Two queer Filipino animated films are premiering at Annecy this June

Two Filipino queer animated films are premiering at Annecy this June and it is a landmark moment

Zsazsa Zaturnnah and Lovers both screen at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival from 21 to 27 June. Six years of work. A Kickstarter that raised $400,000. One festival. Two queer Filipino stories.

Avid Liongoren's Zsazsa Zaturnnah will make its international premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival this June after six years in production. Selected for the festival's Midnight Specials programme, a category reserved for bold, edgy and adult-targeted works, the film tells the story of Ada, a shy gay beautician in a small Filipino town whose life changes when a meteorite crashes to earth. He swallows the stone and transforms into Zsazsa Zaturnnah, a powerful female superhero with flaming red hair and superhuman strength. The film blends traditional superhero tropes with Filipino cultural detail and LGBTQ+ themes in a way that has rarely been seen in mainstream animated features.

Liongoren has spoken candidly about the years of rejection the project faced. "Making a queer superhero film sounds fun until you realize that it is so niche that no business entities would be willing to back it," he said. "But we kept working despite the countless rejections, and we slowly gained support from really kind folks." The film is co-produced by Rocketsheep Studio and CreaZion Studios Inc.

Alongside it at Annecy is Lovers, an adult animated short by independent studio Heartbreak Studio. The enemies-to-lovers story follows Sara, a young chef running her family's restaurant, who crosses paths with Sirena, a literal siren. The film features Valorant voice actors Vanille Velasquez and Dawn Bennett, and took nearly four years to complete. The studio's Kickstarter campaign raised $400,000 in 45 days from more than 7,000 backers. Development began when the creators were still college sophomores with no formal art school training. After its festival run, Lovers will be released free on YouTube.

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival runs from 21 to 27 June 2026 in Annecy, France, and is widely considered the most prestigious animation event in the world.

Reporting: Philippine Inquirer / Philippine Tribune

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