Academy Award-winning director István Szabó is making a grand return to cinema with Embers, an adaptation of Sándor Márai’s internationally acclaimed novel.
Principal photography is currently underway in Budapest, featuring a powerhouse cast led by three-time Oscar nominees Ralph Fiennes and Viggo Mortensen, alongside Charlotte Rampling, Katherine Langford, and Louis Hofmann.
This prestige production serves as a significant reunion for Szabó, producer Robert Lantos, and Fiennes, who previously collaborated on the cult classic Sunshine. The screenplay is penned by two-time Oscar winner Christopher Hampton, who successfully transitioned the story from the stage to the screen.
Described as a high-stakes “psychological duel,” the narrative follows two inseparable friends, Henrik (Fiennes) and Konrad (Mortensen), who reconnect over the course of a single evening decades after Konrad’s mysterious disappearance. As they confront one another, they gradually uncover the secret and the woman that tore them apart a lifetime ago.
Szabó has expressed immense enthusiasm for the project, hailing Hampton’s script as the finest he has ever held and describing Márai’s original novel as one of the most beautiful works of 20th-century fiction. With Embankment Films set to launch international sales at the upcoming Cannes Market, Embers is already positioned as one of the most anticipated period dramas for the 2026-2027 season.
