the Curb

I'm calling it right now. Lesbian Space Princess is the film of the year. 

I saw it in a sold out auditorium at the beautiful art deco Piccadilly cinema in Adelaide with an Adelaide Film Festival audience that lapped up every laugh, every tear, and every splash of neon bright queer celebration on screen. 

Lesbian Space Princess is the animated feature debut of filmmakers Leela Varghese and Emma Hough Hobbs, a collaborative force to be reckoned with, set to change the Australian film industry one bubblegum flavoured cel at a time. The film follows Saira (voiced brilliantly by the superb Shabana Azeez), the titular lesbian space princess who finds herself having to leave her sheltered planet in the wide galaxy to save her punk rock ex-girlfriend Kiki (Bernie Van Tiel) after she is kidnapped by the Straight White Maliens (voiced by the Aunty Donna crew). Saira pilots a ship (voiced with joyous deadpan delivery by Richard Roxburgh, completing his one-two punch of career best performances alongside his turn in The Correspondent), encountering the delightful Willow (a scene stealing Gemma Chua-Tran), and the two head off in the galaxy to save Kiki.

That plot synopsis barely scratches the surface of what is going on within one of the sharpest, funniest, queerest films to be produced in Australia. There is the Australian film industry before Lesbian Space Princess, and there is the Australian film industry after Lesbian Space Princess, and I can't wait to see what work this film inspires people to create. 

I'm still giddy from the ten minute standing ovation that took place on the opening night. You know us Aussies, we're not partial to standing ovations, let alone standing for anything (unless it's a queue), so to know we stood, clapped, cheered, and heaped deserving praise on this debut film is a strong enough statement as it is. 

That energy I'm putting forward lingers in the following interview with Leela, Emma, and Shabana (who joined us after a day of shooting her HBO series The Pitt, and after her film Birdeater took home Best Indie Film at the AACTAs). In this discussion, we talk about the origins of Lesbian Space Princess, what it means to create a narrative that everyone can relate to, the varied emotionality of the film, and a lot more. We close the chat with Emma telling us the impact of the film on relationships. 

This interview was recorded ahead of Lesbian Space Princess' world premiere at the Berlinale Film Festival where it is in competition for the Panorama Audience Award and the Teddy Award for LGBTQIA+ films. The version screened at the Adelaide Film Festival was a work in progress print. Lesbian Space Princess was awarded the full $10,000 from the Queer Screen Completion Fund. The Completion Fund recipients are determined by an independent jury. 

The following chat is one of the first pieces (of many) that the Curb will be putting up this year as we celebrate the year of Lesbian Space Princess. Get excited folks, your new favourite film is not far away.

If you want to find out more about the work we do on The Curb, then head over to TheCurb.com.au. We are a completely independent and ad free website that lives on the support of listeners and readers just like you. If you can and have the means to support us, please visit Patreon.com/thecurbau to support our work from as little as $1 a month.

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Cinematographer James Hoare is a recent graduate from Curtin University, where he worked alongside director Christopher Paik-Swan and writer Max Joyce to bring to life their final year short film Don't Talk About the Monster on the Roof, a micro-budget horror short flick inspired by the look of Ozploitation films. It's an impressively taut thriller that is drenched in sweaty tension as a group of mates head off on a road trip up to the Pinnacles, only to find that while on the trip, they each start disappearing one by one after something on the roof of the car rips them away.

James' work as the cinematographer saw him utilising LED virtual production technology, alongside drone shots and on location cinematography. He comfortably blends the VFX backgrounds with on location shots, culminating in an effective and creatively engaging short that executes high concept ideas on a student budget.

James was also able to present the film at the 2024 CamerImage Festival in Poland as part of their Talent Demo program. At the festival, he was able to present the film and receive detailed feedback from celebrated filmmakers like cinematographer Jarin Baschkle (Nosferatu, The Lighthouse) and director Hiro Murai (Atlanta, Mr and Mrs Smith).

In the following interview, recorded ahead of the films screening at the WA Made Film Festival on Saturday 22 February as part of the Saturday Shorts line-up, James talks about his creative journey to becoming a cinematographer, what it means to be able to make films in Western Australia, and a lot more.

The line-up for this years WA Made Film Festival is a stellar one, with a huge array of shorts, long shorts, features, documentaries, and a panels galore to keep you up to speed on the ins and outs of the WA film scene. The festival opens with the world premiere of Remotely Famous, directed by Brad Newland. The excitement for that is so high that the screening has already sold out. The energy continues over the weekend with a live Cinema Australia podcast recording with Matthew Eeles and director Zak Hilditch, short film showcases, screenings of award winning films like Genocide in the Wildflower State, world premieres of films like Lint, Christmas Orphans, In Sect, and Highest Treason, while acclaimed films like Jellyfish, Green: The Fight for Rock and Roll, and Everywhere get spotlight screenings.

I'm proud to be part of this years festival as I join a panel of excellent WA filmmakers for The Future is Bright: Independent Filmmaker Panel on Saturday 22 February from 11:45am at the City of Perth Library Auditorium. The panel includes Sarah Legg, Tayah Lee-Traub, Steven J. Mihaljevich, Emilie Lowe, Lawrence Murphy, and Oscar Miller, each of whom will be discussing their upcoming feature films which were made completely independently.

I'm continually in awe of the work that Jasmine Leivers and Matthew Eeles put into bringing the WA Made Film Festival together. It's a top tier local film festival that reminds audiences that there is a vibrant, active, and downright vital film scene in operation here in Western Australia.

For all the details on the festival, and to secure your tickets, visit WAMadeFilmFestival.com.au.

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The joyous and jubilant documentary Sally! - the exclamation mark is deliberate - is a delightful and educational journey through the life and history of Sally Miller Gearhart: a professor of Speech, Theatre, and Women Studies; a fantasy writer; and most known as a lesbian feminist activist who helped transform the world for women and queer people alike. 

If, like me, you haven't truly heard the name Sally Gearhart before, then you might know of her activist work alongside Harvey Milk, notably from a pointed interview where Sally joined Harvey to debate John Briggs about his noxious and harmful bill dubbed Proposition 6, or the 'Briggs Initiative', which, if passed, would have seen homosexuals from academic positions in public schools. This debate with Briggs is one of the pivotal points in Sally's life, which also included her appearance in notable documentaries like WORD IS OUT: Stories of Some of Our Lives in 1977 and in Barbara Hammer's short film Superdyke.

What delights the most about Sally!, the documentary, is that it meets the energy, vibrancy, and advocacy of Sally, the person, and acts as a celebration of activism, queer liberation, queer culture, feminism, and so much more. It is, quite simply, a rapturous delight to watch and spend time with. 

The film details Sally's life, featuring in depth interviews with those she knew, loved, campaigned with, and built a community alongside. It also features some joyously funny and engaging interviews with Sally herself, recorded in the years before her passing. Sally! is more than just a history lesson, it's a reminder that in a time of great societal upheaval and distress, one of the purest forms of resistance is laughter, community, and joy. They can't take that away from you.

I was fortunate enough to talk with two of the co-directors of the film, Ondine Rarey and Jörg Fockele, while they were in Sydney for the Mardi Gras Queer Screen Film Festival screening of the film. Fellow co-director and producer Deborah Craig was unable to attend, but the sense of community and energy around the film and the following discussion carries her energy forward. 

This interview talks about how Deborah discovered Sally, and why telling Sally's story on screen right now is so deeply important. Ondine and Jörg also talk about the importance of being able to screen a film like Sally! in the world right now, and about the importance of keeping queer activist history alive and relevant. 

Sally! is a delight of a film, and you can see in person at the Mardi Gras Film Festival on Saturday 15 February. This is a special community screening, where all tickets are just $12. You won't want to miss it. However, if you're unable to attend the screening in person, then Sally! is also screening on demand later in the festival. For all ticketing details, visit QueerScreen.org.au.

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We Forgot to Break Up tells the story of fictional Canadian band The New Normals; an indie rock group that transcends labels and definition, and changes the scene of indie rock music. The New Normals is led by Evan (excellently portrayed by Lane Webber), a trans man singer-songwriter who has the big stage in mind all the while trying to navigate his relationship with his girlfriend Isis (June Laporte). Evan finds his relationships tested as the arrival of the new guitarist Lugh (Daniel Gravelle) catches his attention, and possible affection.

We Forgot to Break Up is adapted from Kayt Burgess' Heidegger Stairwell and feels pulled directly from an era where each new indie rock song that you heard spoke to your deepest emotions in a way that you'd never expected. The New Normals echoes the great bands of the era, with the strains of Broken Social Scene's guitars being felt throughout the soundtrack. There's a wealth of great original songs too written by Torquil Campbell from the band Stars. In one of the films many memorable moments, the band is living in a share house loft which acts as a creative space, and a space to earn money too, with bassist Coco (Hallea Jones) working as a phone sex worker to bring money in. Her responses to the client on the other end of the line spur Evan into writing a song that then becomes a hit for the band.

There's a wealth of heart and compassion within We Forgot to Break Up, but it's also a film that really sinks its fingers into the dirt and vibe of the indie rock scene, with Knox pulling from the aesthetic of the celebrated documentary Dig! We Forgot to Break Up really leans into that lived-in feeling, making the film feel almost documentary like at times, and in turn, it gives space to let the lives of the queer folk who make up the cast and characters simply live as they want to. While this is, ostensibly, a film about queer folks, their queer identity is not the main focus of the film, and that in itself is a refreshing, invigorating act of resistance.

In the following interview with Knox and Lane, recorded ahead of the films launch at the Queer Screen Mardi Gras Film Festival on Tuesday 18 February, where they both will be in attendance for a Q&A, we chat about the creation of the film, the choice of songs featured, and how that lived in feeling was created on screen. We close the chat by talking about what it means to be telling Canadian queer stories on screen right now.

I had an absolute ball watching We Forgot to Break Up, lapping up the wicked guitar licks and band drama, all the while losing myself with the excellent performances. And that was just from watching it at home; so I can only imagine what the experience would be like to see it with a full audience. Make sure to pick up your tickets to see We Forgot to Break Up via QueerScreen.org.au.

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Gianluca Matarrese's gentle documentary Gen_ opens with overwhelming images of planets and stars. Or are they cells and aspects of human biology? As we lean in to the screen, curious about what we're seeing, the title, Gen, that's gen with an underscore, flits on screen, with a rotation appendage of possible word creations: genesis, genitals, genetics, generation, genealogy, gender, genes.

Overlaying this is a chaos of noise and radio chatter from around the globe. European figures discuss trans rights, while American voices talk about reproductive rights. The message is clear: women's bodies are being controlled globally.

Gianluca asks us to consider the weight of these words and these voices momentarily before he introduces us to Dr Bini, a kind, considerate, and ageing doctor near retirement. Dr Bini works in Milan's Niguarda public hospital tending to patients who are undergoing reproductive technology procedures or gender confirmation surgery.

Over the next 100 or so minutes, Gianluca observes quietly and lets Dr Bini, his patients, and the transitory hospital he works in speak for themselves. Gen_ is a considerate and kind documentary which premiered at Sundance, and it stands as a beacon of recognition for the power of advocacy in medical fields for those who may not be able to stand up for themselves in the face of cruel and controlling legislation. Dr Bini talks through the possibility of care with his patients, noting for some that reproductive technology at a certain age might be risky or blocked, or that gender confirmation procedures might be restricted, and in doing so, he speaks through the avenues for care, treatment, and support.

Gen_ feels like someone resting a hand on the shoulder of those in need. It is shot in such a patient and kind manner, with Gianluca sitting in silence in a doctors appointment with Dr Bini and his patients, quietly observing and letting the words and weight of the sound of empathy linger in the air. Notably, Giorgia Villa's editing creates a conversation between appointments, ensuring that the impact of one patients journey is felt on anothers, someone they may never have met.

In the above interview, Gianluca talks about how the documentary came about, the notion of the documentary film as a form of advocacy, and more.

Gen_ screened at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Visit Gianluca's website for more details.

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If there's a minor blessing that has emerged from the pandemic, it's in the way that film festivals have shifted and persisted with online options. As one of the leading film festivals in the world, the Sundance Film Festival continues to bring selections of their festival to global audiences via their online and in person screening events. The 2025 festival is underway, with online screenings taking place from January 30 - February 3.

I mention this as one of the values of being able to attend the festival remotely is that I can stay safe as a disabled, immunocompromised person. It also then means I can watch films like Mindie Lind and Megan Griffiths superb animated short View from the Floor. This five minute documentary tells Mindie's story as a musician, a writer, a director, and as someone who lives with disability.

Mindie doesn't have any legs, and while she gets around in a wheelchair, it's that view from the floor that she's forced to present on television when she becomes a guest on the Maury Povich show. With a comedic and open narration, Mindie takes viewers from her initial perspective of being invited on the show (this is in the era before 'who's your babies dad' reveals dominated the show) to the feeling she had when the producers asked her to go on stage without her wheelchair.

View from the Floor decisively and intimately unpacks the concept of inspiration porn, which leads to a further discussion about the exploitation of disabled folks, especially in relation to entertainment.

As co-directors, Mindie and Megan utilise the bright and expressive animation from Joe Garber to bring a sense of comedy and charm to Mindie's story, allowing non-disabled and disabled folk to understand how inspiration porn impacts everyone's lives.

In the following interview, Mindie and Megan talk about meeting through the late, great filmmaker Lynn Shelton, dealing with cat calls and more, the importance of stories about disability being able to reach a global audience, how they created the look and sound of the film, before Mindie closes the chat with an interesting fact about the person who played ET on set.

To help support Mindie and Megan in transforming View from the Floor into a feature film, visit ViewFromTheFloor.com. You can donate on that site, while also checking out the artwork and listen to Mindie's song as heard in the film.

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Jason Raftopoulous is a filmmaker who I owe my continued writing career to. In 2018, Jason released West of Sunshine, a drama about an average bloke, Jim, played by the excellent Damian Hill, scrounging through the back streets of Melbourne for money to pay back a loan shark. With a synopsis like that, West of Sunshine suggests that it'll another one of those crime-drama films with a bit of retribution and violence along the way. Instead, under the guidance and careful hand of Jason, there's a distinct sense of family, place, time, and a realisation that within Jim exists the desperation of the everyday Aussie: someone just trying to get by and falling foul of the lure of gambling.

Years later, Jason is back with his second feature film, Voices in Deep. Here is another film that opens itself up to critical examination as Jason embarks on another exploration of the weight of humanity, of the turmoil of trauma, and the struggle for existence. Jason takes us to Greece, the land where millions of refugees wash up on the shores of Athens seeking a future of some kind.

In Voices in Deep, we're introduced to two characters who exist in the orbit of one another; Hannah Sims' Bobby, an Australian who travelled to Greece to help refugees, but now finds herself stranded in a foreign land with no sense of self and no sense of finding a path out. Then there's Christos Karavevas' Tarek, a refugee who lives on the streets with his brother, engaging in dangerous sex work to make a living.

Through Bobby and Tarek, we see the unresolved trauma of the ongoing refugee crisis. Voices in Deep is a response to the powerless and overwhelming nature of trauma, whether we're in the midst of it, or observers from afar. It doesn't seek to provide a resolution to the trauma, but instead asks us to consider its existence. To listen to its cries and acknowledge that its pain carries weight.

Jason's voice has been in the back of my mind as a continual reminder about the importance and value of discussing Australian films and chatting with Aussie filmmakers. Each year I write a list of the voices I want to listen to, to talk to, to engage with, and to give space to on this platform I call the Curb. Jason was at the top of my list for 2025, and I'm grateful that the following conversation exists.

As you'll hear, the last time we talked was when West of Sunshine came out. I spent a brief period of time chatting with Jason and Dame, and had intended to catch up with them both when they came over to Perth for the Q&A. But nerves and the conflicting events meant I never attended the screening, and I never got to shake Dame's hand in person. He passed away not long after this. His mark on Australian film lingers.

This interview, or conversation, starts in a state of flow. We had spent some time talking before I hit record, and the emotionality of the first question hit Jason, and myself, in an unexpected way. In fact, the emotionality of this conversation hit us both in an unexpected way. I can say, quite comfortably, that this is one of the finest conversations I've been able to bring you on this podcast.

In the following conversation, there are questions I don't ask, like who Jason's mentor is, or the films that have inspired him. But, I've almost deliberately left them for our next discussion, whenever that happens in the future. There has to be hope that we will talk again.

If you want to find out more about the work we do on the Curb, then head over to theCurb.com.au. We are a completely independent and ad free website that lives on the support of listeners and readers just like you. If you can and have the means to support us, please visit Patreon.com/thecurbau to support our work from as little as $1 a month.

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Let's take a moment to look ahead in 2025 to a few of the Australian films that will get people talking. Two particular films had their world premiere at the Adelaide Film Festival in 2024, where their lead actor and performer, Albert Mwangi, was in attendance.

Kate Blackmore's Make it Look Real is a hybrid-documentary experience that explores the role of intimacy coordination on film sets. Albert features in the documentary as himself, and in the film-within-a-film as a character in Kieran Darcy-Smith's romantic thriller Tightrope. Make it Look Real is a captivating and conversation-starting film about how intimacy has been presented on screen and how it can safely be depicted for all actors involved.

Albert's other film that premiered the Adelaide Film Festival was Kelly Schilling's With or Without You, where he plays Dalu, a migrant worker swept into the lives of Melina Vidler's Chloe and her alcoholic mother, Sharon, played with effortless abandon by Marta Dusseldorp.

With both of these films, Albert holds the audiences focus keenly, asking us to lean in to find out more about his performances. This level of captivation is partly the reason why he was nominated for the Casting Guild of Australia's Rising Star list of 2021.

In the following interview, Albert talks about the balance of working on stage and screen, how he manages his creative journey as a storyteller and a vessel for others stories, and where he would like to see his career progress from here.

Both Make it Look Real and With or Without You do not have announced dates at this stage, but keep an eye out for them.

Follow Albert on Instagram here.

Listen to Andrew's interview with Make it Look Real director Kate Blackmore here. 

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Andrew F Peirce and Nadine Whitney head to prison with Colman Domingo and Clarence Macklin for the powerful drama Sing Sing, before taking a sojourn to the beach for Robert Connolly's adaptation of Alison Lester's children's book Magic Beach. The waters of Australia linger in Nadine's mind as she embarks on a trip through the history of Naples with Paolo Sorrentino's Parthenope.

Film recommendations this week include What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? and Superman.

Listen to Andrew's interview with Robert Connolly and Alison Lester here.

Find Andrew's 21 Films from 21 Friends list on Letterboxd here.

Clips featured in this episode include:

Sing Sing First Look | Magic Beach trailer | Parthenope trailer

Theme music is the Lantana score by Paul Kelly.

Follow the Curb on Bluesky, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow Nadine Whitney on Bluesky here, and visit the Rotten Tomatoes profiles of Andrew here and Nadine here.

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Andrew F Peirce and Nadine Whitney delve into the darkness of Robert Eggers latest horror Nosferatu, before diving onto the dance floor with Michael Gracey's Better Man. Time gets out of order with John Crowley's latest weepy, We Live in Time, followed by a soapbox chat about the AACTA award nominated adaptation of Paul Kelly's iconic song, How to Make Gravy.

Listen to Andrew's interview with John Crowley here.

Film recommendations this week include the superb documentary I Used to Be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story (watch on DocPlay now) and The Mad Women's Ball (on Amazon Prime).

Clips featured in this episode include:

Nosferatu Once Upon a Time theme | Emma Corrin supporting Babyratu | Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield making Slime Pies | How to Make Gravy trailer | I Used to Be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story trailer | The Mad Women's Ball trailer | Grimelda (fka the Faps) We Make Our Own Gravy

Follow the Curb on Bluesky, Instagram, and Facebook and visit the Rotten Tomatoes profiles of Andrew here and Nadine here.

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