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Chaplin | Spirit of The Tramp

Seeking to better understand a sometimes distant patriarch, Michael J Chaplin uncovers the Romany Gypsy roots of his cinema-legend father.

Directed by Michael’s daughter, the film is an intimate portrait of Charlie from inside the family circle as well as a fresh take on Chaplin's oeuvre through the lens of his Gypsy heritage.

  • Carmen Chaplin
    Director
  • Carmen Chaplin
    Writer
  • Ashim Bhalla
    Writer
  • Isaki Laucuesta
    Writer
  • Amaia Ramirez
    Writer
  • Ashim Bhalla
    Producer
  • Carmen Chaplin
    Producer
  • Dolores Chaplin
    Producer
  • Stany Coppet
    Producer
  • Carlos Juárez
    Producer
  • Nano Arrieta
    Producer
  • Silvia Martínez
    Producer
  • Michael J Chaplin
    Key Cast
  • Geraldine Chaplin
    Key Cast
  • Christopher Chaplin
    Key Cast
  • Victoria Chaplin
    Key Cast
  • Jane Chaplin
    Key Cast
  • Uma Bhalla Chaplin
    Key Cast
  • Johnny Depp
    Key Cast
  • Emir Kusturica
    Key Cast
  • Tony Gatlif
    Key Cast
  • Claire Bloom
    Key Cast
  • Farruquito
    Key Cast
  • Lita Cabellut
    Key Cast
  • Stochelo Rosenberg
    Key Cast
  • Damien Le Bas
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 29 minutes 39 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 25, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    France, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    Colombia, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English, French, Romany, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • San Sebastián International Film Festival
    San Sebastián
    Spain
    September 25, 2024
    World Premiere
    Zinemira
  • Irizar Basque Film Award
    San Sebastián
    Spain
    September 25, 2024
    World Premiere
    Irizar Basque Film Award
  • Cinema Ritrovato
    Bologna
    Italy
    June 26, 2025
    Italian Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Telluride Film Festival
    Telluride
    United States
    August 30, 2025
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • Global Constellation
    Sales Agent
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Carmen Chaplin

CARMEN CHAPLIN worked as an actor in Europe and the U.S. with several eminent directors including André Téchiné, Wim Wenders, Sydney Pollack, and Philippe Rousselot. Carmen’s short films A TIME FOR EVERYTHING (2012), THE INNOVATORS (2014), and TRYST IN PANAME (2016) screened at many international festivals / events including SHOOT New Directors Showcase (NYC), the Saatchi Gallery (London), Lincoln Center (NYC), S.O.U.L. (BFI Southbank), Manchester International Film Festival, Shorts on Tap (London), and Hollyshorts Film Festival (LA). Carmen co-produced the award-winning documentary – and 2024 Slamdance opening night film – ONE BULLET (2023) directed by Oscar and BAFTA-winner Carol Dysinger. Carmen’s directing debut is the theatrical documentary CHAPLIN | SPIRIT OF THE TRAMP (2024) uncovering the cinema legend’s Romany roots. Film Constellation is handling sales.

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Director Statement

Several years ago I worked on a film shooting in Bucharest, Romania. On my days off I wandered the austere city streets and became fixated by a parallel population who were ignored by the population and persecuted by the Police: stray dogs and Roma children. These neglected orphans scavenging for food and fearfully scattering from the Police haunted me – this struck me as something straight out of my grandfather’s film THE KID.

Charlie’s mother, Hannah, kept her Romany Gypsy roots a secret well into her old age telling Charlie only three years before her death when he was thirty-six-years-old, and already a huge success. This element of his ancestral heritage was a total revelation to Charlie, and meant a great deal to him.

Gypsy / Roma / Traveller people all over the world have been shunned for centuries; and yet the tradition continues to embody the free spirit, and champion living an impassioned life. Charlie was a maverick, a pioneer who treasured his Romany heritage. For him these roots dignified a poverty-stricken childhood and brought romance and magic to the terrible suffering he endured with his mother and brother.

Charlie’s relationship with his own children was defined by opposites: in many ways he was a Victorian gentleman but his kids grew up in the cultural rebellion of the sixties. Whilst Charlie survived abject poverty his children were born into comfort and wealth.

Michael J Chaplin (Chaplin’s eldest son by Oona O’Neill) had a complicated relationship with his father. But both have a passion for the Gypsy / Roma / Traveller tradition, and it’s through this shared love for the ‘Gypsy Spirit’ that Michael reconnects to Charlie. Michael ultimately comes to see that despite the archetypal conflict between father and son, their love for each other was never lost.

Heritage and legacy are themes central to the film, and whilst the focus is on Chaplin, the film is a celebration of Gypsy / Roma / Traveller culture and tradition. By revisiting Chaplin’s oeuvre through the lens of his Romany heritage the film recognises the enormous and yet undervalued contribution the Gypsy / Roma / Traveller community has made to world culture.

Carmen Chaplin