Charlie Polinger is an American writer and director. Polinger first emerged on the festival circuit with Fuck Me, Richard (2023), a 15-minute dark comedy short co-directed with Lucy McKendrick that premiered at SXSW Film Festival (2023) and screened at festivals including Seattle and Melbourne.
Polinger’s breakthrough came with his first feature film, The Plague (2025), which he wrote and directed as a psychological drama-thriller. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and received widespread critical recognition.
Polinger’s work on The Plague earned significant awards and nominations across major film festivals and critics’ associations. At the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, the film was nominated in the Un Certain Regard category and for the Golden Camera. It also garnered nominations at the Sitges – Catalonian International Film Festival (2025), was awarded the Grand Special Prize and Critics Award (Prix de la Critique) at the Deauville Film Festival (2025), and won the Breakthrough Director Award at the Denver Film Festival (2025). Additional recognition includes the Best International Feature at the Calgary International Film Festival (2025), an Austin Film Critics Association nomination for Best First Film, a New York Film Critics Online nomination for Best Debut Director, and further nominations from the Indiana Film Journalists Association (2025). The Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Awards (2025) honoured Polinger with Best Directorial Debut. In awards season extending into 2026, The Plague received nominations from the Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a First Theatrical Feature Film, the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Awards, and the Hawaii Film Critics Society for Best New Filmmaker.
