Bakpakk: A school year without subjects or studying

We followed fourteen teenagers in a special class in Budapest for an entire school year. Filming has finished, and now we’re asking for your help so that we can turn the nearly 140 hours of footage into our documentary, Bakpakk.

ABOUT THE FILM

For fourteen teenagers at a school in Budapest, the 2024/25 school year began quite differently from that of their peers. After eight years of social exclusion, poor academic performance, setbacks and, in several cases, suicidal thoughts, they are not studying traditional subjects in their first year of secondary school.

No maths, no history, no oral exams, no written exams or tests. They have just one task: to heal emotionally.

A mental health programme, considered something of a radical approach, has been launched at the school. For a year, instead of academic subjects, the teenagers focus on empathy, communication, cooperation and taking responsibility, so that by the end of the school year they can find their inner motivation for secondary school and their future.

This is the subject of *Bakpakk*, directed by Kitti Fődi, a journalist at 444, who followed the class throughout the entire school year. The film’s title refers both to the music the children listen to and to the rucksack as a ‘backpack’ in which they carry everything they bring with them from home and from their lives.

“Bakpakk isn’t about how many wounds the school system is bleeding from. We know that, and we can see it in the children too. Rather, it focuses on those pupils whom the education system had previously given up on, because they didn’t study well, weren’t interested in anything, and were nothing but trouble. The film follows what happens to them when they receive genuine attention, patience and care for the first time.”

Kata Oláh (Makabor Studio), director of the multi-award-winning *The Narrow Road to Happiness* and *The One Who Defeated Time* – Ágnes Keleti, as well as producer of *Dívák*, has joined the film as an external producer. Alexandra Láng, the editor of *Dívák* , is assisting with the editing process.

WHY DO WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT?

We have already finished filming. We are now working on turning the nearly 140 hours of raw footage into the documentary we want to show you.

444 focuses on topics that are rarely covered elsewhere, as well as social groups that receive less attention. However, in order to produce a film that is truly powerful, well-thought-out and of the quality you have come to expect from 444, a great deal of work and significant financial resources are still required.

Your support will help us complete the film’s editing and the visual and audio post-production work that transforms the raw footage into a finished film.

HOW WILL WE SHOW OUR GRATITUDE FOR YOUR SUPPORT?

Every contribution is a huge help in completing the film. We’d also like to extend a special thank you to those who are able to support the project with a larger sum.

For contributions of €50 or more:

If you contribute, your name will be listed in the end credits among the Bakpakk supporters.

For a contribution of €110 or more:

As well as being listed in the credits, you’ll be invited to a private screening of Bakpakk and the Q&A session afterwards, where you’ll have the chance to meet the film’s creators.

Invitations will be sent out simultaneously to all supporters who have transferred at least €110; they may claim their tickets on a first-come, first-served basis whilst stocks last. We will notify you of the exact screening time by email.

Thank you for helping to make our documentary a reality with your support.

If you’re unable to donate at the moment, you can still help a great deal by sharing this page with your friends: https://bit.ly/bakpakk-tamogatas

The 444 and Bakpakk teams

All funds raised through this campaign will be used to produce and complete *Bakpakk*, as well as to cover the costs incurred during the making of the film.