Daniel Talbott Launches 'Orphan Andy Films' to Champion Queer Voices Worldwide
Filmmaker Daniel Talbott has launched Orphan Andy Films, a new film and television production company dedicated to amplifying queer voices from around the world.
The banner takes its name from the iconic Orphan Andy’s diner in San Francisco’s Castro district — a historic LGBTQ+ hub - signalling Talbott’s commitment to storytelling rooted in queer culture and community.
“Our community is under renewed attack in the U.S.,” Talbott said of the impetus behind the company’s launch. “That has made me want to be more visible, vocal, radical, and out there in both film and television. Most importantly, I want to help other queer filmmakers from every background and corner of the world make their films and tell their stories.”
A Slate Centered on Queer History and Community
Among the projects currently in development at Orphan Andy Films:
- Welcome to Tool Shed, a documentary about an iconic Palm Springs leather bar
- The World’s Coming in Fast, an experimental narrative-documentary hybrid exploring San Francisco as a historic home for queer joy
- Born Again, a half-hour drama series about a group of friends navigating grief after losing a loved one
- Parking, a short film
The company plans to prioritise rural, working-class and international queer stories, partnering with other producers to bring projects to life.
Inspired by Queercore Cinema
Talbott cites the influence of filmmakers including Gus Van Sant, Cheryl Dunye, Gregg Araki, Chantal Akerman, Jennie Livingston, Todd Haynes, Lucio Castro, Derek Jarman, Lizzie Borden, and Agnès Varda.
Many of these artists are associated with the queercore movement — a DIY, punk-influenced cultural wave that emerged in the 1980s and embraced radical, independent queer storytelling.
“Queercore is embedded into the DNA of LGBTQ+ film,” Talbott said. “Something is always at risk emotionally, spiritually, and in how the film is dreamt up and made.”
He added that Orphan Andy Films will operate with what he describes as a deep “indie film lifer” obsession with cinema.
An Expanding Creative Footprint
Talbott is an award-winning writer-director and co-curator of the queer screening series Black Cat Cinema. His debut feature, Midday Black Midnight Blue, co-written and co-directed with Samantha Soule, premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival.
His upcoming projects include the horror drama pilot Rome, Georgia, starring Mary-Louise Parker, and the feature script Gray, currently in development in Denmark. He is also co-directing Welcome to Tool Shed and co-showrunning Born Again with Stephen Laughton.
On the television side, Talbott previously served as a staff writer on The Conners and worked on The Mist, based on the novella by Stephen King.
With Orphan Andy Films, Talbott aims to create space for bold, emotionally risk-taking queer cinema at a moment he believes calls for renewed visibility and solidarity.
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