Rising director Charlotte Regan has had a somewhat unconventional journey towards film making. Growing up in London, Regan was immersed in the UK grime scene; soon finding herself heavily involved, she began shooting low budget videos for her friends and local rappers at 15 years old, with her videos quickly picked up by GRM Daily and Link Up TV. Fast forward to now, Regan has worked with a vastly eclectic array of artists, from Stereophonics and Mumford & Sons to Wretch 32 and Wilkinson.

Boasting more than 200 videos in her discography, Regan has now ascended into narrative based features, with her debut full length film, Scrapper, set for release this Friday, the 25th August.

A compelling and rousing tale of growth, friendship and family, Scrapper follows Georgie, played by exciting newcomer Lola Campbell, who has lived alone since the saddening passing of her mother. Georgie’s life of translucent solitude is disrupted when her father, Jason (the terrific Harris Dickinson), arrives back into her life unannounced. What follows is a powerful, funny and complex tale of the bond between father and daughter, with Regan and her actors navigating a relatable story with meticulous warmth and effortless authenticity.

Scrapper places Regan as one of the most exciting and instinctive new directors in the industry. We were lucky enough to chat with Regan prior to its release, discussing grime, how music videos shaped her career in direction, allowing Dickinson and Campbell to make the character their own, and the thought behind her superb debut.

Watch the trailer for Scrapper…

Read the exclusive interview…

Who and what inspires you in your work?
I like films that make me happy. I like Marvel, Harry Potter, James Bond. I do like the big box office bangers. Unless someone drags me to see a sad film I’m not going to see one, but I do enjoy them when I see them. I think life is grim enough without films making me sad.

How did you first develop an interest in films and film making?
It’s very uninspiring. I grew up in an area where everyone was becoming a grime rapper, the BBK era. So all my mates were trying to be rappers. I tried to rap but I was bad, and then they wouldn’t let me stand in the videos either because I wasn’t cool enough, so the only option was the film the videos for them. They started getting on Link Up TV, GRM Daily etc. It wasn’t talent, more like I can’t do anything else, I was bad at school, let’s just try and do this. I love the grime scene and wanted to be around it but I wasn’t musical, so it was just a way to be involved in it.

How did your background and experiences with music videos impact you in the way you view directing and film in general?
I’ve stood on a rooftop with 50 actors who do not want to act or be told to what to do, looking uncharismatic with me screaming at them. So working with professionals like Harris Dickinison is pretty chill [laughs]. It’s a good start. Especially when a rapper wouldn’t be into acting and you’d have to put them as a lead in your video, you’d have to coax out a performance – like, Giggs don’t give me much. So directing Harris is not intimidating after situations like that.

How does it feel to be releasing your debut feature film?
It feels cool, but I didn’t really think about it too much. I try not to get too into what comes after making it, because I can see how you could be negatively effected by a reaction, and you might chase that with your next film. People say it can make you distraught, so I try to not care.

Where did the idea for Scrapper first come from?
I don’t really know to be honest, I’ve never had an answer for this. I’ve always wanted to do working class films with joy in – in a way, that’s what draws me to all of my stories. Growing up watching working class films, the world’s were always so unhappy, people weren’t allowed to have fun. But that just isn’t the world that I feel like I grew up in… maybe that’s because I was a kid so I saw it from a different perspective. I supposed I’ve always wanted to take working class characters and let them have stories that live outside of their working class trauma.

The film is like a coming of age story in reverse, what’s the meaning of this?
Jason, the dad, is a bit shy, and needs to grow up really, where as Georgie has become an adult in a lot of ways but also not in a lot of ways. It’s about her letting go and letting someone be the parent figure instead of her being that for herself.

The bond between father and daughter is a key theme that flows through the film, how did you find inspiration for authentically portraying the relationship?
It’s not about me or my dad, it’s not autobiographical. But I remember other people that I grew up around being those figures that had kids young or they are naturally immature people who aren’t ready to be a parent. I was inspired by them, the question of whether you are better with them in your life.

How did you work with Harris and Lola to allow them to see the vision of the film, and the significance of their bond within that?
I let everyone take their own ownership. If you’re employing people to do this job it’s because they are incredible at it. I don’t want to tell Harris what his character is, he was very down to take ownership of who Jason is and had some say on the script. I love that, that’s the kind of input I want from my cast. The same with Lola, she’s not really into the film, more the experience. She wanted to tell the story, and that’s why I was drawn to her. In terms of their relationship, Lola is quite a cautious person with her trust, just like her character, so it was a process of deciding that Harris was her friend. We film it semi-chronologically, and their friendship grew as the filming progressed.

What’s next for you?
TV things and scripts but nothing mad, Just playing lots of Basketball, desperately waiting for the NBA season to come back.

Scrapper is set to be theatrically released on 25th August 2022