BY: DM
Published 2 minutes ago
If you like your sci-fi comedies with a queer twist, you’ll love “Lesbian Space Princess.” The Australian animated sci-fi comedy premiered in Berlinale’s Panorama on Feb. 16, and won the Teddy Award for Best Feature. It later won Sydney Film Festival’s Audience Award for Best Australian Feature, according to the film’s website. The film opened in Australian theaters on Sept. 11 and began a limited U.S. run on Oct. 31. Here’s a look at the animated comedy musical.
“Lesbian Space Princess” Is an Out-Of-This-World Lesbian Buddy Comedy
“Lesbian Space Princess” follows Saira, a shy royal and amateur magician who has 24 hours to rescue her bounty-hunter ex, Kiki, from a crew of “Straight White Maliens.” The ransom hinges on a mythical labrys Saira is meant to wield, but she has never managed to summon it. That failure sends her sprinting across the galaxy with help from a nonbinary pop star and a boomer spaceship.
Shabana Azeez voices Saira, and Bernie Van Tiel lends her voice to Kiki. Gemma Chua-Tran plays Willow, the nonbinary musician who backs Saira’s mission, and Richard Roxburgh steals scenes as the mansplaining “Problematic Ship.” The Australian comedy trio Aunty Donna, Mark Bonanno, Broden Kelly, and Zachary Ruane voice the Straight White Maliens.
The film marks the feature debut of co-writers/directors Leela Varghese and Emma Hough Hobbs, alumni of South Australia’s Film Lab: New Voices initiative. Tom Phillips produces through We Made A Thing Studios. Varghese and Hough Hobbs say they made the film for queer audiences — and they don’t hide it.
“There’s a lot of referential stuff in the film and I think ultimately, from my perspective, we were writing it for the queer community first and foremost,” Hough told Eye For Film. “The more that they feel like the jokes are just for them, it creates a special atmosphere and then people have fun.” Varghese has echoed that sentiment while noting the story’s reach. “It’s an interesting one because just by nature of what the story is, it’s actually quite broadly appealing to people,” she emphasized.
There’s a Slew of LGBTQIA+ Releases Gaining Major Buzz
“Lesbian Space Princess” isn’t the only queer film making waves. Emma Seligman’s 2023 hit “Bottoms” goes full feral with a lesbian teen fight club. It skewers high-school power dynamics as Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennott trade haymakers and hilarious one-liners. Vera Drew’s “The People’s Joker” flips the superhero genre into a zany, DIY coming-of-age story about a trans clown who finds her voice. “Nimona,” adapted from ND Stevenson’s graphic novel, hits the feels with a shapeshifting troublemaker and a chosen-family battle cry. The film pairs kinetic action with a tender gay love story between two knights.
For deeper cuts, check out Madeleine Olnek’s “Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same.” This deadpan, black-and-white rom-com drops lovesick aliens on Earth to study human dating. For retro space camp, Jack Plotnick’s “Space Station 76” also leans into 1970s sci-fi vibe and its packed with dry humor.
Which character in “Lesbian Space Princess” stole the show for you — Saira, Kiki, or Willow? Comment below!
