The Fictional Country From ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ Has Its Own Website
Nope, it's not Hungary. Welcome to Zubrowka, home of Bill Murray GIFs and lulling choral music.
To clamour for attention amongst endless cat GIFs and videos of Miley Cyrus pretend masturbating, the internet has forced film companies to be more creative with their promotional attempts in recent years. Just months ago, this pre-release prank for the remake of Carrie was arguably better than the actual movie, while the marketing stunt for Devil’s Due got people talking about a movie that no one had even heard of, nor had any desire to ever see.
While Wes Anderson’s upcoming The Grand Budapest Hotel isn’t exactly wanting for hype and anticipation, it’s nice to see its studio Fox Searchlight taking a novel approach to promotion. Last week, the company created a fake newsreel and academic presentation that gives you a crash-course in the cultural, political, artistic and culinary evolution of the fictional land of Zubrowska; over the weekend, they launched a complete website that turns the film’s setting into the greatest place you’ll never be able to visit. (In related news, it seems the film is not set in 1920s Hungary, but rather, a place named after a Polish vodka).
Amongst images highlighting its “captivating wildlife” and “age-old institutions”, the website — a hub for the ‘Zubrowka Film Commission‘ — lists some alluring facts about the country. “74% of Zubrowkan citizens proudly serve in the film industry”; “Zubrowka consistently ranks within the top five most affordable shooting locations”; and “2 out of 3 films shot in Zubrowka go on to garner worldwide accolades and win national awards,” states the site.
It’s also full of serene choral music, Bill Murray clips, Jeff Goldblum GIFs, production notes, and interviews with characters and cast members, if you care to know that much about the actual film before you see it. More importantly, ‘Ziegenfest’ — an annual holiday where Zubrowkans gather at their favourite pubs to commemorate the traditional friendship between man and goat — sounds like the best national holiday that Australia is missing.
The Grand Budapest Hotel opens in cinemas locally on April 10; Zubrowka could end up being Wes Anderson’s first Disney-ish amusement park. Make it happen, rich people.