Mars (film)

## Mars

**Mars** is a short film by YUNGBLUD, released through Mercury Studios in 2022. The film is based on the song of the same name. It stars Yasmin Finney as Charlie Acaster, Pete McHale as Pete, Leah Choudhry as Maisie, and Kenya Sterling as Dylan.

The short film originally premiered at BFI's London Film Festival; a live stream of the presentation and film premiered to Moment.

## Synopsis

Charlie Acaster is an absolutely normal teenage girl. That isn’t true. Charlie Acaster isn’t any more abnormal than any other teenager. That’s a bit closer. Charlie Acaster is a sixteen-year-old trans girl living in Blackpool and over the course of one extraordinary night, Charlie will take a significant step forward in embracing who she truly is.

## Cast

* Yasmin Finney as Charlie Acaster
* Pete McHale as Pete
* Leah Choudhry as Maisie
* Kenya Sterling as Dylan

## Credits

*Credits sourced from IMDb*

* Additional crew
	+ Sam Atkinson (edit assistant: mercury studios)
	+ Rebecca Bradshaw (business affairs: mercury studios)
	+ Hammond Brown (business affairs: mercury studios)
	+ Dan Hickman (production assistant)
	+ Charlene Jones (production assistant)
	+ Nim Ralph (gender identity consultant and advocate)
	+ Jim Ranyard (health and safety advisor)
	+ Amy Smith (production assistant: mercury studios)
* Assistant directors:
	+ Amy Coop (first)
	+ Emese Matuz (second)
	+ Pippa Howson (third)
	+ Zane Igbe (floor runner)
* Associate producers
	+ Ed Juniper
	+ Tom Pallant
	+ Adam Wood
* Art department
	+ Flo Main (Art direction)
	+ Carl Flint (Storyboard artist)
	+ Ciara Reddy (Set dresser)
* Camera and electrical department
	+ Elena Armellini (gaffer)
	+ Ricardo Battaglia (digital imaging technician)
	+ Robert Beck (steadicam operator)
	+ Chris Davies (drone operator)
	+ Jamie Radcliffe (drone operator)
	+ Maria Ferrie (first assistant camera)
	+ Matt Glaz (electrician)
	+ Luke Halstead (electrician)
	+ Charlie Ring (electrician)
	+ Tom Goode (Desk operator)
	+ Gwyn Hemmings (Second assistant camera)
	+ Colum Innes (Grip)
	+ Graham Pittaro (Key grip)
* Casting
	+ Gabby King (casting director)
	+ Connor Williams (casting assistant)
* Cinematographer
	+ Ben Cotgrove
* Costume department
	+ Olivia Simpson (costume designer)
	+ Javiera Imbert (assistant costume designer)
	+ Ethan McKnight (costume assistant)
	+ Ayo Ogundayo (costume art finisher)
* Editoral department
	+ Rachel Durance (editor)
	+ Jamie Dickinson (colorist)
	+ Alex Howells (on-line editor)
* Executive producers
	+ Tommas Arnby
	+ Steve Berman
	+ John Janick
	+ Marc Robinson
	+ Alice Webb
* Location management
	+ Heather Gant (location manager)
	+ Miles Starkie (location assistant)
* Makeup department
	+ Alessandra Police (assistant makeup artist)
	+ Silas Baiden (hair stylist)
	+ Lucy Hannah Vick (makeup artist)
	+ Freddie Stopler (makeup department head)
* Music
	+ Ross Sellwood (music supervisor)
	+ Sindri Már Sigfússon (music producer)
* Production
	+ Rosie Holley (post-production supervisor)
	+ Elena Isolini (production designer)
	+ Harriet Davies (production manager: mercury studios)
* Script and continuity
	+ Lauren Brown (script supervisor)
	+ Jack Casey (script editor)
	+ Emma Lawson (development executive)
* Sound department
	+ George Atkins (adr mixer)
	+ Ed Brookes (sound recordist)
	+ Joe Siddons (sound mixer)
	+ James Spooner (sound editor)
* Stunts
	+ Nathan Aldous (stunt rigger)
	+ Justin Pearson (stunt coordinator)
* Transportation
	+ Jeanette North (production driver)
	+ Paul North (production driver)

## Quotes

* Pete: *"There is so much fucking joy, but not if you’re too embarrassed to go looking for it."*

## Trivia

* The short film was originally released at the BFI London Film Festival on 15 October 2022.
* The trailer was released 17 November 2022, the beginning of Trans Awareness Week.
* The film was shot in November 2021 in Blackpool, United Kingdom.

## Press statements

* *"This story is an uncensored, unfiltered portrayal of youth. It revels in the fragile beauty of it, flirts with the pain of it and most importantly the undeniable, glimmering hope of it. It presents a generational shift towards acceptance of one’s self and others, and ever growing confidence in our own insecurities."* - YUNGBLUD, producer
* *"I’m so honoured to present you our beautiful film Mars. I believe this is the start of something truly groundbreaking and truly special."* - YUNGBLUD, producer
* *"This all came from the idea that we could facilitate bringing characters to life by assembling a team of cast and crew that fully represent the communities whose stories we wanted to tell. We set out to bring talented creatives together, some experienced, some whose star was already rising and some who’d never been on a film set before."* - YUNGBLUD, producer
* *"Giving people a platform to tell their stories with truth and integrity means so much to me and I feel that’s what we’ve achieved with this film. The love and friendship and warmth I felt being around this beautiful team was a hugely powerful experience and I truly feel gives a little glimpse into the lives of young people."* - YUNGBLUD, producer
* *"Yasmin [Finney] is a striking performer. She has the ability to tell a whole story with a single look. She utterly embodied the character of Charlie whilst also bringing so much more. Yasmin’s quick wit and sense of humour gave Charlie a new dimension. She is clearly destined for greatness and I would love the opportunity to work with her again."* Abel Rubinstein, director
* *"I am so proud to be a part of Mars and am so excited for everyone to see it" - Yasmin Finney, plays Charlie Acaster*

## Press

* Kerrang! - "YUNGBLUD accnounces original film, Mars"
* NME - "Watch the sci-fi-inspired trailer for Yungblud’s short film ‘Mars’"
* Rolling Stone - "Yungblud Centers Self-Acceptance in Trailer for Trans Short Film ‘Mars’"
* uDiscoverMusic - "Yungblud Announces Release Date For New Scripted Short Film ‘Mars’"
* NME - "Yungblud’s ‘Mars’ review: a futuristic love letter to finding your tribe"

## Gallery

A still from the film, courtesy of Mercury StudiosPromotional image via Mercury Studios
## References

1. ↑ Moment — "Mars - Moment". Retrieved 16 February 2023.
2. ↑ BIFA — "BIFA 2022 Longlists - Best British Short Film Award · BIFA · British Independent Film Awards". Published 19 October 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2023. Archived
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Mercury Studios — "Yasmin Finney Stars in 'Mars' - An Original Scripted Short Film Created by Yungblud - Mercury Studios". Published 31 August 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2023. Archived
4. ↑ IMDb — "Mars (2022) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb". Retrieved 16 February 2023. Archived
5. ↑ Writing Squad — "Chris’ “Mars” Set to Premiere at LFF". Retrieved 16 February 2023. Archived
6. ↑ Rolling Stone — "Yungblud Centers Self-Acceptance in Trailer for Trans Short Film ‘Mars’". Published 21 October 2022. Written by Larisha Paul. Retrieved 16 February 2023. Archived
7. ↑ udiscovermusic — "Yungblud Announces Release Date For New Scripted Short Film ‘Mars’". Published 20 October 2022. Written by Will Schube. Retrieved 16 February 2022. Archived
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 NME — "Watch the sci-fi-inspired trailer for Yungblud’s short film ‘Mars’". Published 21 October 2022. Written by Tom Skinner. Retrieved 16 February 2023. Archived
9. ↑ Attitude Magazine — "Heartstopper's Yasmin Finney to lead Yungblud Short Film, Mars". Published 31 August 2022. Written by Emily Maskell. Retrieved 16 February 2023. Archived