Liza, the Fox-Fairy

, feature , digital , 98 minutes

black comedy romance

PREMIER (HUNGARY): 2015.

Fox-fairies are evil demons from Japanese folklore, who rob men of their lives. Liza, a 30-year-old nurse, goes in search of love, but her ill-fated admirers all die on their first date.

Liza has taken care of Marta, widow of the former Japanese ambassador, for the last 12 years. Liza’s only companion is her imaginary friend, Tomy Tani, the ghost of a Japanese pop singer from the 1950s. It’s her birthday, and so Liza goes to a Mekk Burger’s to find romance. While she’s away, Marta dies. Jealous relatives report Liza to the police for murdering Marta to inherit her apartment. Sergeant Zoltan is put on the case. The policeman rents a room from Liza so he can keep a closer eye on his suspect. Zoltan secretly repairs a stack of faulty fittings, very nearly gets killed in the process, and falls slowly in love with Liza. Liza gains confidence and begins to look better when she takes tips from a women’s magazine, but all her dating efforts end in fatal accidents orchestrated by Tomy Tani. Liza is convinced that she has become a fox-fairy, a deadly demon from Japanese folklore. The battle for Liza’s life begins between the mysterious pop singer and Sergeant Zoltan.

A peculiar and poignant comedy set in a fictionalized 1970s Hungary with a capitalist system… Liza, The Fox-Fairy is a sarcastic fairy tale for grownups.

Selected and developed at Festival de Cannes – Cinéfondation – L’Atelier in 2010


2015 - Los Angeles Hungarian Film Festival:
Best Film, Best Actress Award to Móni Balsai, Audience Award

Creators

Károly Ujj-Mészáros Director
Bálint Hegedűs, Károly Ujj-Mészáros Screenplay
Péter Szatmári Director of photography
Judit Czakó Editor
Dániel Csengery, Ambrus Tövisházi Music
István Major Producer
Filmteam Production company
Mónika Balsai, Szabolcs Bede-Fazekas, David Sakurai, Piroska Molnár, Zoltán Schmied Cast

Awards

Lund International Fantastic Film Festival - 2015 Siren Award
Ottawa Cellar Door Film Festival - 2015 Audience Award
Stockholm Monsters of Film - 2015 Audience Award
Leeds International Film Festival - 2015 Audience Award
Essonne CINESSONNE - 2015 Grand Prix
Monte-Carlo Film Festival - 2016 Best Actress
Portland International Film Festival - 2016 Best New Director Audience Award
Porto FANTASPORTO - 2015 Fantasporto Grand Prix
Brussels BIFFF - 2015 7th Orbit Award
Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival - 2015 Silver Mélies Award
Seattle International Film Festival - 2015 Grand Jury Prize
Porto Alegre Fantaspoa - 2015 Best Actress
Novi Sad Cinema City - 2015 Cineuropa Prize
Austin Fantastic Fest - 2015 Audience Award - 2nd Place
Madrid Nocturna - 2015 Best Film
Hungarian Film Awards - 2016 Hungarian Film Award for Best Feature Film
Hungarian Film Awards - 2016 Hungarian Film Award for Best Director
Hungarian Film Awards - 2016 Hungarian Film Award for Best Actress
Hungarian Film Awards - 2016 Hungarian Film Award for Best Editing
Hungarian Film Awards - 2016 Hungarian Film Award for Best Production Design / Costume Design
Hungarian Film Awards - 2016 Hungarian Film Award for Best Music
Hungarian Film Awards - 2016 Hungarian Film Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyle
Lund International Fantastic Film Festival - 2015 Audience Award for Best Feature
Porto FANTASPORTO - 2015 Best Visual Effects Prize
Brussels BIFFF - 2015 Pegasus Audience Award
Madrid Nocturna - 2015 Best Director
Madrid Nocturna - 2015 Best Screenplay (ex aequo)
Madrid Nocturna - 2015 Best Actress
Madrid Nocturna - 2015 Best Actor
Madrid Nocturna - 2015 Best Visual Effects (ex aequo)

Festivals

Istanbul !F - 2016
Chicago EU Film Festival - 2016
Aubagne International Film Festival - 2016
Cleveland International Film Festival - 2016 (in competition)
Minneapolis St. Paul  International Film Festival - 2016
Osaka Asian Film Festival - 2015 (in competition)
Pinamar Pantalla - 2015
Prague FEBIOFEST - 2015 (in competition)
St. Louis IFF - 2016
Edinburgh International Film Festival - 2015
Taipei Golden Horse Fantastic Film Festival - 2015
London Sci-Fi-London - 2015
Palic International Film Festival - 2015
Vukovar Film Festival - 2015 (in competition)
Helsinki Love & Anarchy International Film Festival - 2015
Wroclaw New Horizons IFF - 2015
Vienna Let s CEE Film Festival - 2015 (in competition)
Saitama Skip City International D-Cinema Festival - 2015 (in competition)
Bologna Future Film Festival - 2017 (in competition)
Várna Love is Folly International Film Festival - 2017

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