Private Project

Lactasia

Queer feminist B-movie

  • Val Phoenix
    Director
    Love/Sick, Totally Girl Powered
  • Val Phoenix
    Writer
  • Alexandra Graves
    Writer
  • Val Phoenix
    Producer
  • Kaleya Baxe
    Key Cast
    "Jen"
  • Helen Wright
    Key Cast
    "Michelle"
  • Sue Gives a Fuck
    Key Cast
    "Imelda"
  • Ledy Leyssen
    Key Cast
    "Dr. Petra Rojas"
  • Anca Badita, DOP
    Key Crew
  • Aram Morera Mesa, sound mixer
    Key Crew
  • Ida Thomasdotter, editor
    Post-production
  • Taos Djouhri, VFX/grade
    Post-production
  • Spike, music
    Post-production
  • Project Type:
    Feature, Short, Other
  • Genres:
    comedy, horror, sci-fi, LGBT
  • Runtime:
    46 minutes 8 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 27, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    0 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    digital, 16mm
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Horror-on-Sea
    Southend-on-Sea
    United Kingdom
    January 14, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Independent Starfest
    Freising
    Germany
    October 13, 2023
    German Premiere
    SIlver Award LGBTQ+
  • Fringe! Queer Film and Arts Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    September 23, 2023
    UK Premiere
  • Her Vision Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    June 30, 2023
    World Premiere
Distribution Information
  • Val Phoenix
Director Biography - Val Phoenix

Val Phoenix has been making films since 2006, working in the no-budget DIY realm. Ranging from music videos to non-linear experimentation, her short films have played at festivals and film nights such as Fringe!, LaDIYfest Berlin, Bildwechsel and Whirlygig Cinema. In 2015 she was the recipient of a retrospective at Wotever DIY Film Festival and she completed Love/Sick as part of the BFI-no.w.here co-production, Queering Love, Queering Hormones. Her most recent project, Lactasia, completed in 2022. Photo credit: Jude Long

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Lactasia came to life in February 2015 as a result of conversations between co-writers Val Phoenix and Alex Graves on feminism and horror, with diversions into Sara Ahmed's figure of the willful arm, exploding body parts and zombie drag queens. Over time, the film evolved into more of a bad taste farce until it reached its present form as a DIY queer feminist B-movie.

Cinematic reference points include Lizzie Borden, Vivienne Dick and John Waters. Development of the film gathered pace over 2015 and it started shooting in spring 2016 and concluded in January 2019.

The project is totally independent and DIY, which means nobody is being paid and there is no company behind it.

DIY forever!

The story:
Jen is a bratty but strong funeral parlour employee. Her job is to make the dead seem less dead by pilling on tones of make up on their faces and bodies. It all goes downhill when her boss and bargain enthusiast, Michelle, hands her a batch of suspiciously cheap liquid foundation to use. Unbeknownst to them, the make up comes from a stupid but also evil cosmetics company with an agenda against beauty, confidence and...fun. Jen shares the make up with her sassy drag queen roommate Imelda, who then shares it with all her drag queen friends. As it spreads across the queens, even reaching innocent goth party-goers, our heroines team up with a radical toxicologist and three undead drag artistes who walk the earth with the sole purpose to turn those stupid corporate drones into useless slime (and have a walk-off while doing so).