It’s a sharp, snappily scripted film that premiered in Berlin this year in the Panorama section, going on to win the prestigious Teddy Award. It’s continued to light up the festival circuit and it’s not over yet. Lesbian Space Princess will be all over Sydney Film Festival, before screening at every animators dream showcase – the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
Congratulations on all the success in Berlin. How much fun did the whole team have over there?
Leela Varghese: It was amazing to feel like we got into a festival that was just the perfect home for the film. The Panorama programming team are the sweetest people you’ve ever met, and we had so much fun hanging out with them. The audiences were the best.
Emma Hough Hobbs: It felt like the perfect home for the film to launch because Germany is so fruity. It felt like everything happened in the best possible way it could have. My highlight was being in these rooms full of 800 queerdos, all having fun and laughing.
Leela Varghese: It’s also so surreal to be at such a prestigious festival where there’s huge celerities and directors walking the red carpet, and just knowing that you are also a part of it.
Has the success served as a springboard for new projects?
LV: We’re madly working away at a whole slate of ideas. We can see potential doors opening, little glimmers of light for future projects. We’ve also just teamed up with a manager, so that’s exciting.
We’re working on animated ideas, and my dream is to also get a chance to make my first live action feature film. I like making comedic films, films with heart, and also ones that showcase a kind of representation that there’s a hunger for from certain audiences.
Have you noticed that the film is getting traction in communities you didn’t expect?
EHH: I think a delightfully surprising thing is that, although the film really intensely appeals to the film fanatics we were expecting, it’s also been a bit of a crowd pleaser. People we didn’t necessarily expect to get on the level of the film have really enjoyed it. Older and younger straight couples have – it gets called a date film. Young men have been some of the most enthusiastic people about the film, which has been awesome.
LV: I don’t know if the people that rocked up and enjoyed the film were actively seeking to go to it, or they were dragged along. But, the fact that they came out of it liking it maybe when they didn’t expect to, is really cool. If the story is universal, everyone can enjoy it. And that’s probably the most powerful type of storytelling – stories that can bring everybody together.
It’s exciting for the Australian film community to see new voices coming through. How do you see more emerging talent benefitting Australian film?
EHH: We’re total nerds when it comes to Australian content- we watch everything. There’s not that many opportunities for young artists to make feature films. Lesbian Space Princess definitely comes from a place of wanting to do something that’s true to us -not what we think Australian cinema should be. A lot of the same types of people write and direct. I’m a props master and when I worked on the hit film Talk to Me it was a very refreshing set to be on because the directors were quite young and they connected the material in a way that was really special. More opportunities will make a difference to the media that comes out of Australia.
LV: Our film came out of the South Australia Film Corporation’s Film Lab: New Voices initiative and I think that’s what they’re actively trying to do- support new voices. We’re seeing really interesting cinema from the younger generation in Australia, and hopefully its just the beginning. We’ll hear different stories if we taking a chance on people, rather than expecting somebody to have a body of work behind them, and then continue to work with them over and over again.
We need a mixture. We need to let people through.
You have a great cast of characters in the film. Where were you finding your inspiration for them all?
LV: We wanted to show and give voice to characters that aren’t necessarily put in the spotlight in adult animation. There’s a lot of us in them. The main character we chose is reflecting someone who maybe struggles with belonging in the queer community, that was something we were sort of playing with- like the Hannah Gatsby quote – where do the quiet gays go?
The Maliens are hilarious
EHH: The recording with Aunty Donna was amazing. We came with pages, they took what was useful, and then threw the rest out. They just improved the hell out of it, which was so much fun.
LV: Walking away from Aunty Donna’s record felt so inspiring. I was just blown away by seeing these talents and having a firsthand experience of watching them just be talented. You think- wow, these guys really have it!
You seemed to find comedy gold with all of your cast
LV: We had the chance to work with some really beloved Australian actors and comedians. That’s what a lot of the magic of the film is- the collaboration. Every single actor that we worked with was so inspiring. Directing is casting!
EHH: We’d always do a take with the lines we’d written and then say -okay, just do some improv, do a weird one. Everyone was keen to play especially because with voice acting you’ve got the time to do that without the stress of a big crew being around. You can do some complete dud takes and no one’s annoyed.
LV: I think like the key to achieving a really good comedic film is to really know your story and the structure, and then let the riffing back and forth happen. It should always be that the funniest idea wins, and an actor or anyone else might come up with that. Sometimes people get precious about what they’re putting together, and then you only see their taste, but it’s a fine line- you can’t let it descend into chaos. The most important thing is bringing out the comedy and letting people have some fun.
Tell us how you got into the animation side of filmmaking.
EHH: I studied film. It was technically digital media, and I did a lot of different electives like 3D- animation and computer programming, but my main thing was film. I was really encouraged by a great teacher I had -Cole Larsen. He had everyone in the film course make a one- minute film, just by ourselves with no help. I’d never animated before, but I’d always done illustration. That experience pushed me and I felt like I had a voice in animation more so than live action, and it was a lot of fun.
The film is coming to Sydney Film Festival. Where else is Lesbian Space Princess going?
EHH: We’re really excited for Sydney film Festival. We’re having an inter-gay-lactic party after a screening which is going to be a lot of fun. We’ll be at the State Theatre and the Opera House which is wild. Then we’re in the Contrechamp competition at Annecy Festival. Contrechamp translates to reverse shot which is perfect for us because, you know, we’re not Disney.
LV: We’re jumping on a plane straight from Sydney to Annecy. It’s exciting, but we’re always nervous everywhere we go! We’ve also got into SXSW London, which is really cool. And we’re in competition at Guadalajara International Film Festival in Mexico – our producer is going to that- and we’re in Frameline in San Francisco – its a big year!
Annecy is the big one for animators – you must be thrilled
EHH: Haha yes- it’s the major badge of approval. I said if we don’t get into Annecy I’m giving up! I’m really looking forward to us writing more and travelling as much as possible.
And then it will be in cinemas later in the year?
EHH: We have a theatrical release here in Australia in September. We’ve sold to a few other territories, most notably America, which is awesome. But they’re all going to work around the Australia release.
LV: Its quite a hard- to- believe moment. I’m so excited for it to be in cinemas. All of our friends that haven’t had the chance to see it in any of the festivals will be able to go. So many members of my family will finally be able to watch the film – it’s exciting.
Lesbian Space Princess screens as part of the 2025 Sydney Film Festival. The film received the Teddy Award at Berlinale earlier this year and will be released in multiple territories from September 2025.
| Directors | Emma Hough Hobbs, Leela Varghese |
| Screenplay | Emma Hough Hobbs, Leela Varghese |
| Editing | Ben Fernandez |
| Music | Michael Darren |
| Sound Design | Michael Darren |
| Production Design | Emma Hough Hobbs |
| Animation | Emma Hough Hobbs |
| Producer | Tom Phillips |
| Executive Producers |
Ari Harrison, Cameron Rogers |
Produced by We Made A Thing Studios
Starring Shabana Azeez (Saira), Gemma Chua Tran (Willow), Richard Roxburgh (Problematic Ship), Bernie Van Tiel (Kiki), Mark Bonanno, Zachary Ruane and Broden Kelly (The Maliens), Kween Kong (Blade), Jordan Raskopoulos and Madeleine Sami (The Queens).
