Leela Varghese and Emma Hough Hobbs Talk Lesbian Space Princess
South Australian sci-fi comedy Lesbian Space Princess has been generating major buzz on the international festival circuit, and recently it landed at the resounding third edition of Macau International Queer Film Festival (MIQFF), from May 30 to June 21, 2025. For a limited time, the award-winning animated film was screened at Emperor Cinemas, pulling Asian audiences into its bubblegum-colored orbit.
Co-written and directed by Leela Varghese and Emma Hough Hobbs, the story follows an anxious alien space princess Saira, as she blasts across the galaxy to rescue her bounty-hunting ex-girlfriend Kiki from a group of rogue “Straight White Maliens" — a race of alien incels from the future determined to lure 'chicks' to their mancave.
Varghese, a queer writer, director, and musical comedian, and Hobbs, a filmmaker, production designer, and animator, developed the film through the Film Lab: New Voices initiative, funded by South Australian Film Corporation.
This film marks both Varghese and Hobbs' first directorial feature, and it’s already earned serious acclaim, including the prestigious Berlinale Teddy Award for LGBTQIA+ film at Berlinale 2025.
Lesbian Space Princess leans hard into wacky campiness. The film bursts with candy-colored visuals, pop culture references and catchy musical numbers. But it's not just a sapphic space romp, this inter-gay-latic musical comedy dives headfirst into themes like self-worth, queer identity, and fragile masculinity.
We caught up with Varghese and Hobbs to hear their inspirations behind Lesbian Space Princess and what it was like seeing it light up the screen at MIQFF.
What sparked the idea for Lesbian Space Princess, and what drew you to bring this story to life?
The title actually came to us first—we built it backwards from there. As you can probably tell from the name, this film doesn’t take itself too seriously. But from the start, we knew we wanted to make something that felt true to us: campy, silly, fun, super queer, and full of heart.
We really wanted to create a comedy rooted in queer joy. We also felt that voices like ours have been underrepresented in adult animation as writer-directors, and we wanted to help change that.
How did it feel to have your film shown at an international queer film festival like MIQFF?
It gave us hope and encouraged us to keep trying and making films, because we’re not alone. The queer film community is small but mighty.
Our hearts are full being surrounded by so many beautiful queer films. It’s a difficult time in the world — especially for our trans family — and safe spaces are important for our community.
Were there any specific films or directors you were excited to see featured at MIQFF?
Yes! Queerpanorama by Jun Li and Sirens Call by Miriam Gossing & Lina Sieckmann. We’ve crossed paths with these filmmakers, and they deserve all the success in the world.
In what ways do you hope Lesbian Space Princess will resonate with audiences?
We're here to give people a laugh and in our film, queer people and people of color rule the gay-laxy.
We hope it's 87 minutes of fun and escapism where minorities feel seen, celebrated, and empowered.
Are there any queer films that inspired or influenced your approach to this project?
The project in general was heavily inspired by our favorite rom-coms and animations.
Queer anime like Revolutionary Girl Utena and Cardcaptor Sakura inspired us in different ways. But ultimately, we wanted to make this film because we’ve never really seen animated POC lesbians in space.
Are there any up-and-coming filmmakers in Asia you'd recommend keeping an eye out for?
No one is out there doing it like Khozy, his films and his presence are a true gift and we can't wait to see where he decides to go after winning the crystal bear for Little Rebels Cinema Club.
We also love Annapurna Sriram and her incredible film Fucktoys. Calleen Koh is going to rule the world of animation one day. “My Wonderful Life” is just so entertainingly [messed] up in the best way imaginable.
Can you tell us more about Saira’s character? Is she inspired by real-life experiences or people?
She’s really a mix of the two of us — full of anxieties and insecurities.
Like us, she might cry her way through life, but she keeps going while she’s doing it. We think that’s pretty cool.
We were also inspired by a quote from Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby: “Where do the quiet gays go?” Saira is someone who doesn’t fit into her community. Sometimes we don’t feel at home in the spaces where we think we’re supposed to belong, and that can be really painful—it can make you feel like there’s something wrong with you.
The film’s visual style and animation are striking. What influenced these artistic choices?
The visual style of the characters are based on Emma's personal art style, and we put a lot of care into making sure that the visual journey of the film always reflected our intentions with where the characters were at in their journey.
Each major location has a specific color palette, and we wanted it to be colorful and fun looking. One of our favorite things is searching the background art for little jokes left by our artists (e.g. Pale Male Ale in the mancave).
What was your creative dynamic like throughout the process and how did your collaboration shape this film?
We were a little bit like Yin and Yang; we played into our strengths a lot and were constantly debating the best way to go about solving a creative problem we were having.
Leela's fantastic with dialogue and a real-life comedian and Emma is an animator and production designer so we both had great opportunities to go somewhere challenging and maybe uncomfortable with the guidance and help of the other.
What key message or feeling do you hope audiences walk away with after watching Lesbian Space Princess?
Good question! Gosh, I think it’s different for different kinds of people watching. A lot of the themes are about self-love and the importance of being comfortable with being single. I think it’s for anyone who needs to hear that message. Hopefully certain moments in the film strike a chord with them.
Ultimately, we just want queer people to have fun and feel seen and empowered by the film.
Looking to the future, are there any upcoming projects you’re working on that you can share with us?
We're hoping to make a Lesbian Space Princess game – it’s very early days though.
How do you see your journey evolving as filmmakers in the coming years?
We just want to tell more stories, hopefully we will get the opportunity to make more features and dip into TV and continue to tell funny stories with heart.
Watch the trailer for Lesbian Space Princess here or visit their Instagram page.
Stay connected with Leela Varghese on her Instagram, and Emma Hough Hobbs on her Instagram.
For more information, visit MIQFF's brand showcase or check out their website, Instagram and Facebook.
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