THE TRIALS

Italy, Hungary, Belgium, Portugal | 2025 | 25 min | col. | o.v. Hungarian, German

Maja T. is a non-binary antifascist activist hailing from Germany. They have been detained in isolation in Budapest since 2024 after being from a German prison following the issue of a European arrest warrant. They are accused of being involved in an attack against a neo-Nazi gathering in the Hungarian capital. The facts have not yet been ascertained, but Maja faces a sentence of 24 years. Activists and family members are staging a protest outside the prison for Maja’s release. The Trials unveils an emblematic judicial case in present-day Europe, where the criminalization of antifascism is becoming a common practice. Adopting an observational approach, Marta Massa deconstructs a Kafkaesque device such as the current trials, constituted by unreliable depositions and simultaneous translations that slow down and alter the sessions. Her films is also a portrait of a sensitive and brave activist who is languishing in Orbán’s prison despite the lack of evidence. (A.D.)