The title character in “Her Name Was Jo,” which had its world premiere on Thursday night at the Lighthouse International Film Festival, is one tough kid.

Jo, short for Josephine (Mary Cate Williams), is a 10-year-old girl who lives with her junkie stepfather on the banks of Virginia’s Shenandoah River. But she doesn’t live with him for long in this 100-minute film – the abusive stepdad soon dies of an overdose.