Based on a true story, Mike Colter stars as trucking and construction entrepreneur Charlie Walker. In 1971, two oil tankers violently collided off the San Francisco Coast spilling millions of gallons of crude oil creating an environmental disaster. Against all odds, Charlie was able to secure one of the most lucrative contracts to clean the coastline that threatened much of the San Francisco Bay.
With only three trucks, an incredible work ethic and a whole lot of heart, the film recounts the racial discrimination Walker endured as he tries to save the coastline all while fighting institutional racism from the very company that hired him in the first place.
Director’s Statement: We all want to believe that we are on the right side of history. If time will judge us all, I want to use my time to collaborate with people I admire and who challenge me to look both inward and outward with my work. After completing a short film project, I was approached by Bill O'Keeffe and Charlie Walker, who asked me to "take a shot" at adapting this amazing event and period of Charlie Walker’s life into a script. That's how "I'm Charlie Walker" began for me.
If I have a directing style, it's based on the single theory that casting is the first and last profound decision any director makes. I was privileged and honored to work with the great casting director, Robin Lippin. Going into this project with Mike, Dylan, Safiya and the rest of our amazing cast and crew, brought great ease and confidence to the hellacious task of shooting an independently financed period price with water, oil, trucks and beach locations. The moment Mike Colter took on the voice and the walk of Charlie Walker; I knew the movie would work. Dylan Baker as the villain, Safiya Fredericks as the bedrock of support, the entire cast began to orbit around Mike like the sun. It lifted the movie and was a joy to witness.
“I'm Charlie Walker” is the epitome of teamwork, ingenuity and the spirit of independently financed story telling.
