Sarah Kambe Holland Talks Queer Gen Z Film ‘Egghead & Twinkie’

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 the 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.

Holland’s biggest hope is for the film to resonate with queer youth and their parents, and she would love for Egghead & Twinkie to open a dialogue for LGBTQ teens to speak more openly with their friends and family about their identity. Additionally, she is happy the film provides representation for queer and Asian teens.

Egghead & Twinkie made its world premiere at Cinequest and has gone on to earn critical acclaim at festivals around the globe including TIFF and Framline. It will screen next at Outfest Los Angeles on July 21 at the DGA Theater Complex in West Hollywood.

OFM had the opportunity to sit down with Holland and talk more about the film and its journey as well as her passion for storytelling and how Egghead & Twinkie was the first feature film to crowdfund on TikTok.

Sarah, can you begin by telling us how the idea for Egghead & Twinkie came to fruition?

Oh, I have to go back to six years ago now (laughs). I first came up with the idea for Egghead & Twinkie as a short film, and then it later ended up expanding out into a feature. The original idea for the short came to me a couple months after coming out to my own parents. Like all difficult situations, I wanted to try and find the humor in it. Coming out can oftentimes be a very difficult scenario for queer people, so that’s really how it started. I asked myself, can I make a comedy about the coming out process? Then it kind of grew from there.

You never initially imagined this would turn into a full-length feature?

Not at all! I didn’t have that kind of foresight.

In addition to Egghead & Twinkie being your debut feature film, it’s also your first LGBTQ-themed film. Any film project prior to this, you were in the closet. So, how has this journey been personally meaningful to you?

It’s been very, very meaningful. Honestly, I think I kind of grew up while making this film. Not just as an artist, but as a queer person. It’s made me so much more confident in my own identity. Before, there were so many stories I wanted to tell, but I felt like I couldn’t because I was closeted. Now since making this film, it has opened a lot of doors for me creatively.

Have you always had a passion for storytelling?

Definitely, from a very young age. I was like that weird kid in your seventh-grade English class who was writing a novel. That was me.

Besides representation, what are some other major themes Egghead & Twinkie explores?

I’d say it explores themes of friendship and racial identity, but also communication and social media use in the modern age.

Egghead & Twinkie made its world premiere at the Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival in March and has played at several festivals since. How has the audience response been?

It’s been amazing! It was a very nerve-wracking moment to finally release the film because it’s been in the works, if you include the short film, for about six years, and we’ve been working on the feature for almost the last four years. When I was deep in the throes of post-production, I remember watching it for the seven billionth time and thinking, is this even funny? Are any of these jokes funny? So, to sit in a room full of people and to hear them laughing, crying, and going on an emotional journey with the movie is honestly such a privilege. It’s something I won’t ever take for granted.

What do you ultimately hope audiences take away from the film?

I hope people feel a little more positive about the world and their relationships coming out of the film. It’s a very hopeful film because Twinkie, she goes through some struggles. It’s not easy for her as a queer person, but I think it ends on a hopeful note that things will get better, and you’ll find people in your life who will accept you for exactly who you are.

How excited are you for the film to play at Outfest on July 21?

Oh, I’m so excited! Outfest has been on my filmmaker bucket list for so long, and I’ve never attended before. It’s going to be great.

In your opinion, what made Sabrina Jie-A-Fa and Louis Tomeo perfect for the roles of Egghead & Twinkie?

Wow, I could go on and on. They’re both great. I brought them both on for the short, and then I brought them back for the feature. Sabrina, who plays Twinkie, her story is incredible. When I cast her for the short, it was actually her first ever speaking role in a film, and she was playing the lead. She was fantastic in the short, so it was an easy decision to bring her back for the feature. She has such amazing instincts, and she’s a very natural performer. I truly think she embodies Twinkie as a person. She has the same energy and essence.

Then Louis, who plays Egghead, he’s just a hilarious guy. Like, he makes me laugh just by existing. When he walked into the room to audition for Egghead, I was like, oh my God, this kid’s got it! I don’t even know what it is, but he has it (laughs). He’s a nerd at heart, and he often says that Egghead reminds him of himself when he was younger.

This is also the first feature film to promote a crowdfunding campaign on TikTok. Can you tell us what that was like?

That was a crazy experience because I hadn’t really seen it done before. I spent about three months lurking on TikTok, researching and watching other videos that filmmakers were posting, and I didn’t see any from feature filmmakers trying to utilize the platform to crowdfund. I found that very exciting because I think TikTok is such a great platform for it. It’s structured almost like a pitch platform, where your video is broadcasted to a bunch of new people who have never heard of you before. You have a few seconds to grab their attention, and if you can do that, then you can try to sell them on the idea of your project and encourage them to help out.

So, the whole thing was super exciting. I posted our first-ever TikTok in August 2020, which was basically like a one-minute elevator pitch for the movie, and it went viral. I couldn’t even explain to you how that happened, but it was a crazy journey. It opened a lot of doors for us, and ultimately, we raised about $22,000 to put towards the production of the movie. Being a micro budget project, that made a significant difference.

Being an LGBTQ woman, have you found it at all challenging to break through this male-dominated industry?

I think it’s always a little intimidating, and I have worked on some sets where there’s few women. In that scenario, you tend to notice it more, but I’d say with Egghead & Twinkie, we had a very special group working on this project. There were a lot of queer people, nonbinary folks, and women working in key roles on our set, and that wasn’t really even a conscious decision. I just thought of everyone I knew that was the best at their roles, and it worked out that way. Working on Egghead & Twinkie was a special experience because I got to work with so many like-minded people, and it made me hopeful for the future.

After the film’s festival run, what’s next?

Right now, we’re trying to find the right distributor to get Egghead & Twinkie out on streaming. My end goal is to get it on some bigger streaming platforms, so we’ll see!

What are some future goals you hope to accomplish with your career as a storyteller and filmmaker?

Oh, that’s a good question. I just want to keep making stories that excite me, and stories that have a personal tie in. Like, I do care a lot about LGBTQ representation and Asian American representation because, growing up, there was a lack of media in those areas. I know what that feels like firsthand, so I think I have some personal goals regarding representation, as well as just challenging myself as an artist. I hope to keep learning and growing.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you’d like to mention or plug?

I don’t have enough to say about upcoming projects, other than that there are things in the works!

For more information and to stay up-to-date with Egghead & Twinkie, visit eggheadandtwinkie.com, or follow the film on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @eggheadtwinkiefilm. Connect with Holland by following her on Instagram @shollandfilms or visit sarahkambeholland.com.

Photos courtesy of Scott Dentinger and Olivia Wilson