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How Gyorgy Palfi Made a Hen Film Heroine
Hen is a movie about a chicken that wants to escape and live freely.
The chicken starts in a place where it is kept in a cage and made to lay eggs.
Its eggs are taken away, so it tries to find a way out.
The movie also shows people being moved illegally for money.
This makes the chicken’s situation seem connected to the people’s situation.
The director did not use computer-generated effects or make the chicken speak.
Instead, he used real chickens, camera angles, music and editing to tell the story.
Several hens and animal trainers helped make the film.
Gyorgy Palfi’s Greek-language film Hen follows an unnamed hen seeking freedom and meaning.
The film uses real chickens, intuitive camerawork, editing and music instead of CGI or voiceover.
The hen travels from a poultry factory to a Greek village, where its eggs are taken away.
The story parallels the hen’s confinement with the owner’s son smuggling undocumented migrants into Greece.
Eight hens were used during the 42-day shoot, supported by four animal trainers at a time.
- Who
- Director Gyorgy Palfi, screenwriter Zsofia Ruttkay, and eight hens are central to the film; Yannis Kokiasmenos plays a restaurant owner.
- What
- Hen is a 98-minute Greek-language film about an unnamed hen’s struggle for freedom and its encounters with human exploitation.
- Where
- The film was made in Greece and is set partly in a Greek village; it is available on BookMyShow Stream and Prime Video.
- When
- The film was released in 2025; its production included a 42-day shoot and more than a year of editing.
- Why
- Palfi said he wanted to explore a small animal facing a large political problem while making an international film on a manageable budget.
Key facts
- Film
- Hen (2025)
- Director
- Gyorgy Palfi
- Language
- Greek
- Runtime
- 98 minutes
- Production
- Eight identical-looking hens were used during a 42-day shoot.
- Animal direction
- Four animal trainers worked simultaneously, using food and a flask-shaking sound to guide the hens.
- Streaming
- Available on BookMyShow Stream and Prime Video.
Quotes
Gyorgy Palfi
Hungarian film director and co-screenwriter of Hen
“I wanted to make a cheap movie, but the chicken was the most expensive actress – she needed special food, accommodation and transportation and a total of four animal trainers at the same time.”
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“I was unable to make a movie in my country – we have a right-wing government that doesn’t give outsiders the chance to make movies.”
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Sources
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