Luke Roberts

Pope Alice: Transcendence follows the apparition of Her Divine Holiness Pope Alice, an enigmatic spiritual emissary who communicates not through conventional narrative, but through light, movement, sound and presence. Entering the charged nocturnal world of Dark Mofo, she transforms Planet-X nightclub from a world under siege into a contemporary cathedral, drawing its audience into a collective ritual of awakening and transcendence.

Distilled from Pope Alice's acclaimed hour-long live performances at Dark Mofo 2022 in Hobart, Australia, this visually immersive short combines queer iconography, sacred ceremony, experimental performance and cosmic mythology in a cinematic experience unlike any other.

The film is intended for audiences drawn to visionary cinema, contemporary art, performance art, queer iconography, experimental music, ritual and alternative spirituality. It will particularly appeal to viewers of Alejandro Jodorowsky's The Holy Mountain, Matthew Barney's Cremaster Cycle, Derek Jarman's films, Federico Fellini's Satyricon, Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami and visually immersive works such as Baraka while offering the distinctive mythology, humour, futuristic vision and alternative cultural history of Pope Alice.

The film is inspired by the mythology of Pope Alice, the acclaimed creation of Australian artist Luke Roberts, and by the transformation of a nightclub from a besieged planetary world under attack by malevolent forces into a contemporary sacred space. Appearing as a benevolent, queer and otherworldly presence, Pope Alice assists the gathered "citizens" to disarm the threat by calling them towards awakening, collective participation and transcendence.

At a time of profound social division, spiritual uncertainty, expanding cosmic awareness and renewed questioning of established systems, the film proposes ritual and imagination as powerful forms of reconnection, transformation, inclusion and collective experience.

Pope Alice: Transcendence is a completed experimental short film, distilled from extensive footage of the original hour-long performances and conceived as a self-contained cinematic artwork rather than simply a record of the live event. It is currently being submitted to international film festivals, and we are seeking distribution, curatorial representation and opportunities across streaming, broadcast, gallery, museum and arts-programming platforms.

The film also serves as a proof of concept for a substantial documentary project, for which we are seeking development funding and creative partners to introduce Pope Alice's distinctive mythology, messages and artistic legacy to wider international audiences.

Official Title: Pope Alice: Transcendence. Format: Experimental short film / performance film. Running Time: 8 minutes 44 seconds. Country: Australia. Year Completed: 2023.