The economic empire of the Orbán family

The film is directed by Máté Fuchs and produced by the Hungarian investigative journalist outlet, Direkt36. It was first released in February 2025 and has since been watched by a record four million viewers.

Direkt36 spent almost a year making the documentary about the business activities of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s family. They highlight the enrichment of István Tiborcz, the prime minister’s son-in-law, and recall the role played by public procurement contracts that EU inspectors found to be seriously irregular.

They also show the state support he received for his empire of luxury properties, financial and logistics firms, now partly run by the prime minister’s eldest child, Ráhel Orbán.

The film tells the story of how this economic construction began back in the 1990s, and what role the long-standing alliance between Viktor Orbán and Lajos Simicska, a former ally of the prime minister, played in it.

More information about the film on the Direkt36 website

Roundtable Discussion

The film will be followed by a roundtable discussion that will include András Pethő, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Direkt36, and Dutch journalist Jesse Pinster, Follow the Money and Evert de Vos, Chief Editor at De Groene Amsterdammer. The discussion will be moderated by Kati Cseres, ACELG.

The discussion will reflect on the themes of the film, including the relationship between excessive economic power and political power, and will address broader questions concerning investigative journalism, media power, and media freedom