Charlie Polinger is an American screenwriter and director. Polinger first made a name for himself on the festival circuit with the short film "Fuck Me, Richard" (2023) — a 15-minute dark comedy made together with Lucy McKendrick, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival (2023) and was also shown at festivals in Seattle and Melbourne.

Polinger's breakthrough came with his first feature film, "The Plague" (2025), which he wrote and directed as a psychological drama-thriller. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and received widespread critical acclaim.

Polinger's work on "The Plague" brought him significant awards and nominations at major film festivals and critics' associations. At the 2025 Cannes Film Festival the film was nominated in the Un Certain Regard category and for the Caméra d'Or. It also received nominations at the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia (2025), was awarded the Grand Prix and the Prix de la Critique at the Deauville Film Festival (2025) and received the Breakthrough Director award at the Denver Film Festival (2025). Other recognition includes the Best International Film prize at the Calgary International Film Festival (2025), an Austin Film Critics Association nomination for Best Debut Film, an New York Film Critics Online nomination for Best Directorial Debut and other nominations from the Indiana Film Journalists Association (2025). Awards from the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle (2025) brought Polinger the prize for Best Directorial Debut. In the awards season that continued into 2026, "The Plague" received nominations from the Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Theatrical Feature Film, from the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle and from the Hawaii Film Critics Society for Best New Filmmaker.