The dance-theater production Sóvirág (Salt Flower) returns to the big screen on November 5, 2026, at the Puskin Cinema in Budapest. The film captures the performances of Holocaust survivor Éva Fahidi and contemporary dancer Emese Cuhorka, documenting a unique dialogue between two generations separated by six decades of history.
According to Index, the project originated in 2015 when choreographer Réka Szabó invited Fahidi, then 90 years old, to perform on stage for the first time. The resulting production was performed 95 times across Europe, transcending its original intent as a biographical illustration to become a visceral exploration of trauma, memory, and the endurance of the human spirit.
Three Essential Facts About Sóvirág
- The Performance: The piece features a dialogue of movement and spoken word between Fahidi, who was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau at 18, and Cuhorka, a younger professional dancer.
- International Recognition: The documentary film The Euphoria of Being (A létezés eufóriája), made from the production’s rehearsal process, earned the Grand Prix at the Locarno Film Festival’s Critics’ Week and the Human Rights Award at the Sarajevo Film Festival.
- The Current Release: The November 5, 2026, screening at Puskin Cinema marks the first time the filmed record of the original stage performance is widely accessible to the public following Fahidi’s death in 2023.
A Dialogue Beyond Generations
A Sóvirág Fahidi Éva és Cuhorka Emese színpadi párbeszéde, amelyben saját testük, humoruk, emlékeik és kérdéseik váltak az előadás anyagává. Fahidi, who lost 49 family members in the Holocaust, spent decades in silence regarding her experiences before becoming a prominent public witness. By 2015, when Szabó approached her, she had transformed into a vocal advocate, yet the stage provided a different medium for her testimony.
The production intentionally avoids the tropes of a standard Holocaust documentary. Instead, it focuses on the “dialogue of bodies.” As Fahidi noted during the production’s run, looking into her partner’s eyes allowed her to transcend the trauma and the age gap. For Cuhorka, the years spent in the studio were an exercise in deep observation, absorbing Fahidi’s silences, her habits, and her unexpected joy.
The Production Economics of Memory
Originally planned for only a few performances, Sóvirág became a long-running production, with 95 shows demonstrating that a deeply personal story can resonate across generations and national borders.
The transition from live stage performance to film makes the production’s legacy newly accessible to audiences. The November 2026 screening ensures that the filmed record of the original performance remains available beyond the fleeting nature of live theater.
| Project Milestone | Significance |
|---|---|
| 2015 Premiere | Debut at Vígszínház Házi Színpad, Budapest |
| 95 Performances | Total run across Hungary, Austria, Germany, and Serbia |
| Documentary Success | Awards at Locarno and Sarajevo Film Festivals |
| 2026 Screening | Puskin Cinema premiere of the original stage film |
The Legacy of Éva Fahidi
Réka Szabó’s direction centered on Fahidi’s “zest for life,” a theme that defined the choreography. Even as the production acknowledged the physical limitations of aging and the weight of the Holocaust, it refused to categorize Fahidi solely as a victim. Szabó remarked in 2023 that Fahidi remained, until the end, a witty, wise, and passionate woman who could lift her legs “to her ears” and move with the energy of a teenager.
The film being presented on November 5 serves as both a tribute to Fahidi and an opportunity to encounter Sóvirág.
Have you seen any of the stage performances of Sóvirág, or does this film represent your first introduction to this work? Let’s discuss the importance of archiving live performance in the comments below.
