Leela Varghese
Directing
Biography
Leela Varghese (born 1992 in Bundaberg) is an Australian film director, screenwriter, and actress. From 2008 to 2018, Leela Varghese worked as a presenter for the Australian children's series *Totally Wild*; beginning in 2011, she directed and wrote several short films. She garnered particular attention with the short film *Crush*, which won the award for Best Screenplay at Tropfest in 2019. Subsequently, together with Emma Hough Hobbs, she developed the feature film *Lesbian Space Princess*, which screened in the Panorama section at the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival and was awarded the Teddy Award for Best LGBTQIA+ Feature Film. Varghese is openly lesbian and frequently explores queer perspectives and diversity in her work.
Known For
A space princess is thrust out of her sheltered life and into a galactic quest to save her bounty hunter ex-girlfriend from evil incel aliens.
Lesbian Space Princess
Sheri thought her biggest problem in life was dealing with the recent loss of her beloved grandma. But when a mysterious entity crash lands in the woods, only she and her group of shitkicker friends are what stands in the way of an insatiable, intergalactic hunger.
Our Effed Up World
When a romantic gesture towards a bartender backfires, Lali unexpectedly finds herself offered a pity date by another bartender, Ana. What starts as an awkward encounter turns into a genuine connection as they bond over shared experiences as women of color. As they grow closer, Lali finds herself falling for Ana. But when the conversation takes an unexpected turn, Lali must confront her prejudices towards Ana and... herself.
I'm the Most Racist Person I Know
When Matt accidentally shrinks himself and is captured by the ants whom he has unwittingly been squashing, he must find a way to escape their clutches and his impending death sentence.
Science+
A distressed Lizzy hopes she can ask out the girl of her dreams, a gorgeous retail worker, before she buys an entire stores worth of novelty candles.