The documentary “Spring Wind” chronicles the high-risk, high-reward tale of Péter Magyar’s audacious quest to unseat Viktor Orbán as Prime Minister of Hungary. The film—shot for a year, in secret—shows Magyar as he rehearsed his speeches, berated his staff, walked to Transylvania, and held countless rallies before small crowds in the countryside. Then, a week before the election, the filmmakers released the movie, temporarily, on YouTube. Some 3.3 million people watched it online—a number roughly equivalent to a third of Hungary’s population.
Last month, despite Orbán’s formidable, long-standing attempts to rig the legal and electoral systems in his favor, Magyar won, in a stunning upset. On May 9th he was sworn in as Prime Minister.
In his first substantial conversation with a foreign journalist since being elected, Magyar discusses the rewriting of the Hungarian constitution, the implications of his victory, and his upcoming struggle to lead his nation out of a period of authoritarianism. Read the full interview: www.newyorker.com/news/the-new-yorker-inte...