Andy Vajna, a Hungarian-born film producer and entrepreneur, fled his homeland at the tender age of 12 in 1956, making his way to Canada with the support of the Red Cross.
After arriving in Canada, Vajna began his career in the entertainment industry by purchasing motion picture theaters in the Far East. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to found Panasia Films Limited in Hong Kong in 1976.
At the 1975 Cannes Film Festival, Vajna met Mario Kassar, and the two formed Carolco, a film production company. In 1982, Vajna was a co-founder and later president of the American Film Marketing Association.
That same year, Vajna and Kassar made their film production debut, marking the beginning of a successful partnership. However, in December 1989, Vajna sold his interests in Carolco and founded Cinergi Productions, Inc. to focus on financing, developing, producing, and distributing major event motion pictures.
Cinergi formed an alliance with The Walt Disney Company for the distribution of its films in the United States, Canada, and Latin America. Vajna's passion for his roots Hungarian led him to actively participate in the distribution of motion pictures in Hungary, eventually securing a 70% share of the Hungarian box office.
In 1989, Vajna founded InterCom, a market leader and distributor of Hollywood studios, including 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, Disney, and MGM. In 2002, he founded Digic Pictures, a high-end animation studio in Hungary.
Since 2011, Vajna has been working as the Government Commissioner in charge of the Hungarian film industry. In the same year, he conceived the Hungarian National Film Fund, a mission-driven organization aimed at contributing to the production of Hungarian films or co-productions that provide art and entertainment for moviegoers and bring significant success both domestically and internationally.
Under Vajna's leadership, Hungarian movies financed by the Hungarian National Film Fund have won over 130 international awards, including a Golden Globe award for Best Foreign Language Film. Additionally, the number of foreign films produced in Hungary has increased significantly.
