Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Following a screening at AFI FEST 2025 presented by Canva, AFI alumnus, director and screenwriter Charlie Polinger, AFI alumnus and director of photography Steven Breckon, composer Johan Lenox and actor Lennox Espy joined audiences for a conversation about their new film THE PLAGUE.
About THE PLAGUE
AFI Conservatory alum Charlie Polinger (AFI Class of 2017) makes his striking feature debut with THE PLAGUE, a darkly funny and unsettling coming-of-age story set during a 2003 summer water polo camp. The film follows twelve-year-old Ben (Everett Blunck), a new kid struggling to fit in while navigating shifting alliances, peer pressure and a mysterious spreading rash that threatens to unravel his grip on reality. Blending body horror and biting adolescent satire, Polinger crafts an unflinching portrait of youth and fear, elevated by haunting visuals, Johan Lenox’s chilling score and impeccable sound design. Produced by and co-starring Joel Edgerton, THE PLAGUE premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim.
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Following a screening at AFI FEST 2025 presented by Canva, AFI alumnus, director and screenwriter Charlie Polinger, AFI alumnus and director of photography Steven Breckon, composer Johan Lenox and actor Lennox Espy joined audiences for a conversation about their new film THE PLAGUE.
About THE PLAGUE
AFI Conservatory alum Charlie Polinger (AFI Class of 2017) makes his striking feature debut with THE PLAGUE, a darkly funny and unsettling coming-of-age story set during a 2003 summer water polo camp. The film follows twelve-year-old Ben (Everett Blunck), a new kid struggling to fit in while navigating shifting alliances, peer pressure and a mysterious spreading rash that threatens to unravel his grip on reality. Blending body horror and biting adolescent satire, Polinger crafts an unflinching portrait of youth and fear, elevated by haunting visuals, Johan Lenox’s chilling score and impeccable sound design. Produced by and co-starring Joel Edgerton, THE PLAGUE premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim.
►Subscribe to AFI on YouTube: bit.ly/SubscribeAFI
►Follow AFI:
instagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute
tiktok.com/@americanfilminstitute
facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute
twitter.com/AmericanFilm
►Sign up for AFI Newsletters: afi.com/sign-up/?method=signups
#movies #afi #film #americanfilminstitute
