Trailer:
After accidentally murdering the family pet, two young Jewish brothers have to quickly figure out the best way to get rid of the body before their parents come home from Synagogue.
Director Statement.
This project has been a huge labour of love and collaboration from my whole family. My Dad (Adam Shaw) was a young actor and then a TV presenter for the BBC, ITV and much more. This project was a great way to finally collaborate on a creative project with him . The creative arts, as we all know is a difficult world to be in, often feeling like you are standing around, a little helpless, waiting to be picked. So my dad and I sat down and decided to create something with no money and no crew. This became ‘Pickles is Dead’ . With the help of my sister who joined later as an associate producer we were able to send out this little film of ours.
Behind the comedy is a story about family and grief. The death of an older relative is a weird one for a young person to deal with. In many circumstances, it feels like you never knew who they actually were and vice versa. So it's a different type of distant grief which can come with their passing. The only shared connection you definately have with this person is your family history. My own grandfather came to London at 9 years old, from Germany where he had been persecuted, as many were, for being Jewish. Today, being Jewish can mean something quite different . This film asks: how do you say goodbye to the people you love, but don’t really know? And how can religion bring us together, or push us apart?
About the Director.
Leonardo Shaw is an award-winning actor and writer, and a recent graduate of The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. His Recent Credits include ‘Hamlet a 70’s Tragedy’ (Bush Theatre)
and the recent Off West End Revival of ‘The History Boys’ (Glassroom Company). He has also, featured on Radio 4, improvising with Jenny Eclair and Josie Lawrence.
This is his directorial debut.
