Pussy Pumps Up (1979)
Filed under: Animation, 1970s, Animation Types, Antoinette Starkiewicz, Australia, Color, Experimental, hand-drawn,
Pussy Pumps Up
Directed by:
Producers:
Animated by:
Music by:Sharon Calcraft, Fredric Chopin, Allistair Jones
Studio:Film Graphics, Australian Film Commission
Release date:1979
Running time:6 mins
Color process:Color
Synopsis
Pussy Pumps Up (1979) is a musical short by the Australian animator and artist Antoinette Starkiewicz. The film uses shifting linework to depict female sexuality and gender fluidity. (Quigley)
Reception:
The film was the first animated short to win an Australian Film Institue award in the category of animation. (Starkiewicz, 2022)
References:
“Pussy Pumps Up” (1976), ASO, https://aso.gov.au/titles/short-features/pussy-pumps-up/ Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
Quigley, Dr. Marian. “Curator’s Notes: Pussy Pumps Up” ASO, https://aso.gov.au/titles/shorts/pianoforte/notes/ Accessed 17 Feb, 2026.
Starkiewicz, Antoinette. “Oral History Excerpt: Pussy Pumps Up.” National Film and Soud Archive of Australia, 2022 https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/asset/101645-antoinette-starkiewicz-oral-history-excerpt-pussy-pumps Accessed 17 Feb, 2026.