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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