NEIFF 2026 Opening Screening: The Fox

The North East International Film Festival 2026 kicks off with our star studded opening screening of Dario Russo's The Fox on Monday 16th November at the Tyneside Cinema with an introduction from the director himself.

Featuring one of Sam Neil's last performances (as a magpie for some local interest) the surreal dark comedy has been critically praised in its premier at LFF and we are thrilled that it will open the North East International Film Festival.In this darkly comic folktale from debut director Dario Russo, an affable foxhunter encounters a talking Fox (voiced by the great Olivia Colman) who offers him an opportunity to transform his fiancée into the perfect woman.Nick (Jai Courtney, Dangerous Animals), affable heir to a wealthy rural landowner, discovers his fiancée, Kori (Emily Browning, Sucker Punch), is cheating on him and wants nothing more than to just fix the problem.One night, he captures a rogue Fox (voiced by Olivia Colman, Wicker), and she offers him a trade-off: if Nick lets her live, the Fox will help him save his relationship.

All he has to do is push Kori into a magic hole with the power to change her into the perfect partner.Nick follows the Fox’s advice and the Kori who re-emerges seems to be everything he ever wanted – until her strange new quirks make him question his decision.Co-starring the Magpie voiced by the much missed Sam Neill (Jurassic Park) plus Damon Herriman (Judy and Punch), Claudia Doumit (The Boys), Zlatko Burić (Triangle of Sadness), and Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers).