The Little Piratemaid a film by Luke Beatrice, June 1st 2026 5pm EST on YouTube
Laurels of film festival awards including Best LGBT Animation, Exceptional Merit, and Outstanding Achievement in Animation.
The Little Piratemaid is an animated short about what it takes to discover yourself as a trans person in a cis-normative world—even if that world is one of pirates and mermaids! This short film focuses on the initial stages of transition, the moments of realization, and the courage it takes for a little pirate girl to simply be herself. The Little Piratemaid was Luke Beatrice’s senior thesis project at Lesley University. The original, super short version was released in film festivals in 2023. After graduation, Luke made the full, extended version (twice the length of the original) outside the confines of a school project. The new short was submitted to film festivals and won awards over the course of 2024 and 2025. Pride month 2026 marks The Little Piratemaid’s public release on YouTube.
Casting by Zack Rocklin-Waltch Music by Elias Schwartzman Sound FX by Epidemic Sound Special Thanks Olivia Strauss Jesse and Dallas Mom and Dad Zack Rocklin-Waltch & Lesley University Animation 2023 Pirate Rafi Perez Mermaid Audrey Forman & Steena Carey Captain Benton Melbourne Sisters Brittany Skyy Holland Watkins & Kennedy Niyah Hill Pirate Crew Estefan Granucci & Michael MacLeod
🏴☠️Avast! The Little Piratemaid coming June 1st to YouTube!🧜♀️
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🌊 Fair winds be with ye! 🌊
#indieanimation #transgendercharacter #mermaidsandpirates #artgiveaway #seashanties
