Josephine Starte

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Josephine Starte is an award-winning actor and writer. Winner of the NoBudge Best Actress award, Josephine’s performances have been called ‘very cool’ by showrunner Joey Soloway (‘Transparent’), and ‘very funny’ by Time Out.

Recent credits include a lead role in the break-out satirical hit, ‘The Birthday Trip’. The film was lauded as Australia’s answer to The White Lotus, receiving excellent reviews (‘Excellent…always compelling…the performances are uniformly strong’ **** THE GUARDIAN; ‘A painful and funny watch’ THE AGE; ‘One of the best Australian films of the year.’ CINEMA AUSTRALIA). Josephine featured as the covergirl for SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, who called the film ‘A well-lubricated descent into hell’.

She is one half of the inaugural female cast of the Oliver nominated Potted Potter, with transfers to Europe, Canada and the United States.

As a writer, Josephine recently finished filming her short film ‘I Don’t Live Here’, produced by BFI Network. Starring herself and Geraldine James OBE, this darkly comic psychological horror is now in development as a feature with the same creative team.

Her play ‘Killing It’, directed by RSC Fellow Lily McLeish for Vault Festival, received all 4 and 5 star reviews. A Younger Theatre called it ‘Breathtaking, beautiful theatre … Starte shines in this role, exhibiting both acerbic wit and impressive depth – truly one to watch’. Blending stand-up comedy with surreal family drama, it was long-listed for the Bruntwood Prize with Manchester Royal Exchange.

Josephine is a BAFTA Connect member (writing cohort) and previous Drama Fellow at the Alpine Fellowship, Venice, selected by showrunner Mike Lesslie (‘The Hunger Games’, ‘Dope Girls’). Lesslie called a separate script of hers ‘one of the best scripts I’ve read this year’.

A lover of improv on film and on stage, Josephine co-created the cult web-series ‘Special Guests’ with comic Jeffrey Khan and director Toby Parker Rees (On The Edge, Channel 4), and is one third of GUM Improv, nominated for Best Comedy Group by Phoenix Remix.