Well, Charlie should be very happy.
After successful premieres in New York, Toronto, London and the creative team behind Cheer Up, Charlie has announced that their dark comedy series pilot will be coming to the west coast to screen at the 15th annual Oscar-Qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival.
The annual festival saw over six-thousand submissions and will take place between August 8 – August 17, 2019 at the historic TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood, California.
Directed by Carmen Lobue and written by and starring Kara Grace Miller, Cheer Up, Charlie is a 6-episode dark comedy series that follows the story of a bright-eyed 20-year-old who puts her dreams on hold to pay her family’s medical bills in the fastest way she knows how.
Dealing drugs.
Charlie sells weed to Manhattan’s top class residents and sends the money home to her little brother who takes care of their mom as she battles against Stage 2 Breast Cancer. She hustles hard to get the checks home on time, while navigating her new coworkers (one of which she is secretly dating), favorite clients, toxic ex-girlfriend, and her beloved bosses who push her further into the NYC drug scene than she ever imagined. Take a look at the teaser below:
Cheer Up, Charlie Teaser from Monica Arsenault on Vimeo.
ALSO READ: Colin Costello’s ‘Dreamwisher’ among films at Hollyshorts
The series, at least the pilot, deftly combines the least funny things in the world, cancer and debt, with two of the world’s bests medicines, cannabis and laughter.
Winners will be announced on Saturday, August 17th at the Harmony Gold Theater in Los Angeles, with the three Oscar-Qualifying categories being Best Short Film, Best Live Action, and Best Animation Short.
Last year’s Best Short Film Skin went on to win the 2019 Academy Award® for Best Live Action Short.
Audiences can catch Cheer Up, Charlie on the 9th of August, 2019 at 5pm. For tickets and schedules, click here.
CREDITS
Created by: Kara Grace Miller
Directed by: Carmen LoBue
Written by: Kara Grace Miller and Anthony Holiday
Produced by: Kara Grace Miller, Monica Arsenault, Gabrielle
Adkins, Ehsan Ali, Mahima Saigal, Carmen LoBue
Director of Photography: Alice Boucherie
Cast:
Charlie Kara Grace Miller
Jordan Daniel Davila Jr.
Isabel Mary B. McCann
Maggie Abby Lindsay
Sid Ashley Marie Ortiz
Rudy Kelvin Summerhill
Malik Anthony Holiday
Logan Andrew Russel
Lena Dariane Durham
Aidan Andrew Stauffer
Crew:
Edited by: Ryan Spears, Nina Sacharow
Assistant Director: Alice Kremelberg
Assistant Camera: Bets Wilkins, Sophia Capp, Hanaan Louis
Sound Production: Sara Davis, Ellie Shuckman, The Somepoint Sound
Gaffer: Bets Wilkins, Sophia Capp, Imani Belser, Vincent Pate
Make-Up Artist: Kelsey Hogan
Post Sound: Scott Jones
Colorist: Sean Henderson
Source: Kara Grace Miller
