Metropolis, a Hungarian journal of film theory and film history, was founded in 1996 upon the initiative of a handful of students at what was then called Moving Image Theory and Pedagogy program at the Humanities Faculty of Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Budapest. (This course of study has since metamorphosed into ELTE’s Film Theory and Film History BA and MA programs.) Since the inception of Metropolis, the editors have been maintaining it primarily from state subventions and from support from non-governmental organizations.

Each year, the four thematic issues draw on various film-theory and film-history topics. One of the journal’s primary tasks is to publish research results in contemporary Hungarian as well as international film theory. We also place a great deal of emphasis on publishing film-studies literature previously unavailable in Hungarian, particularly articles from internationally renowned experts who have had little or no work of theirs published in Hungary (for example, Jacques Aumont, Pascal Bonitzer, Edward Branigan, Noël Burch, David N. Rodowick, Marie-Claire Ropars, Kristin Thompson.) In addition, our goal is to explore little-known or unjustifiably neglected areas and eras of the history of film theory and of film history, and to cover the oeuvres of major Hungarian and foreign filmmakers (primarily directors and cinematographers), with a special emphasis on the so-called “middle generation”. (In this respect, Metropolis has been filling a major void, providing monograph-scale studies that Hungarian book as well as journal publishing has, by and large, unfortunately eschewed.)

What is perhaps the most critical indication of the success and quality of the journal is that our compilations have been incorporated into college and university curricula, and several Metropolis-articles have become permanent entries in the required readings lists of film studies courses. The journal has become a high-quality discussion forum for the film profession, with the participation of film critics as well as representatives of other areas of inquiry. Our authors include, among others, Judit Bárdos, György Báron, Gergely Bikácsy, Yvette Bíró, László F. Földényi, András Forgách, Gábor Gelencsér, Miklós Györffy, Tibor Hirsch, András Bálint Kovács, András Rényi, Tibor Sándor, Endre Szkárosi, László Tarnay, György Vidovszky, and András Wilheim. The younger generations also play a key role: on the pages of Metropolis, there are regular debuts by talented young scholars who will hopefully become tomorrow’s defining critics and film experts.