The Uránia National Film Theatre in Budapest rolls out its 2025/2026 EXHIBITION series with virtual gallery tours on the big screen, complete with online ticketing. These art documentaries delve into major works and major artists, unpacking the secrets of masterpieces and the people who created them. Screenings run in English with Hungarian subtitles at 1088 Budapest, Rákóczi út 21.
Canaletto and the Art of Venice
Exhibition on Screen: Canaletto and the Art of Venice (Canaletto és Velence művészete) launches the new season with a cinematic voyage into the life and craft of Giovanni Antonio Canal, known as Canaletto, the painter who captured the essence and magic of Venice like no one else. Based on the Queen’s Gallery exhibition at Buckingham Palace, the 90-minute 2020 British documentary, directed by David Bickerstaff, screens on December 21, 2025 (Sunday, 1:30 PM), December 27, 2025 (Saturday, 11:00 AM), December 30, 2025 (Tuesday, 11:00 AM), and January 3, 2026 (Saturday, 11:00 AM).
The show features over 200 paintings, drawings, and prints that open a window onto Canaletto, his contemporaries, and the city he immortalized. Viewers also step inside two royal residences—Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle—to explore the artist’s world and the role of Joseph Smith, who introduced Canaletto to Britain. The film launches a 21st-century Grand Tour across the landmarks 18th-century travelers adored and Canaletto painted: from the Rialto Bridge to St. Mark’s Square, from the Doge’s Palace to Santi Giovanni e Paolo. Curators from the Royal Collection and renowned experts on Venetian history guide a personal tour that brings Canaletto and his muse city closer than ever.
Frida Kahlo Up Close
Exhibition on Screen: Frida Kahlo screens on December 25, 2025 (Thursday, 11:00 AM). The 90-minute 2020 British documentary by Ali Ray looks beyond the vivid palette, bold unibrow, and flower crowns to the person and the lived experiences behind the icon. Using cutting-edge imaging for unprecedented quality, it examines her key works in depth. Built around Kahlo’s letters, the film reconstructs her deepest emotions and decodes the symbolism embedded in her art. With hallmark EOS interviews, commentary, and art-historical insights, it paints a portrait of a life-devouring artist with a vibrant palette—revealing the sources of her feverish creativity, resilience, and uncompromising appetite for life, politics, men, and women. Filmed largely in Mexico City, including the Blue House.
The Dawn of Impressionism
Exhibition on Screen: The Dawn of Impressionism (Az impresszionizmus hajnala) plays on December 28, 2025 (Sunday, 11:00 AM). Directed by Ali Ray, this 2024 British art documentary revisits how the world’s most popular art movement started on the margins. In 1874, hungry for independence, the first Impressionists broke from academic art and staged their own show outside official channels—changing art forever. What led to that groundbreaking exhibition 150 years ago? Who were the stubborn personalities wielding such radical, provocative brushwork? The Musée d’Orsay’s spectacular exhibition reframes this story of passion and rebellion, with voices from historians, curators, and those who witnessed the dawn—Parisian artists, the press, and everyday people—through written accounts.
Dates: 2025.12.25., 2025.12.27.–12.28., 2025.12.30., 2026.01.03., Budapest. Organizers reserve the right to change times and programs.
