European Premiere | In Competition
Malaysia, Indonesia, 2025, 94’, Malay, Indonesian, English
Directed by: Woo Ming Jin
Screenplay: Woo Ming Jin
Cinematography (color): Kong Pahurak
Editing: Carlo Francisco Manatad, Edmund Yeo
Art Direction: Seng Tat Liew
Music: Phil Chapavich Temnitikul
Producers: Yulia Evina Bhara, Woo Ming Jin, Edmund Yeo, Chua Jing Xuan
Cast: Idan Aedan (Ali), Hadi Putra (Amir), Dian Sastrowardoyo (Lara)
Date of First Release in Territory: June 18th, 2026
From the director of
Stone Turtle (2022) – winner of the FIPRESCI prize at the Locarno Film Festival – comes another stunning seaside drama set on Malaysia’s East Coast. This time, the focus is on the blessings and misfortunes of teenage twins, who must navigate through the turbulence of growing pains.
Ali (Idan Aedan) and Amir (Hadi Putra) share a bond more intimate than most. Amir speaks with a limited vocabulary that only Ali can interpret, and this telepathic connection anchors them, especially in their difficult living conditions. Their mother has passed, and their father, having remarried, has abandoned them at a fish farm to earn their own keep. Meanwhile, their classmates make it a habit of bullying Amir, turning the twins’ school life just as excruciating. The twins find their only solace in nature when they’re alone – flying a kite in the sky, playing games in the forest, or lingering by the sea.
It is on these shores that they encounter a mysterious woman. Ms. Lara’s dance and synchronized swimming mesmerize them, almost to the point of infatuation. They soon discover she is their new English teacher, a revelation that will irrevocably alter their seemingly unbreakable bond. Starring as Ms. Lara is Indonesian superstar Dian Sastrowardoyo, known for her breakout role in the classic coming-of-age story,
What’s Up with Love? (2002).
The Fox King marks a deviation from her popular romance films, as she portrays an unhinged and unconventional character. Poignantly expressing the emotions of Ali is Idan Aedan, an up-and-coming young actor who is a frequent collaborator of Woo, while Hadi Putra, a new face, snatched the role of Amir through an audition.
Drawing from his own experiences as a twin, Woo Ming Jin crafts a deeply personal coming-of-age story that feels both nostalgic and relatable. Filmed on the same shores he frequented as a youth, Woo captures the grief, confusion, curiosity, and small beauties of adolescence with striking authenticity, mirrored by the picturesque cinematography and lingering soundtrack.
The Fox King is a tender portrait of brotherhood and youth, and the bittersweet beauty of growing up.
Woo Ming Jin
Woo Ming Jin è un pluripremiato regista, produttore e sceneggiatore, considerato una voce di spicco della New Wave del cinema malaysiano. Le sue opere hanno viaggiato in innumerevoli festival internazionali, tra cui Cannes, Berlino e Venezia. Esplorando diversi orizzonti cinematografici, Woo ha realizzato sia film sperimentali sia opere di genere dal forte richiamo mainstream. Nel 2004 ha fondato Greenlight Pictures, casa di produzione indipendente malaysiana cui si devono The Tiger Factory (2010) e Stone Turtle (2022).
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
2005 – Monday Morning Glory
2009 – Woman on Fire Looks for Water
2010 – The Tiger Factory
2013 – KL Zombi
2022 – Stone Turtle
2024 – Indera
2025 – The Fox King