Lesbian Space Princess

Last updated

Lesbian Space Princess
Directed byEmma Hough Hobbs
Leela Varghese
Written byEmma Hough Hobbs
Leela Varghese
Produced byTom Phillips
Starring(Voices of)
Edited byBen Fernandez
Music byMichael Darren
Production
company
We Made A Thing Studios
Distributed by Umbrella Entertainment (Australia)
Release date
  • 27 October 2024 (2024-10-27)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryAustralia

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.

Contents

Plot

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]

Cast

Voices of: [4]

Production

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]

Themes

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]

Release

Lesbian Space Princess premiered at the Adelaide Film Festival on 27 October 2024, and both screenings were sold out. [4]

Australian distribution is being handled by Umbrella Entertainment. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flinders University</span> Public university in Adelaide, South Australia

Flinders University, established as The Flinders University of South Australia is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across a number of locations in South Australia and the Northern Territory. The main campus is in Bedford Park, about 12 km (7.5 mi) south of the Adelaide city centre. Other campuses include Tonsley, Adelaide central business district, Renmark, Alice Springs, and Darwin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Roxburgh</span> Australian actor

Richard Roxburgh is an Australian actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of a number of accolades across film, television, and theatre, including several AFI and AACTA Awards, Logie Awards, and Helpmann Awards.

The Adelaide Film Festival is a film festival usually held for two weeks in mid-October in cinemas in Adelaide, South Australia. Originally presented biennially in March from 2003, since 2013 AFF has been held in October. Subject to funding, the festival has staged full or briefer events in alternating years; some form of event has taken place every year since 2015. From 2022 it takes place annually. It has a strong focus on local South Australian and Australian produced content, with the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund (AFFIF) established to fund investment in Australian films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Hicks (director)</span> Australian film director, producer and screenwriter

Robert Scott Hicks is an Australian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known as the director of Shine, the biopic of pianist David Helfgott. Hicks was nominated for two Academy Awards. Other movies he has directed include the film adaptations of Stephen King's Hearts in Atlantis and Nicholas Sparks' The Lucky One.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adelaide Festival Centre</span> Theatre and entertainment precinct

Adelaide Festival Centre, Australia's first capital city multi-purpose arts centre and the home of South Australia's performing arts, was built in the early 1970s and designed by Hassell Architects. The Festival Theatre opened in June 1973 with the rest of the centre and the Festival Plaza following soon after.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Raskopoulos</span> Australian comedian, actress and singer

Jordan Nicola Bridget Raskopoulos is an Australian comedian, singer, and television personality. She wrote and performed the Network Ten sketch comedy show The Ronnie Johns Half Hour, and was lead singer for comedy rock group the Axis of Awesome (2006–2018). She came out as a is a transgender woman in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madeleine Sami</span> New Zealand actor, director, comedian and musician

Madeleine Nalini Sami is a New Zealand actress, director, comedian, and musician. She started her acting career in theatre before moving to television, where she created, co-wrote, and starred in Super City. She co-wrote, co-directed, and starred in the 2018 film The Breaker Upperers along with Jackie van Beek. Sami co-hosted The Great Kiwi Bake Off.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Mackie</span> Australian cultural advocate and entrepreneur

Gregory Alan Mackie is a South Australian cultural advocate and entrepreneur who has worked to promote the arts and culture in Australia. He served two separate terms as an elected Councillor on the Adelaide City Council. He was managing director of independent bookshop Imprints Booksellers from 1984 to 2007, and founded the Adelaide Festival of Ideas in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Australian Film Corporation</span>

South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) is a South Australian Government statutory corporation established in 1972 to engage in film production and promote the film industry, located in Adelaide, South Australia. The Adelaide Studios are managed by the South Australian Film Corporation for the use of the South Australian film industry.

<i>The Last Impresario</i> 2013 Australian film

The Last Impresario is a 2013 documentary film about prolific British theatre impresario and film producer Michael White. The film was directed by Gracie Otto, and made its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2013, where it was positively received by critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Adelaide Film Festival</span>

The 6th Adelaide Film Festival took place in Adelaide, Australia, from 10 to 20 October 2013. This was Amanda Duthie's first year as Festival Director, having taken over from Katrina Sedgwick. Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton served as the festival's patrons.

The 7th Adelaide Film Festival was held in Adelaide, South Australia, from 15 to 25 October 2015.

Tania Nehme is an Australian film editor. She has edited a number of films directed by Rolf de Heer and won and been nominated for many awards for her editing work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophie Hyde</span> Australian film producer, writer and director

Sophie Hyde is an Australian film director, writer, and producer based in Adelaide, South Australia. She is co-founder of Closer Productions and known for her award-winning debut fiction film, 52 Tuesdays (2013) and the comedy drama Animals (2019). She has also made several documentaries, including Life in Movement (2011), a documentary about dancer and choreographer Tanja Liedtke, and television series, such as The Hunting (2019). Her latest film, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, premiered at the Sundance Festival in 2022. Her upcoming film Jimpa stars Olivia Colman and John Lithgow.

Closer Productions is a film and television production company founded by filmmakers Sophie Hyde and Bryan Mason in Adelaide, South Australia, in January 2004. It is known for award-winning feature films such as 52 Tuesdays (2013) and Animals (2019), as well as television series and documentary films.

Demi Lardner is an Australian comedian based in Sydney. In 2013, she won Raw Comedy in Melbourne and went on to win So You Think You're Funny? in Edinburgh for her comedy set. She regularly streams on Twitch, and co-hosts the podcast bigsofttitty.png with her husband Tom Walker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kween Kong</span> New Zealand drag performer

Kween Kong is the stage name for the drag queen persona of Pasifika New Zealander former dancer Thomas Charles Fonua. Kong is best known for competing on the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under, where she was a runner-up, and later competing on RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars.

Reuben Kaye is an Australian singer, writer, drag artist, and comedian. Kaye's career is primarily based in the UK, but he has performed at comedy festivals internationally, including in Melbourne, Montréal, and Edinburgh. Since 2019, Kaye has hosted the comedy podcast Come to Daddy, in which he interviews other comedians, and has made numerous appearances on television as well as having a role as a voice actor an animated film in 2024.

Matthew Vesely is an Australian filmmaker, best known for his 2022 feature film Monolith. His other work includes the web series Wastelander Panda (2013) and the short films My Best Friend Is Stuck on the Ceiling (2015) and System Error (2020). He works as development manager at Closer Productions.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Kween Kong, a lesbian space princess and a first for South Australia". Lot Fourteen. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  2. 1 2 Slatter, Sean (16 May 2023). "'Lesbian Space Princess' heads into production from Film Lab: New Voices". IF Magazine . Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Lesbian Space Princess (2024)". Screen Australia . Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Lesbian Space Princess". Adelaide Film Festival . Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  5. "About". Wemat Studios. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  6. Barlow, Helen (20 May 2024). "French connection: film takes director from KI to Cannes". InReview . Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  7. "Adelaide Film Festival Goes To Cannes". Adelaide Film Festival. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2024. Booklet
  8. "Lesbian Space Princess". Marché du Film. 25 April 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  9. Rowe, Leonard (2 October 2024). "Don't miss the Flinders features at Adelaide Film Festival". Alumni stories. Retrieved 28 October 2024.