Jim Queen © 2025 Bobbypills Umedia
Jim Queen by Marco Nguyen and Nicolas Athané: the origins of a completely crazy satire
If you haven’t yet recovered from COVID, then you’re not ready for… Heterosis: a relentless disease wreaking havoc in the gay community in Jim Queen, one of the four animated films listed in this year’s Official Selection. Directed by Marco Nguyen and Nicolas Athané, Jim Queen will be presented at Midnight Screenings. But how did this crazy idea—one that raises issues that are more relevant than ever—come about?
Jim Queen is based on self-mockery and parody, well-known creative tools used in the LGBTQIA+ community. Seven years ago, Marco Nguyen (assistant director of The Rabbi’s Cat written by Joann Sfar, and Zabou Breitman’s The Swallows of Kabul), and screenwriter Simon Balteaux (Section 13), jokingly came up with a fictional story about a reversal of norms. During their discussions, a shock-humor story was developed around the main character, Jim, a sexy gym queen experiencing the first dreadful symptoms of Heterosis, a terrible virus that turns gay men into… heterosexuals!
“It was clear that these jokes brought up some very interesting social issues, but it was rather innocent. And then years passed […], suddenly our innocent jokes became political. […] We became activists despite ourselves.” – Simon Balteaux, screenwriter
Marco Nguyen and Simon Balteaux, who are very familiar with the Parisian nightlife and LGBTQIA+ parties, soon teamed up with co-director Nicolas Athané (Monsieur Flap), and co-screenwriter Brice Chevillard (Moi, moche et méchant).
“Joining forces with Nico and Brice was crucial as they brought a heterosexual point of view that really enhanced the project.” Marco Nguyen, director
Together, and supported by Bobbypills animation studio, they created a galaxy of colorful, burlesque characters that make up Jim Queen: from young Lucien, a closeted scrawny twink who is Jim’s first fan, to Glamydia, his drag fairy godmother that looks like a personified prostate, played by none other than… Philippe Katerine.
They all make up a diverse group of delightful and completely loony queer characters whose adventures are a true “love letter to the gay community.”
