A talking fox, a magic hole. and some spectacularly bad relationship advice launch the 20th Byron Bay International Film Festival this October.
The Fox, winner of the Sydney Film Festival Audience Award for Best Australian Feature, stars Jai Courtney and Emily Browning, with Olivia Colman voicing the decidedly untrustworthy Fox, and the late Sam Neill as a magpie.
Director Dario Russo says foxes are a big problem in the Adelaide Hills, where he’s from. ‘They keep offering people terrible relationship advice and for some reason people continue to listen to them. So honestly, the story is mostly an autobiography.’
Russo says he felt there needed to be an Australian talking-animal movie for adults – a fable-like cautionary tale about the dangers of trying to change your partner into something they are not. ‘I’m also driven by making comedy, so I’ve had a crack at making a really funny Australian movie people actually want to see at the cinema.’
Olivia Colman is the talking fox in this film. ‘We sent Olivia the script and, by some miracle, she thought it was great and agreed,’ says Russo. ‘Olivia has deep comedy roots, so I think the humour resonated with her. Hearing her voice married with the fox puppet for the first time had a magical effect.’
The fox puppet is a physical creation. Russo says his favourite childhood movies and TV were full of puppets and practical effects, from The Ferals to Jurassic Park. ‘Practical effects have more soul. Odd Studio built incredibly sophisticated animatronic puppets. The Fox took four people to operate, controlling everything from the eyes and ears, to the cheeks and mouth. It meant the actors were performing with a real “performer”, rather than a tennis ball on a stick.’
Sam Neill voices the magpie in one of his final film roles. Russo says she was a major Jurassic Park fan growing up, so working with Sam was a big deal. ‘He was as lovely as everyone says – humble, funny and full of great stories. He came to support the film at Sydney Film Festival only weeks before he passed away.’
‘Working with Sam was already incredibly special and now I feel extraordinarily lucky. They say don’t meet your heroes. Sam Neill smashed that saying to pieces.’
The Fox opens BBFF2026 at Palace Byron Bay – opening night is Friday, 16 October.
Tickets are now on sale and the full program can be found at: www.bbff.com.au.
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