First Hungarian/British/Mongolian coproduction ‘1242: Gateway to the West‘ by Peter Soos is one of the most expensive historical films supported by the National Film Institute – Hungary. The total budget is approximately 9.47 million euro.

The Mongolian side has been instrumental in providing the cast, stunt performers, costumes, props, and set dressing, while our UK co-producer has been responsible for the sound postproduction and music, as well as playing a significant role in the development of the screenplay and casting process.

The story written by Aron Horvath and Joan Lane is set during the great Mongolian invasions in Europe when Genghis Khan’s military commander Batu Khan is beat back by a Hungarian castle and a spiritual man.

“I have always been fascinated by the Mongolian invasion of Europe, and the idea of producing a film about this historical event has been a personal goal of mine. The Mongolian Empire was a brutal power and had the greatest army at that time, making their sudden retreat in February 1242 all the more intriguing. The reasons behind Batu Khan’s decision remain a mystery to this day, as there is no written evidence. When I shared this story with my longtime friend, director Peter Soós (we worked a lot together, but this is our first feature film together), he became immediately enthusiastic and provided great ideas, so I knew we had to work on this project together”, producer Kornél Sipos told FNE.