Charmane
a short film about queernessin the rural american west
a short film about queernessin the rural american west
Inspired by true events, this film follows a repressed Mormon husband (Jonathan) and a young male hustler (Charmane) who cross paths at a rural Utah truck stop. Over the course of a fateful evening, an unexpected connection drives both men to confront the loneliness, desire, and self-deception they've spent years trying to bury.
I moved to Wyoming when I was 14, the age where boys start to talk about girls and sex. My sexuality was starting to become apparent to me, so I buried it as deep as I could.
When I moved to Utah almost 10 years ago, I had just come out of the closet and was starting a new life. To me, Salt Lake City felt like the most accepting place in the world. But the deeper I got into the community here, the more I learned how prevalent the Mormon church is, and how hard they make it for gay people. I've lost good friends who couldn't reconcile these two identities, and through years of leading queer support groups at Encircle, I've developed deep relationships with people at all the stages of their coming out journey - kicked out of their house and on the street, still married to their wife and hiding, or recently divorced and thrown to the wolves of gay hookups.
This short film is a micro example of what some gay people have been through in the rural American west. It's not meant to hold the candle to anyone, or be the testament to a whole demographic, or save anyone's life, but hopefully viewers will walk away with a little bit of empathy.
— Jack Hessler
Jack Hessler is an award-winning filmmaker whose work bridges raw realism and emotional intimacy. He began his career editing sports documentaries including The Crux (Sundance Brand Storytelling), and in 2023 he was an editor at the Sundance Directors Lab. In 2025 he edited the narrative feature Kites (Special Jury Mention, Tribeca Film Festival), produced and edited Mouse (Best Feature Film, Brooklyn Film Festival), edited Call to Serve (Hulu), and produced and edited Can I Put You On Hold (SXSW). His background in editing and producing gave him a foundation for both shaping stories and getting them made. He carries these skills into his own storytelling, including the short films Sacrament (Filmquest) and The Red Book (Utah Queer Film Festival). In 2026 he was selected for NBC's Alliance Power of Storytelling Grant.
David Massey is a restless entrepreneur with a gift for storytelling. He has spent his career building things from scratch and pulling people into them — the same instinct that pulled him to the page. Charmane, co-written with Jack Hessler, is his first film.
Phil Hessler is a founding member of WZRDmedia and Think Less Studios. At 19 he produced his first feature documentary, Far From Home, distributed by Red Bull Media House. He has since directed and produced the YouTube Originals feature World Debut (EP'd by Tony Hawk), the limited series The Crux with The North Face and National Geographic (EP'd by Oscar winners Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi), and was nominated for the Young Director's Award at Cannes.
Connor May is a Salt Lake City-based writer, actor, and producer dedicated to telling stories that explore the human condition. After working on the short film Coup de Foudre, he joins Charmane as both an actor and producer, collaborating with local talent to bring a compelling story of identity and awakening to the screen.
A German-American writer and producer, Frederik got his start under four-time Independent Spirit Award nominee Darren Dean before founding Freud & Ecstasy. His films have screened and won awards at BAFTA- and Goya-qualifying festivals including Sitges, Raindance, HollyShorts, and Indy Shorts. His writing has won Final Draft's Big Break and the HollyShorts Grand Prize. An alumnus of MIDPOINT Institute and Stowe Story Labs, he serves as a project evaluator for MIDPOINT's Series Launch program. He holds a Master's from Oxford.
Brenna Empey is a cinematographer, traveler, foodie, and book lover based in both Salt Lake City, Utah and New York City, NY. She is a three-time SXSW alumni and has served as DP on four feature-length films, as well as dozens of short films and commercials. She has a lifelong passion for women-led storytelling, collaboration, and getting that perfect shot — she's worked all over the world and loves a challenge, too.
Charmane is fiscally sponsored by Utah Film Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Donations are tax-deductible and are made through Utah Film Center, designated for Charmane.
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