Ep. 41: Charlie Lyons, "Confidential Informant"

INTERSECTION, INTRIGUE & INFORMANTS

Charlie Lyons: From the Courtroom to the Camera

What happens when a criminal defense attorney turns his caseload into cinema? Writer-director Charlie Lyons channels decades of courtroom experience into "Confidential Informant," a tense, intimate story of power, addiction, and moral compromise that began as a stage play and evolved into a striking black-and-white short film.

In this episode of the Richmond Film Network Podcast, host Lisa Giles sits down with filmmaker Charlie Lyons, whose proof-of-concept short "Confidential Informant" screens at RFN Indie Fest on November 15 at the Park RVA. Drawing from his years as both prosecutor and defense attorney, Lyons discusses how real-world cases of addiction and coercion inspired his writing, and how the story’s evolution—from a television pilot to a play, to a proof of concept short that will eventually become a feature film—revealed its truest form.

Lyons reflects on his collaboration with powerhouse performers Celeste Oliva and Courtney O’Connor, the challenges and benefits of shooting in one confined location, and his creative choice to shoot the film entirely in black and white— “one remove from reality.” With candid anecdotes from Boston’s theater scene to the chaos of freezing night shoots, this conversation offers a rare look at how personal experience, empathy, and craft converge to make meaningful independent film.

"Confidential Informant" makes its Virginia premiere on November 15 at RFN Indie Fest. Learn more at confidentialinformantfilm.com and follow Charlie on Instagram @charlielyonswrites and @thecifilm.