DIVA spoke to one of the directors featured in this year’s #FiveFilmsForFreedom
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGES BY LISA OTT
Dragfox (2024) is a vibrant and heart-stirring adventure, following eleven-year-old Sam as they navigate the complexities of gender identity. Feeling lost and uncertain, Sam’s world is turned upside down when a mischievous, sharp-tongued fox (voiced with irresistible charm by Ian McKellen) leaps through their bedroom window. What follows is a dazzling, music-fueled odyssey of self-discovery, filled with whimsy, defiance, and joy.
DIVA spoke to director Lisa Ott ahead of its screening at BFI Flare 2025.
Was there a specific moment or reference point which inspired your film?
Early in the story process we were talking to members of the team about growing up queer, and people’s personal experiences. And a theme that came up a few times was us remembering the first ever moment you remember seeing someone being very openly and visibly queer while we were still kids figuring ourselves out. It was like seeing someone else be so unafraid and unapologetic about their own existence felt like encouragement to maybe be a bit less afraid to be who we are, ourselves. It was the magic behind that that we explored with our character of the fox as a confident and fabulous queer elder.
If you had to describe your film in three words, what would they be?
Tender, Camp, Hopeful.
What was the most unexpected lesson you learned while making this film?
I got to make this film with an amazing team of fellow students at the NFTS as our master’s project, and I feel like my whole time there was filled to the brim with learning from our tutors but also so much from my fellow students and team members. I think what was most surprising for me personally was that often, when people criticise a part of the story, you have to find the solution not in that part but a few scenes before, it usually means there’s been a disconnect with your audience much earlier.
It’s also important that sometimes, your film just won’t be for everyone and that is okay, too. You need to know who you are making the film for.
How does it feel to have your film showcased at BFI Flare?
What a dream come true! I can’t wait to get to meet the other filmmakers and see everyone’s films. BFI Flare came up for us really early as one of the dream festivals after a friend – David Shane who is also a filmmaker and animated for a few days on Dragfox recommended it. It comes up so often when we look into LGBTQIA festivals, and it’s so nice to have it be so close to home. I came to London ten years ago both for career reasons but also because I felt I could be more openly queer here than I felt I could be in Switzerland at the time, so this feels like a really nice milestone!
BFI Flare is a celebration of LGBTQIA storytelling. What do you hope LGBTQIA audiences at BFI Flare take away after watching your film?
Well, things are pretty scary at the moment, with the political climate changing to make the lives of queer people and specifically trans people harder. I think we wanted to make something that feels like a celebration of trans joy. We hope people maybe come away feeling a little bit more seen, or a little bit less alone.
Why do you think LGBTQIA filmmaking is so important in 2025?
I think the queer community consists of so many different experiences, and that is the beauty of it. No two of us are the same, and our stories have such depth within the LGBTQIA umbrella. I think it’s important that we see these different nuances more, and that stories are given space to get really specific.
This year’s Flare is split into the themes of Hearts, Bodies, and Minds. Do you have an LGBTQIA film which affected your heart, body, or mind?
I’ve always loved Ben Whishaw’s work, and when I was 19 I stumbled across this intimate, beautifully crafted film called Lilting by Hong Khaou that he’s in. It’s a gut-wrenching film about the main character losing his boyfriend and then trying to connect with his boyfriend’s mother, who didn’t know her son was gay and speaks little English. I remember it being such a full body experience that caught me so off guard. I cried and cried, and then I went back to the beginning and watched it again, and a few months after I came out to my parents, I watched Lilting again and cried some more. I haven’t watched it since then, but it was such a formative film for me and exactly what I needed to see at that time. I think it hit me because it was honest and brutally, disarmingly gentle, and because it made me look at where I was at in my life and whether or not I wanted to hide things about myself for the rest of my life.
What was the best piece of advice you received while working on this film, and what advice would you give to emerging queer filmmakers?
I think it’s about being honest and making films that feel true to who you are as a creative. Why are YOU the one telling any given story as a creative? What makes your view specific? I want to continue to learn to embrace that honesty, even when it’s vulnerable.
Also, as my tutor Robert likes to say: write your mission statement on a post it note and put it on your wall. You’ll need the reminder of what you’re trying to say anytime a story problem comes up.
What’s the one question you wish more people would ask about your film?
I wish they would ask about the team more, because I love gushing about them. Everyone poured their heart and soul into this, and it still makes me feel emotional sometimes! What an honour to know this group of people who all believed in this little story and gave it a year of their lives.
DRAGFOX screens as part of the 39th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival on Thursday 20 March and Thursday 27 March. It has also been selected as one of this year’s Five Films For Freedom, in partnership with the British Council, and will be available to watch online globally for free for the duration of BFI Flare. For more details / tickets here
DIVA magazine celebrates 31 years in print in 2025. If you like what we do, then get behind LGBTQIA media and keep us going for another generation. Your support is invaluable.
