Souvenir Brings the Perils of Young, Toxic Queer Love to SXSW
SOUVENIR, an intimate and unsettling coming-of-age short from award-winning filmmaker Renée Marie Petropoulos, will make its North American Premiere at the 2026 SXSW Film Festival.
Set in the summer of 2008, SOUVENIR follows Keira (Tanzyn Crawford), a closeted teenage girl vacationing at a tropical resort with her family and girlfriend Zoe (Emily Grant). Navigating the secrecy of their relationship, the girls seize private moments to be together, with Keira increasingly hungry for Zoe's attention. But during an intimate encounter, Keira is startled to find Zoe taking photos of her. Confused and unsettled by the act, Keira is forced to confront the complex power Zoe holds over her, culminating in an act of personal reckoning.
Shaped by themes central to Petropoulos' work, SOUVENIR examines womanhood, sexual violence, and uneasy power dynamics through a queer lens. The story also draws from Petropoulos and producer Yingna Lu's personal experiences of abusive dynamics of yearning, shame, and the desperate need for approval.
"With SOUVENIR, I hope to lead the audience through a realistic take on the cycle of abuse through an accumulation of small, painful moments." " Renée Marie Petropoulos
Renée Marie Petropoulos, is an award-winning, queer Greek-Australian filmmaker from Gadigal/Sydney. Her graduating thesis film, TANGLES AND KNOTS, premiered at Berlinale 2018 Generation 14Plus Competition, SXSW 2018 and was awarded the Canon Award for Best Direction in an Australian Film at Flickerfest 2019 and Best Female Director Award at Hollyshorts 2019. Renée is currently in development on a variety of projects, including the feature version of TANGLES AND KNOTS and a second feature film KEEP WALKING.
Yingna Lu is a creative producer and co-founder of Spaceboy Studios with Steve Anthopoulos. She has produced scripted digital shows for ABC, Foxtel, and was among Screen Producers Australia's Ones to Watch in 2016, winning the coveted $20,000 screen Internship. Her 2022 short VOICE ACTIVATED, written and directed by Anthopoulos, premiered internationally in Tribeca, was nominated for an Australian Academy Award and won Short Film Production of the Year at the 2023 Australian Screen Producer Guild Awards. Yingna also produced the 10-part ABC AACTA-nominated second season of THE PM'S DAUGHTER with Fremantle, and most recently ABC's half hour series CAPER CREW airing in April 2026.
Lead cast, Tanzyn Crawford was born in Perth, Western Australia. Her breakout role came as 'Rae Kincade', in the Hulu/ Hello Sunshine production TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS, playing Kathryn Hahn's daughter. In 2024, Tanzyn was cast in the highly anticipated Game of Thrones prequel, A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS, and has been announced to join Netflix Live-Action series ASSASSIN'S CREED which will begin production March 2026. She is supported by Emily Grant, best known for LAST DAYS OF THE SPACE AGE on Disney+.
Shot by Adric Watson (2022 Winner Camerimage Golden Frog: A MOUTHFUL OF PETROL, 2018 Palme D'or winner: ALL THESE CREATURES)
The film acts as a proof of concept for Petropoulos' forthcoming semi-autobiographical feature KEEP WALKING, currently in development with support from Screen NSW's Short to Feature Fast Track Initiative.
SOUVENIR will screen at the 2026 SXSW Film Festival. Find more information here.
Watch the trailer here
Set in the summer of 2008, SOUVENIR follows Keira (Tanzyn Crawford), a closeted teenage girl vacationing at a tropical resort with her family and girlfriend Zoe (Emily Grant). Navigating the secrecy of their relationship, the girls seize private moments to be together, with Keira increasingly hungry for Zoe's attention. But during an intimate encounter, Keira is startled to find Zoe taking photos of her. Confused and unsettled by the act, Keira is forced to confront the complex power Zoe holds over her, culminating in an act of personal reckoning.
Shaped by themes central to Petropoulos' work, SOUVENIR examines womanhood, sexual violence, and uneasy power dynamics through a queer lens. The story also draws from Petropoulos and producer Yingna Lu's personal experiences of abusive dynamics of yearning, shame, and the desperate need for approval.
"With SOUVENIR, I hope to lead the audience through a realistic take on the cycle of abuse through an accumulation of small, painful moments." " Renée Marie Petropoulos
Renée Marie Petropoulos, is an award-winning, queer Greek-Australian filmmaker from Gadigal/Sydney. Her graduating thesis film, TANGLES AND KNOTS, premiered at Berlinale 2018 Generation 14Plus Competition, SXSW 2018 and was awarded the Canon Award for Best Direction in an Australian Film at Flickerfest 2019 and Best Female Director Award at Hollyshorts 2019. Renée is currently in development on a variety of projects, including the feature version of TANGLES AND KNOTS and a second feature film KEEP WALKING.
Yingna Lu is a creative producer and co-founder of Spaceboy Studios with Steve Anthopoulos. She has produced scripted digital shows for ABC, Foxtel, and was among Screen Producers Australia's Ones to Watch in 2016, winning the coveted $20,000 screen Internship. Her 2022 short VOICE ACTIVATED, written and directed by Anthopoulos, premiered internationally in Tribeca, was nominated for an Australian Academy Award and won Short Film Production of the Year at the 2023 Australian Screen Producer Guild Awards. Yingna also produced the 10-part ABC AACTA-nominated second season of THE PM'S DAUGHTER with Fremantle, and most recently ABC's half hour series CAPER CREW airing in April 2026.
Lead cast, Tanzyn Crawford was born in Perth, Western Australia. Her breakout role came as 'Rae Kincade', in the Hulu/ Hello Sunshine production TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS, playing Kathryn Hahn's daughter. In 2024, Tanzyn was cast in the highly anticipated Game of Thrones prequel, A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS, and has been announced to join Netflix Live-Action series ASSASSIN'S CREED which will begin production March 2026. She is supported by Emily Grant, best known for LAST DAYS OF THE SPACE AGE on Disney+.
Shot by Adric Watson (2022 Winner Camerimage Golden Frog: A MOUTHFUL OF PETROL, 2018 Palme D'or winner: ALL THESE CREATURES)
The film acts as a proof of concept for Petropoulos' forthcoming semi-autobiographical feature KEEP WALKING, currently in development with support from Screen NSW's Short to Feature Fast Track Initiative.
SOUVENIR will screen at the 2026 SXSW Film Festival. Find more information here.
Watch the trailer here
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