Growing up as a queer mixed-Asian woman may not have been the easiest for writer and director Sarah Kambe Holland, but it did provide inspiration for her debut feature film, Egghead & Twinkie.
Although she says that none of the actual events of the movie are true, it’s the matters of representation with the cast and other cultural influences that was the most meaningful to her.
Made by and for Gen Z, Egghead & Twinkie is a deeply personal coming-of-age comedy about the joys and pains of coming out of the closet and coming to terms with being queer. Starring Sabrina Jie-A-Fa as the titular character Twinkie, she is an Asian American teen who comes out to her parents. Afterwards, she leaves on a road trip with her nerdy best friend, Egghead (Louis Tomeo), to meet her online crush, a social media star and influencer. As they make their way across the country, Egghead wrestles with his unrequited feelings for Twinkie, while Twinkie learns to embrace her identity as a gay mixed-Asian woman.
Supporting cast members include Asahi Hirano, Ayden Lee, J. Scott Browning, Kelley Mauro, Steven Lane, and Roger Greco.
Known as the first feature film to crowdfund on TikTok, Egghead & Twinkie was supported by thousands of strangers on the internet who believed in the project. The film made its world premiere at Cinequest and has gone on to earn critical acclaim at festivals around the globe, including London’s BFI Flare Festival, the TIFF Next Wave Film Festival, the Seattle International Film Festival, and Frameline.
Egghead & Twinkie will screen next at Outfest Los Angeles on July 21 at the DGA Theater Complex in West Hollywood, and Instinct had the opportunity to talk more about the film, their characters, and their passion for acting and storytelling with Jie-A-Fa and Tomeo.
Check out the full video interview below.
Sabrina Jie-A-Fa (Twinkie) & Louis Tomeo (Egghead)…
Follow Jie-A-Fa: Instagram | TikTok
Follow Tomeo: Facebook | Instagram
Click HERE to find out where the film will play next and how to stream.
