THERE WAS ONCE… Documentary Opens 9/23 in NY & LA

Gabor Kalman’s documentary feature THERE WAS ONCE… tells the inspiring story of Gyöngyi Mago, a Hungarian Catholic high school teacher striving to chart a new course of tolerance in her conflict-ridden hometown, Kalocsa, Hungary. While looking for a subject for her dissertation, she discovers a forgotten part of local history: the Jewish community that once thrived but is now non-existent in her city.

Engaging her students in her research, she teaches tolerance and battles prejudice in her classroom. Her quest is set against a backdrop of renewed racial tensions, growing intolerance, and the alarming rise of neo-Nazism in modern-day Hungary. To commemorate the 65th anniversary of liquidation of the local ghetto and deportation of the Jews to Auschwitz and other camps, she organizes an emotional memorial service, attended by survivors and their relatives, along with students, city officials, and the Archbishop. At the same time, a neo-Nazi protest takes place a few blocks away.

On May 5th of this year, the Simon Wiesenthal Center presented a Medal of Valor to Gyöngyi Mago. THERE WAS ONCE… is a portrait of this remarkable woman, and clearly demonstrates what one person can do to change attitudes, to fight intolerance, to educate, to champion the truth, and ultimately to triumph.

Director/producer Gabor Kalman, a Holocaust survivor from Kalocsa, is uniquely qualified to bring this story to the screen. Over the years, he has produced and directed numerous award-winning documentary films.

Opens Friday, September 23 for one week engagements in New York at the IFC Center and in Los Angeles at Laemmle’s Sunset 5.

Not Rated / 103 minutes / In English and Hungarian with English Subtitles

For more information and to view the trailer, please visit the official website: http://www.therewasoncefilm.com/