Queer Screen helps Sunflower to bloom

By Adam Ross

The funding was awarded from a jury composed of Sue Maslin (producer, The Dressmaker), Paul Tonta (Festivals and Special Events Manager, Madman Entertainment) and Kylie Washington (General Manager and Creative Director, BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand). Of the grant, Queer Screen Festival Director Lisa Rose said “Supporting Australian LGBTIQ+ filmmakers to complete their projects is a fundamental part of what Queer Screen is about and we are thrilled to award $15,000 to the team behind Sunflower. We can’t wait to see it on the big screen.”

Coming from producer Zane Borg’s Pancake Originals, Sunflower is the feature film debut from writer/director Gabriel Carrubba (Hopeless Paradise, Born to Die). The coming-of-age tale follows schoolboy Leo (Liam Mollica) as he navigates his emerging sexuality in Melbourne’s working-class suburbs. 

Joining lead Liam Mollica (Nowhere Boys) are emerging Australian talents Luke J. Morgan (The Xrossing), Oliva Fildes (How Deep Is the Ocean), Mia Barrett (The Library Boys), Elias Anton (Of an Age), Sal Galofaro (Crossfire), Uisce Goriss-Dazeley (The Library Boys), and Mark Muo (Streets of Colour). The film will also mark the feature film debuts of Jacob Pontil-Scala, Daniel Halmarick, Diana Ferreira, Dylan Laguerre, and Nelson Blattman.

The film comes from a personal place for writer/director Gabriel Carruba, and he hopes his film will resonate with younger viewers. “Growing up, there weren’t many queer films for a closeted teenager in the outer suburbs of Melbourne to watch. I felt alone and isolated, as if I were the only teenage boy struggling with my thoughts and feelings. I made Sunflower to give queer teenagers hope, to show them that they’re not alone, that they are perfectly fine just the way they are. Had I seen a film like Sunflower as a teenager, perhaps I wouldn’t have felt as isolated.”

Producer Zane Borg shares Carrubba’s sentiments. “These stories like Gabriel’s, lived and shared, play an important role. They present a path forward, a guiding light, which should never be extinguished until each and every last person has found their way. It’s my hope that the release of Sunflower will ignite more of these personal stories being brought to the Australian screen.” 

Sunflower is slated for a 2023 release.