Fairy Garden

Documentary. On the outskirts of Budapest, in the heart of the woods, hides a ramshackle little hut. Inside, two social outcasts have formed the unlikeliest of bonds. Fanni, a 19-year-old transgender teenager, and Laci, a 60-year-old homeless man support each other in a makeshift family as father and daughter through hardship and change. Set on the margins of Hungarian society life is tough, but it is theirs. Let your conventions be challenged on a captivating journey in this coming-of-age documentary about home, family and acceptance.

FANNI KERTJE | Gergo Somogyvari | 2023 | Hungary, Romania, Croatia

FESTIVALS & AWARDS (SELECTION) 

Verzio International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, 2023 – Best Hungarian Film, Audience Award | Sarajevo Film Festival, 2023 – Special Mention (Human Rights Award) | Crossing Europe, 2024 – Best Documentary | ZagrebDox, 2024 | DOK.fest Munchen, 2024

DIRECTOR’S BIO 

Gergo Somogyvári is a Budapest-based cinematographer and documentary director. After studying photography and journalism, he graduated from the University of Film and Drama (SZFE) as a cinematographer in 2008. For 14 years he has worked both in fiction and non-fiction projects as DOP and directed five short and mid-length documentaries screened internationally on TV and festivals. In 2008, his experimental documentary “Carta Azulejo – Tile Mail” received the most prestigious national award, the main prize of the Hungarian Film Week. “Fairy Garden” is his first feature-length documentary.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

Making a film on the topic of transgender issues was never on my radar. It all started with a different short film project that had a different focus and approach. Four years ago, a new law was passed in Hungary that criminalized homelessness and prohibited people from sleeping on the streets. In response, my social worker friend, Zsolt Pocsai, and I decided to create a quick and concise reportage to shed light on this pressing issue. During our fieldwork on the outskirts of Budapest, as we explored the suburban woods, we had an unforgettable moment when Fanni and Laci appeared, and the two contrasting characters sat down in front of us and started speaking next to their little hut. Within minutes of recording, we knew that their story had the potential to be something more profound. We ended up filming with them for three and a half years.