Charles is an award-winning director working across documentary, branded and narrative film.
I’ve always been more interested in why people do things than what they do. What someone wants, what they’re trying to prove, and what they might have to admit if they stopped.
That’s why I’m drawn to stories about identity, ambition and belonging. People under pressure or caught between competing needs. I like a story that can be put into a single sentence, but becomes difficult when someone has to live it.
Growing up in a working-class immigrant family shaped my interest in how people find their place and make themselves heard. I’m curious about the stories we tell about ourselves, particularly when our actions suggest something different.
I came into directing through cinematography, which probably explains my interest in atmosphere, visual metaphor and texture. I want the images to carry their share of the story. Sometimes that means finding a detail that contradicts what we’re being told. Sometimes it means holding a shot long enough for our understanding of someone to change.
photo by Elliot Cole
I want to make films that leave room for people to think and feel for themselves, but also ask something of them. To question a character’s choices, recognise something uncomfortable, or wonder what they would have done.
I work with brands, agencies and production companies that value audience trust as much as I value the trust people place in me when they step in front of my camera. Clients include Amazon, DAZN, NATO, MoD, Media Trust and Interpol.
And I always leave time for smaller stories, because that’s where I sharpen my teeth.