written, directed & photography by

Zoltán Fehér

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narrated by

Attila Dolmány

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assistant director

Franciska Pőcze

Marcell Costa

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distributor

Vad Víz Stúdió

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coming soon...

2025

In West Hungary, north of Lake Balaton, we find a lake that is completely unique. The world's largest biologically active, therapeutic thermal lake, Lake Hévíz. Its name is familiar to many people, both in Hungary and internationally. Its gentle, warm waters are used for medicinal treatments, and the spa is open to visitors all year round. But Lake Hévíz also has a hidden world.

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Today, the lake is the setting for a strange but completely unsuspected ecological experiment. Both the lake and the outflow channel, known as the Hévíz Stream, have become home to tropical fish species. Hidden among the Indian water lilies, Central American cichlids, known from pet shops, live their daily lives. Huge swarms of firehead cichlids forage on the bottom, jewel cichlids protect their young in the cover of aquatic plants, and predatory jaguar cichlids hunt unsuspecting small fish. But how did this diverse yet alien community come to be? And what are the consequences of their presence for native wildlife?

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Our latest film "The Underwater Jungle" will explore these topics as we learn about the past, present and future of Lake Hévíz. We visit similar thermal lakes in Hungary and even explore the spring cave thanks to special underwater footage.

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