The animated drama Charlotte tells the true story of Charlotte Salomon, a young German-Jewish artist who came of age in Berlin on the eve of the Second World War. Fiercely imaginative and deeply gifted, Charlotte dreamt of becoming an artist. But the world around her was changing quickly and dangerously, limiting her options and derailing her dream. When antisemitic policies inspired escalating violence, she left Berlin for the safety of the South of France. There she began to paint again, but her work was interrupted, this time by a family tragedy that revealed an even darker secret. Believing that she must somehow do the extraordinary—indeed do something that had never been done before—Charlotte embarks on the quest of painting her life story. The result is a monumental and timeless masterpiece, entitled Life? Or Theater? which some consider to be the first graphic novel.

Directed by Eric Warin and Tahir Rana, written by Erik Rutherford and David Bezmozgis, Charlotte is brought to life by an extraordinary cast including Keira Knightley—appearing in her first animated film; Brenda Blethyn, Jim Broadbent, Sam Claflin, Eddie Marsan, Helen McCrory, Sophie Okonedo and Mark Strong. The English version of Charlotte premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2021 and the French version at Annecy in 2022.

Charlotte is a decade-long labor of love by Julia Rosenberg, one of Canada’s top executives and producers, who first encountered Salomon’s Life? Or Theater? when she was a teenager. In 2005, she launched January Films where she has produced awardwinning features and documentaries. Prior to that, she was at Serendipity Point Films where she oversaw development and production, including the film Being Julia with Annette Bening.

Dr. Jennifer Keene is dean of the Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. She is a specialist in American military experience during World War I and the author of numerous books including World War I: The American Soldier Experience.