White Rabbit's 'Rododendron' Poster Wins Eurobest Silver at Eurobest 2020

The short film 'Rododendron' focuses on 'the last spark' of communist regime in Hungary, before it burns away once and for all, showing the absurdity of authoritarian systems. The story takes us back to the exact day of 27th June 1989, when the fence of the infamous 'Iron Curtain' was cut off. But 'Rododendron' depicts that historic moment from an unusual perspective: from the point of views of two secret agents of the Hungarian Intelligence Service, who are trying to figure out their own future.

So the visual idea expresses that unusual perspective: we see a badge of the symbol of communism, revealing that a single matchstick is holding it, symbolising the very last days of the communist regime, which is about to burn away. The red star is a well-known icon; the image is black and white to express that atmosphere; only the head of the match is red. "The white lines suggest monotony and suppression, referring to the faceless power of communism", said Istvan Bracsok, chief creative officer at WhiteRabbit.

The film's fictional 'behind the scene' moment of a collapsing system, inspired the idea of the poster: showing only the back of that star-shaped badge, attached to a single matchstick, is a strong symbol of the 'last spark of communism', creating a poetic reference to the theme of the film.

According to Levente Kovacs, chief creative officer at White Rabbit – who is also the co-writer/director of 'Rododendron' – their short film started a conversation about the history of Regime Change in Hungary, and it made Hungarians more aware of their historic roots."And just like the 'Last Spark of Communism' poster, it gives anew perspective of those turbulent and sensitive times", concluded Levente.

White Rabbit Budapest – one of the founders of the By The Network – is the only Hungarian winner of this year's prestigious Eurobest Awards.