Gates

After disappearing from their broken home three years ago, Grace appears in her sister’s life in an attempt to protect and make amends with a less than cooperative Ella.

Grace and Ella trek the beautiful countryside of Kent, but there is nothing blissful about their time together. Past trauma and unresolved tensions simmer below the surface and as the days pass by, the safety and sanity of both sisters will be tested.

  • Josh Pickup
    Director
  • Josh Pickup
    Writer
  • Josh Pickup
    Producer
  • Lily Walbeoffe
    Producer
  • Lily Walbeoffe
    Key Cast
    "Ella"
  • Iona Champain
    Key Cast
    "Grace"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    39 minutes 29 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 1, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    4,500 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • London
    United Kingdom
    July 24, 2021
    Uk Premiere
  • Rome
    Italy
    August 11, 2021
    Winner - Best Actress
  • Rome
    Italy
    August 11, 2021
    Winner - Best Screenwriter
Director Biography - Josh Pickup

Josh is an award winning writer/director based in West London. He has spent the last 6 years focusing primarily on writing, both professionally and as a passionate hobby but has since moved into the world of film-making.

In 2019 Josh completed the film-making program at City Academy London and has since gone on to work on a number of short films. Josh is known best for his directorial debut 'This is ME' which has been recognized with award wins and official selections at numerous festivals.

His highly anticipated follow up short 'Gates' has been supported by Raindance Film Festival since pre-production and it's kickstarter campaign reached number 1 on the sites most popular UK film page list.

'Gates' is due for festival release in July 2021 with a feature length version of the film also in the works.

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Director Statement

“ Lensed to perfection throughout...Two astonishing performances from it’s leading actors...A director to watch out for…one can only imagine what is to come ” - Screen Critix *****

" Raw and direct...Its dialogue barely ever feels like dialogue...Champain and Walbeoffe buzz around the frame as if their place in Pickup’s world were inevitable...a wholly involving piece of work." - The Indiependent ****

"Hits all the right notes in all the right places...the more you care to dig, the more you will get out of it." - Indyred ****

"An emotionally powerful film...reflective of the human experience...performances that have you fully believing..deeply moving." - Another Millennial Reviewer ****

"The spirit of indie is within this film...it all culminates in this perfect storm of beautiful composition...Is this not one of the most beautiful film’s you’ve ever seen?" - Indie Film Review Podcast

"Explores sibling relationships more effectively than many feature length films I have seen." - Movie Marker ****