LUPE Q AND THE GALACTIC EARWORMS Begins Production

Spitshine Flicks, Holiday Pictures Ltd. and Filmoption Productions announced that Lupe Q and the Galactic Earworms has begun shooting.

It is the sophomore feature from writer and director Javier Badillo (Roads of Ithriya. The BC-Quebec co-production is co-written by Nat Marshik. The film has partnered with Filmoption who are handling Canadian Distribution and World Sales. 

Here is a teaser

Lupe is the angsty leader of a noisy high school punk band. She discovers her punk scream is the only effective weapon against an invasion of human-melting alien earworms. She and her bandmates become the target of two warring alien races hellbent on destroying each other, and taking planet Earth down with them. With the help of Lupe’s sweet, shotgun-toting Abuela and Pachi’s high-powered, socialite mom Karen, the gang of misfits throw everything they’ve got at saving the world.

Meet The Cast

Lupe Q and the Galactic Earworms stars Pamela Carolina Martinez (Bunny, The Red Knows), Joshua Odjick (The Long Walk, Wildhood), Florence Boulé-Moineau (Défense d’entrer, Hôtel Beyrouth), Laurence Leboeuf (Two Women, Turbo Kid) and musician and actor Bif Naked (Lunch With Charles, I Hate People, People Hate Me).

The film, which features both English and Spanish languages, also features actors Wanda Ayala (Riceboy Sleeps), Andreas Apergis (Reacher, Star Trek: Discovery), Lee Majdoub (Sonic the Hedgehog), Alessandro Juliani (Battlestar Galactica, Man of Steel) and Panta Mosleh (Eternity, The Last of Us). 

Cornucopia of Cultures

“Punk rock. Creepy space aliens. Young romance. It’s the underdog-buddy-comedy-space opera I’ve been waiting to write ever since I was an angsty Latin American kid shrieking into a mic and cranking my guitar amp to 11,” says Badillo. “In the late nineties, as a Venezuelan teen coming of age in Southeast Asia, I had already grown up on four continents, uprooted into a cornucopia of places and cultures. I developed an abiding fascination with faraway worlds and an intimate knowledge of the power of DIY punk culture to build bridges across language and cultures. When I fell in love with filmmaking, it was only a matter of time before I mixed punk rock into my own films.”

Badillo is an award-winning Venezuelan-Canadian film director, writer, and producer. He started out as a punk rock musician and a 2D animator.

With early careers as a punk rock musician and a 2D animator, he found a natural fit as an independent filmmaker. Javier’s movies have garnered recognition internationally. He has a unique ability to explore themes of identity and our common humanity, in entertaining underdog stories. His debut feature film, Roads Of Ithriyah, won a Leo Award for Best Sound. It was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Writing, and Best Lead Actor.

Diverse Voices

“We are proud to champion a project that centers diverse voices and speaks directly to a new generation of audiences hungry for originality and authenticity.” Says Filmoption’s Vice-President of distribution, Isabelle Legault.

“We believe this electrifying mix of music, queer identity, and alien mayhem will resonate across borders—and we look forward to launching it globally through festivals in 2026, followed by a wide theatrical release in Canada. We are thrilled to begin presales at TIFF in September,” .

Lupe Q and the Galactic Earworms was selected in 2024 by the highly competitive New Dawn Film Fund, by the Netherlands Filmfond, as one of four selected films worldwide. The international film production fund strives for a vibrant, open and inclusive film industry. One with true diversity of perspectives, filmic expressions and relevance for everyone. New Dawn is an initiative of public film funds aiming to open up the film industry to the many voices and perspectives in our continuously changing society. 

Behind The Camera

Javier Badillo (Roads of Ithyriyah) writes, directs and produces the film. Nat Marshik co-writes, Marco Bossow (Bucketheads) and Andy Brown (Bucketheads) serve as joint directors of photography. Martin Cadieux-Rouillard (CAMP), Maya Cadieux-Rouillard (Dusk for a Hitman) Michael Parker (Lunch with Charles) and Shan Tam (Lost in Russia) produce.

Executive producers on the film are Paul Cadieux (Anna Kiri), Maryse Rouillard (Polaris) and Kelly White (Roads of Ithriyah). Filming on the project takes place in Maple Ridge, Algergrove and at the Langley-based volume studio, LumoStage. This film is supported by New Dawn Film Fund by the Netherlands Filmfond.

Learn more about the feature here