Personal belongings

Steven Bognar grew up knowing his father was not like other dads in his suburban neighborhood. In 1956 Bela Bognar fought in the Hungarian Revolution in the streets of Budapest. He eventually fled to Belgium, where he met Steven’s mother, and the two came to the United States, settled down, raised children, and lived their lives as American immigrants. As the film begins, Bela decides he must return to Hungary. Joined by Steven, camera in hand, he embarks on a trip to reconnect with his family overseas and revisit the place where, some 30 years earlier, the events that caused him to flee his home unfolded. Steven’s own reflections in voice-over punctuate the twists and turns of this cinematic journey to Hungary and the years that followed back in the U.S. Through the process of filming his father, and speaking with Bela’s friends and family, Steven cinematically excavates memories and experiences, with humor and tenderness, to better understand his dad and the personal impact of the historic events that transpired decades ago. Bela has lived without a country, and the longing for home resounds in confounding ways. (Full Frame Documentary Film Festival)