Director Ben Tricklebank's Short Film CHAMP Questions Toxic Masculinity

Missing Link Films’s Ben Tricklebank won an Emmy for his work on Clouds Over Cuba. His short film CHAMP which he wrote, is his live action directorial debut. CHAMP has qualified to be considered for a 2022 Academy Award and shares the story of a 14-year-old boy whose dad desperately wants him to be a man.

Jake might only be 14, but that's old enough to be a man as far as his dad is concerned. The only problem is that Jake isn't sure he's ready to grow up – at least not in the way that his dad wants him to.

Two-time Emmy nominee and winner Ben Tricklebank prides himself on his interdisciplinary visual expertise and has a clear focus on intelligent and visually driven storytelling. From directing short-form content, commercials, interactive films, VR, installations, and digital experiences, he is focused on finding innovative ways to tell character-driven stories that engage and excite audiences.

The beautiful cinematography was crafted by Oren Soffer. During his studies at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Oren was nominated for the ASC Gordon Willis Student Heritage Award and was a finalist for the ARRI Volker Bahnemann Award for Cinematography.

CHAMP won the 2019 Shore Scripts Short Film Fund and was developed in partnership with creative studio LOVECHILD. It premiered on Directors Notes in April 2023.