LONDON (August 31, 2022) – 19-year-old Yasmin Finney, who made her screen debut in the lead role of Elle Argent in Netflix’s hit LGBTQIA+ series “Heartstopper” and was recently announced as a lead guest in the 60th anniversary special of the BBC “Doctor Who” series, stars in “Mars,” the short film based on an original universe and characters created by British music artist Yungblud (Dominic Harrison) for Mercury Studios. Written by award-winning playwright Chris Bush (“Standing at the Sky’s Edge,” “Faustus: That Damned Woman”) and directed by Abel Rubinstein (“Dungarees,” “Fuck the Boxes”), the film is set to world premiere at at the London Film Festival this fall.
Universal Music Group’s Mercury Studios, a multi-faceted content studio produces “Mars” in conjunction with Interscope Films. Cat Marshall, Stefan Demetriou and Yungblud, credited in this role as Dominic Harrison, serve as producers.
“Mars” is a frank and funny scripted short of self-discovery, set in the north of England and follows a day in the life of Charlie Acaster (Finney). All Charlie has ever wanted is a regular teenage existence – at least that’s what she thinks. Now one extraordinary night will make her reassess what truly matters.
Shot in November 2022 in Blackpool, UK, “Mars” also features a supporting cast of new and emerging talent as Charlie’s friends and peers, including Leah Choudhry as Maisie and Pete MacHale as Pete.
The production committed to securing on and off-screen talent from the trans, non-binary and wider LGBTQ+ community.
“I am so proud to be a part of ‘Mars’ and am so excited for everyone to see it,” Finney states.
“Yasmin is a striking performer,” says director Abel Rubinstein. “She has the ability to tell a whole story with a single look. She utterly embodied the character of Charlie whilst also bringing so much more. Yasmin’s quick wit and sense of humour gave Charlie a new dimension. She is clearly destined for greatness and I would love the opportunity to work with her again.”
ABOUT MERCURY STUDIOS
Mercury Studios is a full-service production studio originating, producing, selling, distributing, and investing in scripted, unscripted, and live content. Editorially independent, Mercury Studios is powered by Universal Music Group and represents the world’s leading catalogue of music-related content.
Current projects include “My Life as a Rolling Stone,” a four-part docuseries of intimate portraits of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts, If These Walls Could Sing, the untold story of the world-famous Abbey Road Studios, directed by celebrated British photographer and filmmaker Mary McCartney; Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop, a feature documentary from Oscar-winning director/producer Joseph Patel (Summer of Soul), adapted from Vikki Tobak’s best-selling book; Shania Twain: Not Just a Girl, a career documentary about the superstar that is available on Netflix; and the feature documentary Mixtape, from director Omar Acosta (Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives).
Mercury Studios’ Miles Davis: Birth of The Cool was recently honored with two Emmys for Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary and Outstanding Sound. ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band from Texas also received a 2021 Grammy Award nomination for Best Music Film. The feature documentaries are part of the Mercury Studios library, consisting of nearly 2,000 hours of programming.
ABOUT INTERSCOPE FILMS
Interscope Films, a division of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, was created to provide an avenue for artists and filmmakers to express their creativity and storytelling beyond the medium of music. We finance and produce content, pairing artists and others with award- winning storytellers to help bring their creative visions to life. Recent projects include the critically acclaimed BILLIE EILISH: THE WORLD’S A LITTLE BLURRY which premiered on Apple TV, BILLIE EILISH: A LOVE LETTER TO L.A. which debuted on Disney+ and OLIVIA RODRIGO: DRIVING HOME 2 U onDisney+, MGK: LIFE IN PINK, on HULU and Kacey Musgraves’ STAR CROSSED: THE FILM, on Paramount+.
ABOUT YASMIN FINNEY
Yasmin Finney is 19 and fast becoming one of the most influential actresses within the Transgender community. She can currently be seen playing a lead role in Netflix’s hit LGBTQIA+ series “Heartstopper,” and was recently announced as a lead guest role in the 60th anniversary special of “Doctor Who.” Her ground-breaking videos on Tik Tok, sharing her experience as a Trans woman growing up in Manchester, have been watched over 12 million times and she has over 290,000 followers. She is regularly included on lists of ‘Tik Tok’s biggest influencers’ and brings with her a huge international fan base from both within the community and beyond.
ABOUT ABEL RUBINSTEIN
The short films of Abel Rubinstein (“Dungarees,” “Fuck the Boxes”) have been featured at the BFI London Film Festival, Outfest LA and numerous BAFTA and Oscar qualifying festivals around the world. His latest series of three short pieces titled LIFE IN LOVE are currently available on ITV Hub in the UK and are also programmed at this year’s BFI London Film Festival.
ABOUT CHRIS BUSH
Chris Bush is an award-winning playwright, lyricist and theatre-maker. Her recent productions include NINE LESSONS AND CAROLS (Almeida Theatre), STANDING AT THE SKY’S EDGE (Sheffield Theatres), THE LAST NOËL (Attic Theatre/UK tour), THE ASSASSINATION OF KATIE HOPKINS (Theatr Clwyd, UK Theatre Award winner 2018), PERICLES (NT – Olivier), STEEL (Sheffield Theatres), THE CHANGING ROOM (NT Connections) and SCENES FROM THE END OF THE WORLD (Yard/Central School). Chris has won awards at the UK Theatre Awards two years in a row, the National Young Playwrights’ Festival, Perfect Pitch, Sunday Times Edinburgh Competition, and a Brit Writers’ Award and her play MOTHERLAND was shortlisted for the 2020 George Devine Award. Her most recent project THE BAND PLAYS ON premiered online in March 2021.
