CHARLIE IS NOT A BOY - A Disturbing Fairytale
U.S Premiere at Slamdance Film Festival, 2026 | European Premiere at Tampere Film Festival, 2026
Charlie is Not a Boy is the tale of a hushed soul, trapped in a crumbling household. With a perverted butcher for a father and a mother frozen in a quiet, catatonic spell, Charlie seeks solace in the whimsical world of his eccentric grandmother. As his safe haven unravels, Charlie is caught between his authentic self and the masks he must wear.
SCREENWRITERS
Pol Kurucz & Pablo Larcuen
DIRECTOR
Pol Kurucz
STARRING
Brooks Ginnan, Máte Mészaros, Gigi Spelsberg, Ágnes Bánfalvy
PRODUCERS
Pol Kurucz, Ernest Faisztl, Gábor Rajna, Judit Stalter
COUNTRIES
U.S.A, France, & Hungary
RUNTIME
13 Minutes, 17 Seconds
SHOOT FORMAT
Color · 16:9 · 5.1 Surround
LANGUAGE
English
FESTIVAL SELECTIONS
Slamdance Film Festival, 2026, Tampere Film Festival, 2026
DIRECTOR STATEMENT
A young, albino banker posing in their quirky grandmother's living room after her passing, dressed like her, smoking multiple cigarettes at once like her… living like her. This was the first character I imagined and photographed in Rio de Janeiro, where I was living nine years ago.
I decided to quit photography for cinema last year, I began a series of camera tests on random friends to morph my still world into motion. When Brooks (a dear friend and the lead actor of my short) walked into my apartment wearing an outfit that evoked a stylish, mourning grandmother, I knew my first project would be about this peculiar, resurfacing figure, whom I named Charlie.
The next day I sat down to sketch the outlines of the story. I had never worked on a script or any movie before. I wondered how to approach writing, but Charlie whispered an enduring tale into my ear right away. From there, my theater-directing instincts kicked in as I shaped Charlie’s odd world, inspired by French fantastic realists like Marcel Aymé, queer comic books, and the multitude of dark, whimsical American stories I grew up consuming. Yet, nothing inspired me more than Brooks' own journey — from lost Upstate New York kid to a radiant, non-binary performer in Los Angeles.
A DISTURBING FAIRYTALE
FILM INFORMATION
In a crumbling household ruled by a perverted butcher father, a hushed should clings to the magic of his eccentric grandmother—until his safe haven unravels, forcing him to choose between the masks he wears and the truth of who he is.
ORIGINAL ENGLISH TITLE
Charlie is Not a Boy
COUNTRIES OF PRODUCTION
U.S.A, Hungary, France
RUNTIME
13 Minutes, 17 Seconds
FESTIVAL SELECTIONS TO DATE
Slamdance Film Festival, 2026 & Tampere Film Festival, 2026
TECHNICAL DETAILS
GENRE
Dark Comedy, Fiction, LGBTQIA+
LANGUAGES
English
ASPECT RATIO
16:9
SOUND MIX
5.1 Surround
FRAME RATE
24 FPS
OPEN CAPTION VERSION AVAILABLE
ENGLISH SUBTITLES VERSION AVAILABLE
SELECTED CREDITS
SCREENWRITER
Pol Kurucz & Pablo Larcuen
DIRECTOR
Pol Kurucz
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Pol Kurucz, Judit Stalter, Ernest Faisztl, Gábor Rajna
COMPOSER
Amanda Cawley
EDITOR
Wanda Kiss
COSTUME DESIGNER
Zsofi Kormos
CASTING DIRECTOR
Hermina Fatyol
POST PRODUCTION SOUND
Sonideria
KEY HAIR STYLIST
Attila Kenyeres
SUPERVISING SET DECORATOR & PROP MASTER
Zoltán Szalka
SUPERVISING SET DECORATOR COORDINATOR
Zoltán Szalka
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Gergely Poharnok
PRODUCTION DESIGNER & ART DIRECTION
Pol Kurucz
CREATIVE LEAD
Ilona Waters
LEAD COSTUME DESIGNER
Miranda Monroe
COLORIST
Maté Ternyik
KEY MAKEUP ARTIST
Richárd Fazekas
KEY MAKEUP ARTIST
Denise Bazaar
SET DECORATOR
Krisztina D. Nagy
SOUND DESIGNER & RE-RECORDING MIXER
Edson Secco