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Filmmaker Cathy Yan says singer Charli xcx is a true "cinephile"
Yan directed the singer, 33, in the new movie The Gallerist, which stars Natalie Portman and Jenna Ortega
The Gallerist premiered at the Sundance Film Festival
Filmmaker Cathy Yan saysCharli xcx'stalents don't stop at the recording booth — she's a cinema expert too.
Yan directed Charli xcx, 33, in the new movieThe Gallerist,which starsNatalie Portmanand premiered at Sundance in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 24. Yan caught up with PEOPLE on the red carpet of the premiere, where she sang the"Apple"singer's praises.
"She is so good," Yan said. "She really knows the craft. She is a cinephile through and through. She really respects films, and I just find her so interesting and so mature and so insightful."
Yan said that the film, which she described as "dark satire set in the art world" ended up being a great fit for Charli xcx.
"There just happened to be a role that I thought would really fit with [Charli xcx]. And also turns out that she had gone to art school in the past, so there was a sort of overlap and background and interest, and so she took an interest in this movie as well," Yan added.
The movie, which also starsJenna Ortega, follows an art gallery owner (Portman) who enlists her long-suffering assistant (Ortega) to sell a highly-controversial piece of art.
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The film was Charli xcx's second project to premiere at the winter film festival, the other of which beingThe Moment, a mockumentary that screened there on Jan. 23.
The movie, directed and co-written by Aidan Zamiri, was inspired by Charli's xcx's real-life Brat Tour.
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"I'm obviously quite related to my character, so I had a lot of inspiration to pull from," Charli xcx said onstage after the screening.
"I would like to think I'm not as much of a nightmare as Charli in the film, but my real managers are in the audience and they probably know the true answer to that," she added jokingly.
The Charli inThe Momenthas "spiral moments" the musician could relate to, she added. "I have been there. I think I am, as an artist, quite a volatile person. And nice though. I am quite nice too. Right?"
Zamiri chimed in, hurriedly saying, "Yes, yes, confirmed," to which Charli xcx responded, "Too f---ing right."
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Joining Charli xcx and Zamiri at the premiere were most of the movie's cast, includingRosanna Arquette, Kate Berlant, Jamie Demetriou, Hailey Gates, Trew Mullen, Mel Ottenberg, Isaac Powell, Rachel Sennott, Rish Shah, Tish Weinstock, Michael Workéyè andAlexander Skarsgård. The film also features an appearance byKylie Jenner.
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