‘Zsazsa Zaturnah’ flies to Annecy animation fest in France

The team shared both excitement and nerves, revealing the film is still unfinished as they race to meet the deadline after a six-year production journey.

Despite the challenges, including funding hurdles for a queer superhero story that doesn’t fit traditional categories, the project earned a spot in the prestigious festival lineup even in its incomplete form.

“Zsazsa Zaturnnah” follows a shy gay man who swallows a magical rock and transforms into a flamboyant female superhero.

Created by Filipino comic book artist Carlo Vergara, “Zsazsa Zaturnnah” began as a cult-favorite graphic novel about a shy gay beautician who transforms into a flamboyant superheroine after swallowing a magical meteor.

The property has since evolved across multiple formats: a long-running stage musical first mounted by Tanghalang Pilipino in 2006, a film adaptation directed by Joel Lamangan, also in 2006, and several revivals, including a 2023 restaging by Ateneo Blue Repertory.

The latest iteration is the animated feature directed by Avid Liongoren, known for works like “Saving Sally” and “Hayop Ka!”, marking the character’s first full-length animated outing and an international co-production years in the making.