Jake Mavity’s Calico Debuts on World Vitiligo Day, Celebrating Difference Through Magical Realism

​ROGUE has unveiled Calico, the latest short film from director Jake Mavity, released to coincide with World Vitiligo Day following a successful run on the festival circuit. Blending magical realism with deeply personal storytelling, Calico explores the inner world of a teenage girl living with vitiligo—a condition that causes the loss of skin pigment—offering a rare and compassionate look at identity, difference, and self-acceptance

Vitiligo is a condition where areas of skin dramatically lose their pigment, causing white patches to spread over the face and body. Often brought on by puberty, it can lead to low-self esteem, marginalisation and body dysmorphia. This can be amplified for people of colour, since it can also profoundly challenge notions of self-identity and race.

Co-written by partner and producer Sarah Mavity, Calico is the story of Lorrie, a 15yr old with vitiligo all over her face and body. Bullied at school and misunderstood by her teachers for not wanting to swim, she is withdrawn, hiding in her own fantasy world of comics and animation.

Lorrie forges an unlikely kinship with the school’s mottled goldfish, a fish trapped in its tank, whose fate mirrors her own. When the fish begs her for help to escape, she goes on an unlikely and cathartic adventure of magical realism to help it find freshwater. As Lorrie starts to learn about courage and tenacity she starts to come to terms with her own physical differences.

Yan Valle from Vitiligo Research Foundation, said, “Calico is a gut-punch of truth and beauty. It says what so many of us need to hear — that being different isn’t a flaw, it’s your edge. As someone who’s lived life on the outside, I felt every frame of this film. Launching it on the World Vitiligo Day stage isn’t just an honour — it’s a mission. We’re telling the world: Your difference is your power. Own your story. And never apologise for who you are. The moment you stop hiding is the moment everything changes."

This journey of personal discovery and growth is something director and writer Jake Mavity, who also has vitiligo, was particularly keen to represent in the film.

Jake explained, “When I was a teenager I felt extremely isolated due to my vitiligo, like I was freakish and different. I still feel people with skin abnormalities are under-represented on screen. Vitiligo is only ever seen in fashion advertising where it is presented as an exotic otherness to sell perfume or clothes. It’s high time someone with a physical difference played the hero and Calico is that story!

I am thrilled to have the endorsements of The Vitiligo Research Foundation and The Vitiligo Society, the UK’s largest vitiligo support network. It is my hope that Calico inspires people with body dysmorphia or visual differences to start their own journey to self-acceptance. And by working in partnership with The Vitiligo Research Foundation and The Vitiligo Society, we want to celebrate all the courageous people around the world living with vitiligo’s unique imprint.

The casting of Lorrie took four years as it was such a specific brief. It was crucial to find someone with vitiligo who was vulnerable enough to play a teenager going through these dramatic physical changes yet self-confident enough that they were able to perform in front of a large crew.”

Jake enlisted the help of Coralie Rose at Road Casting, who specialise in finding diverse and unseen faces. Jake continued, “It was a long process, driving all over the UK interviewing and workshopping a host of amazing young people. There were many near misses but all throughout this process we were re-writing the script, adding the insights and truths we discovered on our journey. Eventually we found Malayisa Newland and it was absolutely worth the wait.

Calico is Malayia’s acting debut, plus she stars alongside a goldfish, so a very challenging role for a first timer. Jake enlisted the actor and improv artist Charlie Kemp to work with her and the trio spent six months workshopping together, often three times a week.

Malaysia recalled, “It was an honour to (play Lorrie) because I really resonated with her - I got my vitiligo when I was 15 and it was a tough journey! I was very insecure at first - it’s a weird age for your body to start doing crazy things! At a time when I just wanted to fit in with my peers, my body wanted the opposite.

Calico is super funny, well written, and spreads a great message. I hope that people get to see it as I’m sure the film can help many young people who, like a younger me, feel insecure and not quite ready to show their skin.”