Enyedi’s On Body and Soul got into the final 5 but failed to win.

Check out the teaser trailer for Semmelweis below.