Hungary, 1930. Piper Steve, an assassin born a woman, is on death row awaiting execution when he meets Irma, the pastor’s daughter. Irma tries to postpone her wedding for as long as possible and accepts the Church's task of reforming the condemned prisoner by teaching her to read and write. Amid filthy cells and abusive guards, an unexpected bond develops between the two.

Emília Goldberg’s impressive feature debut draws on the true story of Viktória Fődi, who became infamous as “Pipás Pista,” one of Hungary’s most notorious and mythologised murderers. Yet rather than being a conventional period drama, Mayflies defies expectations by taking a more elusive, sensual and poetic path. Meticulously shot and edited, the film creates a chamber-like atmosphere as it examines early 20th-century gender-role expectations, becoming a gripping cinematic meditation on confinement and lines of escape.

The film premiered at FilmFestival Cottbus 2025, where it won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury.