| Lesbian Space Princess | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Emma Hough Hobbs Leela Varghese |
| Written by | Emma Hough Hobbs Leela Varghese |
| Produced by | Tom Phillips |
| Starring | (Voices of)
|
| Edited by | Ben Fernandez |
| Music by | Michael Darren |
Production company | We Made A Thing Studios |
| Distributed by | Umbrella Entertainment (Australia) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
Lesbian Space Princess is a 2024 Australian animated comedy film. It is the debut feature film by writer-directors Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese and producer Tom Phillips, and premiered at the Adelaide Film Festival on 27 October 2024.
 | This article needs an improved plot summary.(October 2024) |
An anxious and introverted space princess Saira, who has thus far led a sheltered life, launches into a galactic quest to save her ex-girlfriend Kiki, a bounty hunter, from the "Straight White Maliens". A runaway gay-pop idol joins her as she encounters dangerous maniacs wielding blades, "gloom goo", and other hazards, as well as – "the scariest thing of all" – her own self-doubt. [1] [2] [3]
Voices of: [4]
The film was greenlit for production under the South Australian Film Corporation and Adelaide Film Festival's Film Lab: New Voices mentoring and funding initiative, [1] following the inaugural round of the scheme in 2021, which led to sci-fi thriller Monolith premiering at the 2022 Adelaide Film Festival and enjoying international success. The Lesbian Space Princess team were eligible for up to A$600,000 in screen production grant funding for their script. [2]
Lesbian Space Princess is the debut feature film by Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese, who wrote and directed the film. [4] Hough Hobbs is an artist, and writer/director Varghese a former award-winner at Tropfest. [1] The film was produced by Tom Phillips of We Made A Thing Studios. [4] [5] [1]
In May 2024, Adelaide Film Festival launched its "Adelaide Film Festival Goes to Cannes" program, [6] partnering with Cannes Film Festival's film market, the Marché du Film, to showcase five local projects in an official presentation; Lesbian Space Princess was one of the five chosen, and Leela Varghese joined nine other emerging filmmakers at Cannes. [7] [8]
The graphic artists who worked on the film used Toon Boom Harmony, VFX, and high-end compositing. The production team worked at Artisan Post Group's space at Lot Fourteen, Adelaide, who worked on post-production of the Netflix series Stateless and ABC series Aftertaste , among others. [1]
Music was by Michael Darren, and Ben Fernandez did the editing. [4]
Hough Hobbs and Fernandez are both graduates of Flinders University's Creative Arts degrees. [9]
The story, inspired by the filmmakers' own lives, includes themes that relate to LGBTQI people, and themes include the importance of self-worth and self-love, feeling free to take up space, and being comfortable with your own company. [1]
Lesbian Space Princess had four sold-out preview screenings [10] at the Adelaide Film Festival on 27 October 2024. [4] In December 2024 it was announced that the film would have its world premiere at the 75th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival in the Panorama program in February 2025. [10]
Australian distribution is being handled by Umbrella Entertainment. [3]
Lesbian Space Princess won the Audience Award for Feature Fiction at Adelaide Film Festival. [10]