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<\/p>\nFive of the films take place in the same cinematic universe. \u201cSanctuary City\u201d is a seaside utopia inhabited by animals from every continent, but dominated by Australian ones, voiced by the likes of Deborah Mailman, Sam Neill, Angourie Rice, Thomas Weatherall and David Wenham.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s so impressive about their work is that they are championing Australian talent,\u201d says Australian Cin\u00e9math\u00e8que associate curator Rosie Hays, who has programmed the Like A Photon Creative back catalogue for a Saturday screening series at GOMA.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re Brisbane-based. They\u2019re doing all of the things that many in the film industry say are not possible. I love that they\u2019re women-led, and I love that they just get on with making great stories.\u201d<\/p>\n
On a cold Wednesday morning in a nondescript office block in West End, Bates and Souvlis are getting on with the storymaking business.<\/p>\n
Both graduates of the Bachelor of Creative Industries at QUT, the two met while working on children\u2019s TV at Channel 10 on Mount Coot-tha and decided to start out on their own.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe industry was changing. YouTube Kids was just coming about, so I was looking at the media landscape for kids and thinking that we had something to offer,\u201d Souvlis says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were really dedicated and passionate about quality children\u2019s content that had kindness and representation at its heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite having experience in live action only they quickly became the first female Australians to be commissioned to make an animation for Sesame Street (titled 1 to 10 Hoedown).<\/p>\n
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The company made a 26-part series for preschool children for Disney, Balloon Barnyard (2017). Credit: Like a Photon Creative<\/p>\n
At the same time Disney commissioned them to make a 26-episode preschool series, Balloon Barnyard, about two balloon donkeys who solve problems and mysteries.<\/p>\n
The third string to their bow was a reading app for children called Kindergo, which rose to be the number one kids\u2019 app in over 30 countries. That\u2019s when Universal Pictures came knocking.<\/p>\n
\u201cUniversal said, \u2018would you be interested in doing theatrical releases in Australia for Australian audiences? Can you create us a movie?\u2019\u201d Bates, a former teacher and children\u2019s book publisher, recalls.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we said, \u2018what if we created you a Marvel-esque universe whereby we had six to 10 films, and all of those stories wove into each other. Wouldn\u2019t that be better?\u2019 And they said, \u2018yeah, actually that would be better.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The first cab off the rank in was The Wishmas Tree, both a cautionary environmental tale and a smart dive into the yuletide film market. Despite an unlikeable protagonist and a curtailed cinema release due to COVID, it got them off to a strong start.<\/p>\n
The film that followed, superhero story Combat Wombat starring Mailman, taught them a major lesson in what makes a character relatable.<\/p>\n
\u201cA 40-year-old, reluctant female superhero \u2013 you couldn\u2019t possibly tell where that idea came from,\u201d Souvlis laughs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the beginning, I was like, \u2018kids won\u2019t relate to this\u2019,\u201d Bates says. \u201cBut you find the heart of that hero. I mean, look at [2009 Pixar film] Up: you\u2019ve got your older character and your younger character, and you feel just as strongly for the old character.\u201d<\/p>\n
Occupying a pleasing middle ground between Hollywood and Studio Ghibli, the Sanctuary City movies are both earthily comedic (\u201cYou\u2019ve gotta make \u2019em laugh,\u201d Bates says) and emotionally affecting.<\/p>\n
Amid the knockabout action, Daisy Quokka portrays a child finding her own path and a parent reconciling with his estranged daughter.<\/p>\n
The Lost Tiger tackles First Nations identity in the story of a thylacine adopted by kangaroos as a baby who reconnects with his mob.<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s The Sloth Lane \u2013 an anti-fast food quasi-zombie movie that is also a heartfelt celebration of family. With its cast including Latino and American actors, the 2024 film played on 1000 screens in both North and South America.<\/p>\n
Bates says that they feel a responsibility to tell stories about kindness, empathy and compassion.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat there are consequences to actions. That you have responsibilities within a family or community unit. They\u2019re inherent in all of the stories that we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
They also decided early on that continuity of work was crucial. \u201cWe\u2019re not project-by-project; we are a pipeline,\u201d Souvlis says. \u201cOur staff are the most important people that are ever going to come through our building.\u201d<\/p>\n
They have nurtured directors including Murray, Tania Vincent and Ricard Cuss\u00f3. Cuss\u00f3 now co-runs Cosmic Dino, the studio tasked with production on the Bluey movie for Ludo, the BBC and Disney.<\/p>\n
Bates points out that the first four animated movies to be directed by women in Australia are all theirs \u2013 and all three of the filmmakers were pregnant during production.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing able to offer the opportunity for women to work in the industry in the way that men take for granted is really important to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nor is it insignificant that their first six movies all have female protagonists. Several hissworthy villains are women too, ranging from Judith Lucy\u2019s scheming PR-agent koala in Combat Wombat to Celeste Barber\u2019s greedy archeologist in The Lost Tiger.<\/p>\n
Launching a movie business during COVID followed by a crisis in the streaming business has made them resilient, Souvlis says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t have a lot of luck on our side when we started out, and that has made us better business people.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Crucial to their success has been support from Screen Queensland through the Screen Finance Fund and the Post, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) Incentive. Its chief creative officer, Dr Belinda Burns, says companies such as Like a Photon Creative are putting Queensland on the map for animation.<\/p>\n
\u201cNadine and Kristen have built a dynamic production company with a unique slate of characters and films, while also amplifying diverse voices,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Any parent who has despaired at the hold that YouTube Kids has on young viewers should rejoice that children\u2019s screen entertainment still has passionate advocates.<\/p>\n
Yet it\u2019s a rapidly shrinking genre, internationally and locally.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are no buyers in Australia, really, because we don\u2019t have any quotas,\u201d Souvlis laments.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the Photons are poised for greater success. Their next film, Pout-Pout Fish: The Movie, is in the can. Based on a New York Times best-selling picture book, and nearly double the budget of any previous LAPC film, its voice cast includes Nick Offerman, Amy Sedaris, Jordin Sparks and Miranda Otto.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s being made in collaboration with another female-owned production house, New York-based MIMO Studios. So is another film based on a major children\u2019s book, Maggie and Abby\u2019s Neverending Pillow Fort, currently in production for a 2026 release under director Allison Brownmore.<\/p>\n
Just like Daisy Quokka, creative people in Brisbane are used to being underestimated and overlooked. But Bates believes it\u2019s precisely this that has given them the drive to succeed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s because we are underdogs, right? Because we aren\u2019t having opportunities handed to us,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have been called \u2018regional filmmakers\u2019 before,\u201d Souvlis laughs. \u201cPeople come here and go, \u2018Oh! There\u2019s a city here!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n