Charli xcx Is ‘a Cinephile Through and Through,’ Says Director Cathy Yan: ‘She Really Knows the Craft’ (Exclusive)

Toria Sheffield, Jack SmartSun, February 1, 2026 at 1:30 AM UTC

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Cathy Yan; Charli xcx

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Filmmaker Cathy Yan says singer Charli xcx is a true “cinephile”

Yan directed the singer, 33, in the new movie The Gallerist, which stars Natalie Portman and Jenna Ortega

The Gallerist premiered at the Sundance Film Festival

Filmmaker Cathy Yan says Charli xcx’s talents don’t stop at the recording booth — she’s a cinema expert too.

Yan directed Charli xcx, 33, in the new movie The Gallerist, which stars Natalie Portman and premiered at Sundance in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 24. Yan caught up with PEOPLE on the red carpet of the premiere, where she sang the “Apple” singer’s praises.

“She is so good,” Yan said. “She really knows the craft. She is a cinephile through and through. She really respects films, and I just find her so interesting and so mature and so insightful.”

Yan said that the film, which she described as “dark satire set in the art world” ended up being a great fit for Charli xcx.

“There just happened to be a role that I thought would really fit with [Charli xcx]. And also turns out that she had gone to art school in the past, so there was a sort of overlap and background and interest, and so she took an interest in this movie as well,” Yan added.

The movie, which also stars Jenna Ortega, follows an art gallery owner (Portman) who enlists her long-suffering assistant (Ortega) to sell a highly-controversial piece of art.

Jenna Ortega, Natalie Portman, Cathy Yan and Charli xcx at 'The Gallerist' premiere at Sundance on Jan. 24, 2026

Dia Dipasupil/Getty

The film was Charli xcx’s second project to premiere at the winter film festival, the other of which being The Moment, a mockumentary that screened there on Jan. 23.

The movie, directed and co-written by Aidan Zamiri, was inspired by Charli’s xcx's real-life Brat Tour.

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“I'm obviously quite related to my character, so I had a lot of inspiration to pull from,” Charli xcx said onstage after the screening.

“I would like to think I'm not as much of a nightmare as Charli in the film, but my real managers are in the audience and they probably know the true answer to that,” she added jokingly.

The Charli in The Moment has "spiral moments" the musician could relate to, she added. "I have been there. I think I am, as an artist, quite a volatile person. And nice though. I am quite nice too. Right?"

Zamiri chimed in, hurriedly saying, "Yes, yes, confirmed," to which Charli xcx responded, "Too f---ing right.”

Charli xcx at 'The Moment' Los Angeles premiere on Jan. 29, 2026

Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty

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Joining Charli xcx and Zamiri at the premiere were most of the movie’s cast, including Rosanna Arquette, Kate Berlant, Jamie Demetriou, Hailey Gates, Trew Mullen, Mel Ottenberg, Isaac Powell, Rachel Sennott, Rish Shah, Tish Weinstock, Michael Workéyè and Alexander Skarsgård. The film also features an appearance by Kylie Jenner.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”