Charlie is Not a Boy
TITLE
Charlie is Not a Boy
DIRECTOR
Pol Kurucz
COUNTRY
USA, France, Hungary
YEAR
2026
DURATION
14′
GENRE
Fiction
Overview

Charlie is Not a Boy
Charlie is Not a Boy is the tale of a hushed soul, bound to a crumbling household in an allegorical America. 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 navigates the hostile worlds of home and the military, caught between his authentic self and the masks he must wear.

DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY - Pol Kurucz
Franco-Hungarian director and visual artist Pol Kurucz crafts retro-surreal worlds where heightened visual stylization, reimagined archetypes, and existential narratives converge into tales of identity and human singularity. After years working in theatre direction, production design, and fine-art photography across São Paulo, Paris, and Budapest, Pol transitioned to narrative filmmaking in Los Angeles in 2025. His first live-action short, Charlie Is Not a Boy, premiered at Slamdance before screening at Sitges, Tampere, Edinburgh, Odense, Seattle, and Neuchâtel, alongside numerous genre and queer festivals worldwide. His work has been exhibited at Art Basel Miami, Lincoln Center New York, Somerset House London, ArtExpo New York, LA Art Show, Red Dot Miami, and Mana Contemporary Miami. His photographs have appeared in more than one hundred publications, including Rolling Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, The Guardian, CNN, BBC, Vogue, Dazed, Paper, Billboard, ELLE, Glamour, Marie Claire, and Beautiful Bizarre. Drawing on his multidisciplinary background, Pol approaches cinema through visual design, theatrical language and magical realist narratives. He is currently developing his debut feature, Candelilla, with Oscar-winning producer Judit Stalter.
Credits
- DirectorPol Kurucz
- ScreenplayPol Kurucz, Pablo Larcuen
- CinematographyGergely Poharnok
- CastBrooks Ginnan, Máte Mészaros, Gigi Spelsberg, Ágnes Bánfalvy
- EditingWanda Kiss
- Producer/s Pol Kurucz, Ernest Faisztl, Gábor Rajna, Judit Stalter
- Production Company
- Distributor/s
- Project TitleCharlie is Not a Boy
- Project Type Fiction
- Completion Date30 Jan 2026
- Country of originUSA, France, Hungary
- Country of filmingUSA, France, Hungary
- LanguageEnglish
- First-time Filmmaker Yes
- Student ProjectNo

Pol Kurucz
Franco-Hungarian director and visual artist Pol Kurucz crafts retro-surreal worlds where heightened visual stylization, reimagined archetypes, and existential narratives converge into tales of identity and human singularity. After years working in theatre direction, production design, and fine-art photography across São Paulo, Paris, and Budapest, Pol transitioned to narrative filmmaking in Los Angeles in 2025. His first live-action short, Charlie Is Not a Boy, premiered at Slamdance before screening at Sitges, Tampere, Edinburgh, Odense, Seattle, and Neuchâtel, alongside numerous genre and queer festivals worldwide. His work has been exhibited at Art Basel Miami, Lincoln Center New York, Somerset House London, ArtExpo New York, LA Art Show, Red Dot Miami, and Mana Contemporary Miami. His photographs have appeared in more than one hundred publications, including Rolling Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, The Guardian, CNN, BBC, Vogue, Dazed, Paper, Billboard, ELLE, Glamour, Marie Claire, and Beautiful Bizarre. Drawing on his multidisciplinary background, Pol approaches cinema through visual design, theatrical language and magical realist narratives. He is currently developing his debut feature, Candelilla, with Oscar-winning producer Judit Stalter.
Specifications
SELECTIONS & AWARDS
Slamdance
Los Angeles
February 16, 2026
World Premiere
Official Selection
United States
Tampere Film Festival
Tampere
March 4, 2026
European Premiere
Finland
Roze Filmdagen
Amsterdam
March 18, 2026
Netherlands Premiere
Netherlands
Friss Hús Budapest International Short Film Festival
Budapest
May 28, 2026
National Competition
Hungary
Wicked Queer
Boston, Massachusetts
April 3, 2026
Boston Premiere
United States
Seattle International Film Festival
Seattle, Washington
March 7, 2026
Washington
ShortsFest
United States
The Lovers Film Festival
Turin, Italy
April 16, 2026
Italian Premiere
Future Lovers
Italy
Odense International Film Festival
Odense
Danish Premiere
International Short Film Competition
Denmark
Provincetown International Film Festival
Provincetown, Massachusetts
Narrative Short Competition
United States
RioLGBTQIA+ Film Festival
Rio de Janeiro
Brazilian Premiere
International Short Film Competition
Brazil
Edinburgh International Film Festival
Edinburgh
UK Premiere
Short Film Competition
United Kingdom
FilmOut San Diego
San Diego, California
Narrative Short Competition
United States









