A moustached man is crouched next to an animatronic fox. He is holding a flash light as it is night time in the woods.

The Fox + Q&A Sydney Film Festival

  • Cinema
  • Playhouse
  • Run time: 90 minutes, plus 20 minute Q&A Subject to change
  • Seating map

An absurdly comic Australian folktale

Australia | 2025 | English | Comedy | Unclassified 18+

Jai Courtney and Emily Browning star alongside Olivia Colman as a talking fox and Sam Neill as a magpie in this absurdly comic Australian folktale from Dario Russo (Danger 5).

Jai Courtney (Dangerous Animals, SFF 2025) stars as Nick, a small-town, himbo fox catcher and heir to a large estate. But his personal life is a mess – his fiancée, Kori (Emily Browning, Sleeping Beauty, SFF 2011), is caught sleeping with her boss, Derek (Damon Herriman, Together, SFF 2025), who is the husband of her best friend Diana (Claudia Doumit, The Boys). This entangled foursome of adultery and toxic relationships gets upended when Nick catches a mysterious Fox (voiced by Colman) who promises him the perfect wife in exchange for freedom. Nick accepts the Fox’s proposal but soon gets more than he bargained for. A devilish folktale made with remarkable animatronic puppetry for the titular Fox and Magpie (Neill).

This session screens with the short film The Worm and will also include a live Q&A.

Presented by Sydney Opera House and Sydney Film Festival

Event details

It’s inventive in its savagery, almost always perturbing, but succeeds at the kind of absurd genre blend that made Yorgos Lanthimos a household name.

Zachary Lee, RogerEbert.com

[Russo] shows a strong handle over the film’s fanciful tone and fitfully filthy sense of humor.

Stephen Saito, Variety

[Director Dario Russo] can be droll; he can be wacky, but there’s an underlying cynicism to The Fox that gives it heft.

William Bibbiani, The Wrap

Cast and credits

Nick Jai Courtney
Kori Emily Browning
The Fox Olivia Colman

Director, Screenwriter & Editor Dario Russo
Producer Kristina Ceyton
Producer Samantha Jennings
Producer Carly Maple
Cinematographer Matthew Chuang

Australian Distributor Madman Entertainment

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Attending this event

Plan your visit

Address

Sydney Opera House
Bennelong Point
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

Getting to the venue

The Opera House is a 7-10 minute walk from Circular Quay, and is easily accessible by car, train, ferry, lightrail, bus, bike and on foot.

Location and access

Playhouse

The Playhouse is located in the north-western corner of Sydney Opera House, best accessed through the Western Foyers.

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