International

Captain Faggotron Saves the Universe

a film by Harvey Rabbit

Germany 2023, 72 minutes, English and German
Subtitles: German, English

Captain Faggotron Saves the Universe

A campy fantasy film about internalized homophobia, the tyranny of the closet and the fear of a gay planet, „Captain Faggotron Saves the Universe“ is a direct response to the Orlando night club shooting, the rising power of the alt-right in the USA, the persecution of homosexuality in Russia, and the violence that follows queer people of all genders throughout their lives. The film follows a tradition deeply rooted in queer survival history: By confronting heteronormative structures, camp exposes absurdities of the mainstream in a way that allows us to laugh. Humor is a weapon, and camp is a tool of joyful resistance.

Father Gaylord ran away to the church to avoid being gay, but he’s not doing a very good job. Meanwhile, his alien ex-lover Queen Bitch is plotting to turn the Earth into a homosexual planet during a cosmic event. Queer super hero Captain Faggotron is caught in the middle. Clashing ideologies culminate in an orgy of gay demons and a love that no longer has to hide.

Long synopsis

Father Gaylord ran away to the church to try to avoid being gay. Will he continue to feel tormented by his desires, or will he learn to embrace his homosexuality? His ex-lover Queen Bitch is an alien from Oberon, a moon of Uranus where they lived happily alongside The Dick Reader. Everything was peaceful and heteronormativity didn’t exist. Unfortunately, since they’ve landed on Planet Earth, they have been unable to fit in to heteronormative society. The planets will soon align and Queen Bitch can perform a ritual that will transform the world into a homosexual planet! She takes the ring back from Father Gaylord, who enlists the reluctant help of his friend Captain Faggotron, who feels a sense of responsibility towards having received kindness from Gaylord when he most needed it.

Queen Bitch and Mr. Smith, Captain Faggotron’s homophobic father, act as opposing forces. Will Father Gaylord embrace the love he feels towards Queen Bitch, or will he take the GayAway, a powder that Mr. Smith assures will make his homosexuality disappear!?

Captain Faggotron and Queen Bitch finally meet at a colorful hot dog stand, and after a tense sausage blow-job match, the unworldly charms of Queen Bitch are impossible for Captain Faggotron to refuse. Captain Faggotron takes it upon himself to perform the ritual that will transform the Earth into a homosexual planet! The problem is that the ritual is deadly to a mere human!

Father Gaylord’s concerns over a homosexual planet are crushed by the realization he might lose his friend to the ritual… He is too late, and in a final act of sacrifice, Captain Faggotron succeeds in transforming the world into a utopia. The glimpse we get promises a better, less heteronormative future with demon orgies to spare!

And more importantly…

No more closets.

Trailer

Biographies

HARVEY RABBIT (he/him; director, writer, producer) is a transgender artist living in Berlin, Germany. He has a Masters degree in dramaturgy and a Masters of Fine Arts in Experimental Theater, both from New College of California. A campaigner for LGBTQIA* and sex worker rights, his activism dates back to the mid-90s when, using spoken word as his medium, he made a scene on Northern California stages, speaking about feminism, queerness, and empowerment. He first touched European soil in 2007 as part of the CESTA „Waste“ festival, a cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary festival in Tàbor, Czech Republic. In 2012 he came to Berlin with his clown show, „ShameNoShame!“
From 2013 to 2015, he produced, curated, and hosted Varieté Ridiculous, a political cabaret in Berlin focusing on sex worker rights. In 2016, his first short film „Slowdance“ (2016), a film noir about homophobia and gay love, premiered at the Berlin Porn Film Festival and has been shown in queer film festivals in many parts of Europe, South and Central America, and the USA. In 2017, he produced „We are the Fucking World“, a short film for Erika Lust. His 2018 short film, „The Chemo Darkroom“ was selected for the shorts competion in the Berlin Porn Film Festival, Berlin Feminist Film Week, IKFF Hamburg and the 2019 Hacker Porn Film Festival in Rome.
His first feature film, „Captain Faggotron Saves the Universe“ had its world premeire at the 2023 International Film Festival Rotterdam, was selected in the Midnight section at Karlovy Vary IFF, and was the closing film in the inaugural Sunny Bunny, the Ukraine’s first LGBT+ Film Festival.

VANESSA JÚPITER (they/them; producer) is a Berlin-based drag performer and events organizer. She has hosted multiple events and shows through the years, and is a mastermind of organization. Working with people is her greatest skill. A perfect balance of diplomacy and heart, she sets deadlines and keeps things moving, all while being a joy to work with and for.

After graduating in sociology and philosophy, NATE PISCHNER (all pronouns; DOP) began studying cinematography at the Filmarche in Berlin in 2018. A previously theoretical discussion of gender became the artistic focus of their current work.

A performer, dancer and a queer artist, TCHIVETT (they/them, Captain Faggotron) have created five solo dance performances and have toured throughout Europe in art spaces as well as on alternative and/or queer scenes. They have also contributed to various dance research and performance collectives (Danses bizarres, CORPOL, Collective matters, etc.) with a focus on queer culture, feminist politics and self-organization. They completed the Choreography masters at HZT-berlin in 2018 and developed their own practice as a dance maker, in connection with their deep-rooted artistic interests for performance, visual arts and sculpture. Among others they have performed in re-enactments of Hanna Halprin and Marina Abramovic, danced in choreographic pieces by Atsushi Takenouchi and Annabel Guérédrat, and worked in Berlin with Shannon Cooney, Jolika Südermann and Josep Caballero. And In the meantime they made queer zombie post porn movies and taught fem-positive & body-positive lapdance workshops.

BISHOP BLACK (they/them; Queen Bitch) is a British artist who has been working as a performer for 7 years, first in the field of performance art, then mainly in art and film. In particular, they devote their attention to the use of the body as language and as a politicized tool through gender and sexuality. Bishop had solo and collective appearances in various cities, including Warsaw, London, Helsinki and Berlin. They are also known for their groundbreaking work as an ethical porn performer.

RODRIGO GARCIA ALVES (he/him; Father Gaylord) is a Brazilian choreographer, performance artist, and curator based in Berlin. Alves holds a Master degree in Solo Dance Authorship from the University of Arts Berlin (UdK) and a Bachelor degree in Directing Theater from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Since 2005 he explored the concept of creative translation (transcreation*), queer affects, and collage as a choreographic method. He created Studio Disorder in 2013 as a platform for performing and visual arts. Since 2016 he has an ongoing engagement with an artistic residency at Tanzhaus Düsseldorf.

Credits

Crew

Directed & written by

Harvey Rabbit

DOP

Nate Pischner

Production design

Pussy Ranz

Music

JC Dozal

Costume design

Amanda Halbrock supported by Carni Closet

Make up

Caine Panik

Edition & post production supervisor

Maksim Mau

Illustrations

Verena Borawski

Animation & motion design

Maria Lissel

Animation cut-outs

Rory Midhani

Producer

Harvey Rabbit

Coproducer

Vanessa Júpiter

Cast

Captain Faggotron

Tchivett

Queen Bitch

Bishop Black

Father Gaylord

Rodrigo Garcia Alves

A Transmenace Production
in association with Filmarche, e.V.
World Sales Salzgeber

Screener

Material