2018 / 12 min / 4:3

A single woman in her fifties has a rocky first date with a disagreeable bachelor. Over the course of the evening, she’s forced to decide what’s more important to her: companionship or compatibility.

“It's astounding that Charmer is Judah Finnigan's first foray into film: his direction is assured and his writing is sharp as hell. Matt Henley's cinematography and Chris Ulutupu's art direction sees the screen dripping and glowing with unexpected colour, and Robyn Malcolm and Stephen Lovatt deliver delightful and nuanced performances as two middle-aged strangers on a first date. It's a remarkable first film, and we're looking forward to seeing what Judah makes next" - citation from the New Zealand’s Best 2018 jury, New Zealand International Film Festival.

AWARDS:
Creative New Zealand Emerging Talent award at NZIFF 2018
Gold at the NZCS Awards 2018 for cinematographer Matt Henley

FESTIVALS:
Slamdance Film Festival 2019, Utah, USA Official Selection
New Zealand International Film Festival 2018 In Competition (New Zealand’s Best 2018)
Austin Film Festival 2018, Texas, USA Official Selection
Maryland Film Festival 2019, Maryland, USA Official Selection
Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival 2018, Vermont, USA Official Selection
Show Me Shorts Film Festival 2018, New Zealand Official Selection
St Kilda Film Festival 2019, Melbourne, Australia Official Selection
Rehoboth Beach International Film Festival 2019, Delaware, USA Official Selection

ACQUISITIONS:
Rialto Channel (2019)
Air New Zealand (2020)

Robyn Malcolm reflects on Tinder and starring in short films - stuff.co.nz