Lutruwita Animation Festival

The Lutruwita Animation Festival (LUTAF) is a one-day celebration of animation from Lutruwita/Tasmania and beyond, held at the historic State Cinema on Saturday 25th October. Featuring a vibrant program of screenings, talks, workshops, and a Student Competition, LUTAF spotlights Australian animated filmmakers, from cutting-edge releases to diverse and underrepresented voices.

Participants can discover animated works rarely seen elsewhere, connect with industry professionals, and immerse themselves in Nipaluna/Hobart’s dynamic cultural scene. LUTAF offers both entertainment and professional development, making it a cultural highlight and a uniquely Tasmanian meeting place for animation lovers.

Session 1

10:00am to 11:30am ~ Masterclass

Voice Performance for Animation with David Gurney and Aleks Crossan (90 mins)

Join producer-director-writer David Gurney and performer-artist Aleks Crossan for a 90-minute dive into the art of voice performance for animation. Designed for both performers and directors, this creative and technical class offers insights into character development, vocal direction, and voice performance for animation. Whether you're looking to enhance your vocal technique or deepen your understanding of directing voice performances, this hands-on session provides valuable expertise.

Session 2

12:00pm to 12:45pm ~ Student Animation Competition Screening (45 mins)

Short Films

Experience the unique vision and creativity of young people in Lutruwita/Tasmania with this program of work made for this year’s student competition, which was open to anyone aged under 25. This year’s line-up includes filmmakers aged from 5 to 16.

Unclassified. Under 15s must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.

Session 3

12:50pm to 1:35pm ~ Panorama: Animated Short Films Made in Lutruwita/Tasmania (45 mins)

Short films

Get inspired by this showcase of fresh new work from Lutruwita/Tasmania. From emerging talents to established artists, journey through the rich diversity of our local animation scene, including traditional animation, sand animation, stop motion animation, 2D and 3D animation.

The collection includes Screen Australia funded shorts, beautifully animated commercial commissions and deeply personal artistic shorts. These films all have local creators or performers and some will be premiering at this exciting showcase. Session includes filmmaker Q&A.

Unclassified. Under 15s must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.

Session 4

1:50pm to 2:20pm ~ After All: Tas Launch Event (30 mins)

Comedy / Web Series

Film buffs Flynn and Marshall venture out of their doomsday bunker into the irradiated wasteland beyond to make the ‘greatest movie ever made’.

Join us for a special event to celebrate the new 6 x 5-minute comedy series, After All. View the first two episodes and then hear from creator Jess Murray and members of the production team about the inspiration and challenges of creating this delightfully deadpan post-apocalyptic tale.

Turbo Chook is a Hobart-based production company with a focus on strange and heartfelt storytelling. After All was animated in Nipaluna/Hobart with the involvement of writers and selected crew from around Australia. With a voice cast of Australian comedic talent including Luke McGregor and Zachary Ruane, the production was supported by Screen Tasmania and Screen Australia.

Unclassified. Under 15s must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.

Session 5

2:30pm to 3:00pm ~ Time Capsules: World Premiere (30 mins)

Documentary / Series

Time Capsules is an intimate and moving collection of animated short documentaries telling true stories of young people's gender, sexual identity, and their journeys to being themselves, out and proud.

Made from 2021-23, these films are based on interviews with young people in Lutruwita/Tasmania from the LGBTQI+ community. The participants' words have been brought to life by emerging animators from the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, with each piece adopting its own unique approach.

This project was curated by Xris Reardon and animator Neko Kelly with Third-Way Theatre and Takin’ Up Space Project and support from Wear It Purple, a not-for-profit organisation which strives to foster supportive, safe, empowering and inclusive environments for rainbow young people.

The post-screening discussion with the curators and selected participants in Time Capsules, touching on the power of animation to communicate unique and deeply personal stories.

Unclassified. Under 15s must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.

Session 6

3:30pm to 6:00pm ~ Lesbian Space Princess + In Conversation with Producer Tom Phillips (150 mins)

Feature film

Presented by Apple Box Studio and Lutruwita Animation Festival

In conversation hosted by Ella Watkins

Rated MA15+

An introverted space princess is forced to leave her home planet on an inter-gay-lactic mission to save her ex-girlfriend from the Straight White Maliens.

Lesbian Space Princess won the Audience Award at Sydney Film Festival in 2025 and the Teddy Award at the Berlin Film Festival in 2025 and screened to acclaim at Annecy International Animation Festival.

A laugh-out-loud adventure through the far reaches of queer outer space, Lesbian Space Princess showcases the incredible talents of South Australian writers/directors, Leela Varghese and Emma Hough Hobbs.
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Join us after the film for an inspiring discussion with producer Tom Phillips, hosted by Tasmanian filmmaker and social media star, Ella Watkins. Find out about Tom’s comedy ethos and journey from short-form to feature film success as well as getting the lowdown on the film’s production and release strategy. This is a unique opportunity for Tasmanian practitioners to gain practical insights into developing and distributing original work from a regional base to a global audience.

In 2018 Tom Phillips was selected for the Screen Producers Australia’s Ones to Watch scheme for emerging producers. In 2019 he wrote and produced the online series Lucy And DiC, which has more than 4 million views across social media and was nominated for Best Online Series at the SPA Awards. Lesbian Space Princess is his first feature film producing credit. It was the second film to come out of the Film Lab New Voices initiative run by the South Australian Film Corporation, Screen Australia, and Adelaide Film Festival.

Networking drinks

6:00 pm to 7:00 pm ~ Angelika Bar, State Cinema
373 Elizabeth St, North Hobart