Director Ángel Manuel Soto on Charm City Kings, working with young actors, and directing a stunt-heavy film

When director Ángel Manuel Soto received the script for Charm City
Kings, he found a connection in the story of disenfranchised youth
growing up in a marginalized community like Baltimore- he himself
grew up on the streets of Santurce in Puerto Rico. The movie is a
coming of age story centered on a young teen named Mouse and his
two buddies, who are determined to join the subculture of dirt bike
stunt riders. The film, with a story by Barry Jenkins, is based on
a documentary called 12 O'Clock Boys. Ángel wanted the film to be
authentic to this rider culture. The bikers in the movie were all
real and did their own stunts, which look amazing. His biggest
inspiration for the film was Baltimore: shooting on location,
working with locals as extras, and keeping it authentic. Ángel
worked with cinematographer Katelin Arizmendi to create a raw and
naturalistic look. He found it a pleasure to be able to work with
such talented actors like Teyonah Parris, Will Catlett, and hip hop
artist Meek Mill, who were proactive and prepared with what they
wanted to bring to the characters. Ángel had to work within the
limited hours for the young cast, but Jahi Di'Allo Winston as Mouse
was very natural and intuitive, and all three child actors had
chemistry from day one, which is hard to find. You can watch Charm
City Kings streaming now on HBO Max Find Ángel Manuel Soto:
http://angelmanuelsoto.com/ Instagram: @alohemingway Sponsored by
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