The idea for the film was born when the director was an adolescent. The protagonist Misi is a shy boy, who is secretly in love with daring and energetic Janka. He manages to overcome his panic disorder and inhibitions with the help of time travel.
Misi is played by Előd Bálint, who graduated in 2021 as an actor from the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest în Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Lili Erdős, a student of the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest, appears as Janka. The cast includes Romanian actor András Hatházi, next to Katalin Sólyom, Kevin Hozák, Ronett Radvánszky, Ágnes Máhr, Lídia Danis, Benett Vilmányi, Már Megint Kitty and Vivien Vasvári.
“No genre becomes dominant in Zanox. I’ve always been excited about hybrid genre films. Pure genre films can’t usually captivate me, I’m bored with them. I like to be surprised by something, like a genre mix I haven’t seen before,” Baranyi told FNE. He envisions Zanox as a mix of sci-fi, comedy, action and coming-of-age films.
The film was shot in Budapest and in the Hungarian industrial cities of Komló and Dunaújváros. “Instinctively, everyone is attracted to slightly grittier locations. I don’t know why, but for example, every high school student likes a run-down, abandoned factory building,” the director also said.
Zanox is a 100% Hungarian coproduction, produced by Zsuzsi Gyurin and Dániel Molnár through Salamandra Film in coproduction with Judit Romwalter through SPARKS. The full budget is 368,360 EUR / 13 m HUF.
It was made with the support of the Incubator Programme of the National Film Institute - Hungary with a production grant of 187,830 EUR / 67 m HUF. The Incubator Programme was established in 2015 in order to help young directors make their first feature films.
The production had 19 shooting days between 27 July and 27 August 2021. As the story in the film takes place on 13 May 2022, the film will be released in Hungarian cinemas around that date.
Benő Baranyi graduated from the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest and his diploma short film Anja had its world premiere in the Student Competition Programme of the Sarajevo Film Festival, later receiving two awards at the International Short Film Festival in Berlin.
Production Information:
Producer:
Salamandra Film (Hungary)
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Coproducer:
Sparks (Hungary)
Credits:
Director: Benő Baranyi
Screenwriter: Benő Baranyi
DoP: Dávid Gajdics
Cast: Előd Bálint, Lili Erdős, András Hatházi, Katalin Sólyom, Kevin Hozák, Ronett Radvánszky, Ágnes Máhr, Lídia Danis, Benett Vilmányi, Már Megint Kitty, Vivien Vasvári
