JUST CHARLIE will be released today in the U.S. and Canada via Wolfe on DVD & VOD and across all digital platforms including iTunes, Vimeo On Demand and WolfeOnDemand.com, and many major retailers. Set in Tamworth, a gritty, small working class Midland town in the UK, teenage soccer star Charlie and his family see soccer as a way out of a dead end factory life for him. But Charlie is struggling with gender dysphoria, and is torn between his father's expectations and shedding his male identity. With dramatic yet surprising results for himself, his family, and his community, Charlie begins a gender transition while continuing to pursue the dream of becoming a soccer star.
JUST CHARLIE is the feature film directorial debut of theatre & TV actress / director Rebekah Fortune. Inspired by emotional real life accounts from transgender communities, Fortune was inspired by these resonant stories to create a poignant account of one young teen's identity transition in a small, gritty British town.
Said Fortune, "Just Charlie is a film about chasing your dreams, and accepting those who are different because - sometimes - the rules on how to love, what you can do, and who you should be, are meant to be broken. This is a story about identity, who we think we are and who we really are. About being true to ones self in the face of terrible adversity."
Featuring a breakout lead performance from theatre / TV actor HARRY Gilby (star of the play version of The Full Monty). This film marks his cinema debut, and he was nominated for Most Promising Newcomer at the British Film Awards.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR: Rebekah Fortune is an accomplished theatre and TV actress, theatre director, and filmmakers. After an extensive career as a theatre actress, she began to direct theatre and set up a critically acclaimed theatre company, which toured nationally until 2005. Her credits as a Theatre Director include Wuthering Heights, Broken Blossoms, Macbeth, The Tempest, Buzz Stop, Moll Flanders and The Floating Brothel. She co-founded the production company Seahorse Films in 2011 with long time collaborator and writer Peter Machen to develop a slate of films that combine creativity with commerciality, and that actively encourage more opportunities for women. Her acclaimed short films as a director include Something Blue, Sex Love Other, Grown Up, Mustn't Grumble, and the anti-bullying short Violent Delights. Her first feature "Just Charlie" has received critical acclaim and won numerous awards including The Audience Award at The Edinburgh International Film Festival, Best Film 'Zlin and Schlingel" Film Festival, Audience Award "Seville Film Festival", and is BIFA nominated.
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