Laneikka Denne

Acting

Laneikka Denne

Laneikka is a queer writer and actor from Western Sydney. At seventeen, Laneikka wrote DEAD SKIN winner of SA State Theatre Company’s Young Playwrights Award, performed in Sydney and LA, published by Australian plays. Laneikka’s second play FEMINAZI premiered as part of Belvoir Theatre’s Sydney World Pride Programming in 2023. Laneikka was the recipient of the Diversity Entertainment Creative Mentorship 2022, her play DEAD SKIN was performed in LA, to be developed into a feature film adaption of the play. Their documentary “The Real Meaning of Pleasure” has been awarded development funding from Screen Australia and AIDC in 2023. Laneikka created THE MONOLOGUE COLLECTIVE where teenagers write monologues for teenagers to perform for the HSC to sold-out seasons and was nominated for Best Production for Young People at the Sydney Theatre Awards 2023. As an actor, Laneikka is leading two feature films; PUZZLE BOX a horror feature and SALT ALONG THE TONGUE a psychological thriller for distribution in 2024. Young, queer humans are at the heart of all of Laneikka’s work.

Acting credits

Passion Pop poster
NR

A woman on the eve of her 30th birthday is given a surprise gift she'll never forget.

Passion Pop

2025

+ One poster
NR

Determined to experience a true love story, Will organises the perfect house party, ensuring every detail is to a T.

+ One

2024

Oi poster
1.0

When a turbulent teen undergoes a traumatic experience, she must face her own violent bravado head-on. Oi explores the stigma around "catfights" and how hyper-sexuality can occur when feminine rage isn't accepted and queerness is ignored.

Oi

2024

The Eviction poster
5.0

A group of university dorm students tackle the ethical dilemma of whether or not to evict one of their own over a morally ambiguous offence. Does the punishment fit the crime?

The Eviction

2025

O-Week poster
NR

Gabby, a late teen freshly graduated from high school, embarks on a new chapter in her life by attending University, the beginning of which is an Orientation Week party. She is close with a girl named Leah who she has known since the end of high school. They are in that weird period where they keep questioning whether or not they are in a relationship; something all-too-familiar with queer relationships. Their building intimacy is delayed as Leah leaves the O-Week party to get a good night's sleep in preparation for her first classes, leaving Gabby alone. As Leah leaves, someone familiar quickly fills the seat next to Gabby. This is Jason, Gabby's high-school sweetheart. She is instantly taken back to that fourteen year old self. Jason and Gabby become acquainted with each other once again, old conversations and familiarities surface. Jason offers Gabby a drink and after a while she becomes intoxicated. All she remembers is Jason closing the bedroom door...

O-Week

I'm Not Gay poster
NR

A conflicted gay man struggles to teach his younger self about the challenges of adult life. Searching for answers inside stories from his past, he must confront his nature and the man he will become. Documentary meets musical feature in this experimental coming of age drama about power and masculinity in modern day Australia.

I'm Not Gay

2023

Think Pink poster
NR

An ordinary boy gives an ill-minded friend a lift to the pharmacy and tells him a horrifying secret concerning his sister.

Think Pink

2022

Salt Along the Tongue poster
4.5

After her mother's unexpected passing, Mattia finds herself thrust into the care of her estranged aunt & her mother’s identical twin. As Mattia grapples with the loss of her mother, a treacherous secret begins to unfold, threatening her life. From beyond the grave, Mattia’s mother possesses her daughter in an attempt not only to protect her from the same fate that befell her but also to find reconciliation with her sister, using food as a gateway.

Salt Along the Tongue

2024

Puzzle Box poster
3.3

Drug addict Kait flees to a house in the woods to self-rehabilitate, where her sister Olivia joins to document the process, but the house's layout begins to change, trapping them inside an inescapable puzzle box of a house.

Puzzle Box

2023

Mud Crab poster
6.2

Reflecting on her culpability, a woman recounts the traumatising assault she witnessed of a young man in a small Australian coastal town.

Mud Crab

2022

We Used to Own Houses poster
6.5

After breaking into his landlord’s home, a mysterious renter forces him to read a cryptic poem that unravels the landlord’s involvement in a exploitative system of profit and power.

We Used to Own Houses

2023

Staring at Socks poster
NR

Innovative sound and editing patterns firmly root us in the headspace of a young woman struggling with mental illness, leading us to see how this unique perspective affects the world she sees around her.

Staring at Socks

2019

No artwork available
NR

This documentary explores the backlash and feedback 4 Australian artists have and continue to receive on their choice of career.

But What's Your Real Job?

2023

Behind the camera