Freedom's Fury: One team. One country. One chance for revenge...

Produced by Andy Vajna, Lucy Liu, Amy Sommer, and Quentin Tarantino, and Directed by the Sibs (Colin Keith Gray and Megan Raney Aarons), Freedom's Fury documents the 1956 Olympic semifinal water polo match between Hungary and Russia. Held in Australia, the match occurred as Russian forces were in Budapest, stomping out a popular revolt. It was a chance for revenge and the water turned red. It is now known as the "bloodiest game in Olympic history."

AHF Co-President, Imre Toth attended the Washington Premiere at the Hungarian Embassy Hungary. Imre Toth, a filmmaker himself, was asked to present technical questions from the production crew of Colin Gray and Megan Aarons (the Sibs.) Imre reports "It was a fantastic experience. This will be a collector's item for Hungarians for the next 50 years to come."

The Hungarian Ambassador's residency was the site of the post-premiere reception. Guests included Congressman Tom Lantos and his wife, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, and Admiral Giambastiani, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Other guests there were Randall Kroszner, of the Federal Reserve Board and Gabe Rozsa, of Government Relations Worldwide.

"Since I'm a film maker I had long discussions with the producers, the director of photography, the editor. Thor Halvorssen from Venezuela, who is with the Moving Picture Institute, was very inspired and said that hopefully when Venezuela will be free again, they will adopt the hole in the flag as a symbol of freedom achieved."

"Freedom's Fury" is narrated by Mark Spitz, the U.S. swimmer who won a total of 11 medals at the 1972 and 1976 games, setting a record for Olympic swimmers. The filmmakers say Spitz took a very personal interest in the story because he was coached in his teens by Ervin Zador, an Hungarian player punched in the eye during the famous Melbourne showdown.

In fact, it was Zador's injury that proved the emotional turning point of the match. When he emerged from the pool with his face bleeding heavily, passions among the spectators rose so high that police were called to prevent a riot. The match was abandoned shortly before full time and Hungary -- then leading -- was credited with victory. The Director, Colin Gray was also a water polo player at the University of Michigan. His coach, Ben Quittner, was himself coached by Dezso Gyarmati, a leading member of the legendary Hungarian 1956 water polo team.

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Producer Lucy Liu and Narrator Mark Spitz discuss the film and its selection to the Tribeca Film Festival. Click on the image to see the video.

"This became the documentary film we all wanted to invest our time and money into" - Lucy Liu

'This is the best story I've been ever told, I'd love to be involved.'" - Quentin Tarantino

The Trailer: "In a relentlesss sport known for its fierce scrimmages and rough play, one game cemented its reputation as the toughest, most physically demanding team sport in the Olympics: A water polo semi-final match between Hungary and the Soviet Union. The year was 1956, Melbourne Australia... now remembered as the bloodiest game in Olympic history. A legendary battle about much more than water polo...

Rooted in a vicious war that spilled into Melbourne's pools, seared into memory by teenage fighters facing certain death in the streets of Budapest, redeemed by a courageous group of atheletes who carried the torch of freedom for a brutalized nation. 45 years later, this unforgettable tale of cold war murder, Olympic revenge, and a legacy of resistence and hope will finally be told. This is Freedom's Fury." [watch it]

Links:

• The Official Freedom's Fury Site
• Read more on Radio Free Europe

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