Baby talk

Short film, 2026

In the crushing heat of summer in 1992, Leo and Amy drive the final leg of a road trip home. It’s a Thelma-and-Louise-kind-of trip: Amy and Leo bicker and laugh, share the driving shifts, and sing at the top of their lungs as they whizz down the highway. From a distance it’s platonic; but up close, electricity buzzes between them. Trapped in an era when it’s impossible to be themselves, the spectre of a husband-to-be haunts their get away—because when they return home, they’ll return to the closet. But the last hours on the road together are theirs. And like always, Amy and Leo will take what they can. This time, they might even take more. Based on a true story.

Winner — Short Award, Adelaide Film Festival 2026 | Winner — Queer Screen Pitch Off Production Grant 2023

Nominated — Best Film, Best Director, Mardi Gras Film Festival 2026 | Nominated — Best Short Film Heart Of Gold Film Festival 2026 | Shortlisted — Shore Scripts Post Production Grant 2025

World Premiere Mardi Gras Film Festival 2026 | Official Selection Adelaide Film Festival, CinefestOZ, Heart of Gold, QUEERHUB Film Festival London, East London LGBTQ+ Film Festival 2026

Writer/director — Lizzie Cater | producer — Alex Cook | DOP — Nisa East | Editor — Lily Davis | Colourist — Alina Bermingham | Sound Designer — Weronika Raźna | Stills — Sarah Wilson | Starring — Priscilla Doueihy & Essie Randles