For his historical drama 'Moulin' premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, Hungarian filmmaker László Nemes trusted Budapest’s NFI Filmlab for post-production, maintaining a local approach.
Advanced Processing Techniques
Following the precedent set by his previous film 'Orphan,' Nemes turned to NFI Filmlab where the team processed almost 200,000 feet of 35mm film. Cinematographer Mátyás Erdély captured the visuals, which were enhanced using innovative bleach bypass technology.
Senior colorist László Kovács highlighted their six-month endeavor to prepare the film, underscoring NFI Filmlab's reputation as Central Europe's most complete and experienced film laboratory.
Color Grading and Cinematic Vision
'Moulin' was color graded at NFI Filmlab with Baselight, a tool Kovács praised for its creative grading capabilities. “The film offers visual excitement that supports the era's atmosphere and enhances the dramatic expression, thanks to Erdély’s cinematography,” Kovács stated.
The bleach bypass positives were crafted from digitally graded materials, utilizing a unique film recording method developed by Kovács's team at NFI Filmlab. This method significantly bolstered Erdély’s cinematic vision and the film's narrative.
Precision and Collaboration
Grading day-for-night scenes required precision and collaboration across departments, a process Kovács compared to Hoyte van Hoytema's work on 'Nope,' but taken further. “The final night sequence’s visual impact is astonishing,” he added.
NFI Filmlab’s head, Viktória Sovák, noted that 'Moulin's entire post-production showcased the lab’s analog and digital services, co-produced by Pioneer Stillking Films from Budapest.
The Analog Renaissance
Analog filmmaking is experiencing a revival, Sovák said, citing works like Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer' and Paul Thomas Anderson's 'One Battle After Another.' Other notable films processed at NFI Filmlab include Yorgos Lanthimos’ 'Poor Things' and Pablo Larraín’s 'Maria.'
“We must perpetuate analog technology,” Sovák emphasized, despite the obsolescence of analog machines. NFI Filmlab remains committed to training staff and passing on knowledge to new generations, finding talented young supporters of analog methods.
Source: https://variety.com/2026/film/global/cannes-competition-moulin-post-production-nfi-filmlab-1236731221/
