Experiencing Interruptions?

The Games Children Play

Single dad Sam Wells hires agency nanny Sophie Hayles to look after his son Charlie. But while Sam is away, Sophie starts to worry about Charlie's behaviour and his insistence that his imaginary friend, Dodd, is the real troublemaker. When Charlie goes missing, Sophie unearths the true identity of Dodd, with potentially devastating consequences for the Wells family.

  • Richard Dee Roberts
    Director
  • Richard Dee-Roberts
    Writer
    Sweet Lies, Rags to Riches
  • Elisaveta Abrahall
    Producer
    Wuthering Heights, Pestilence Lane
  • Richard Dee Roberts
    Key Cast
    "Sam Wells"
    Sweet Lies, Eleven, Whirlpool, Jurassic Predator
  • Karl Lichtenwald
    Key Cast
    "Charlie Wells/Charles Dodd"
  • Sha'ori Morris
    Key Cast
    "Sophie Hayles"
    Wuthering Heights, The House of Screaming Death, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Scott and Sid
  • Erika Stas
    Key Cast
    "Voice of Sat Nav"
    Sweet Lies
  • Elisaveta Abrahall - DOP
    Crew
    Wuthering Heights, Pestilence Lane
  • Jake Stead - Editor
    Crew
  • Tom Theakston - Composer
    Crew
    MD on Wicked, Mamma Mia, Jersey Boys, Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
  • Ian Dangerfield - Sound Editor
    Crew
  • Jake Wells - Technical Advisor
    Crew
  • Riro - Props/SFX
    Crew
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes 15 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 27, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Golden State Film Festival
    Hollywood, USA
    United States
    March 25, 2019
    World Premiere
    Best Director, Short Film
Director Biography - Richard Dee Roberts

Richard is an actor and writer hailing from London, England. As an actor he has recently taken lead roles in a range of high profile films, including World War I feature film 'Eleven' and Academy Award qualifying short, 'Whirlpool'. He has also recently been eaten by a T-Rex in 'Jurassic Predator' and is about to start work on a hard hitting feature film, based on true events, entitled 'Soul Searching'. As a writer, his feature film script 'Rags to Riches' was adapted for the stage and won at the prestigious NDFA awards in the UK, where it was named Best Youth Play. Richard also received a Best New Writer nomination for the script in the Sir Michael Caine Drama Awards, that same year. Subsequently, he had talks with a major animation studio, who took a keen interest in the piece. More recently, the short film 'Sweet Lies', which Richard wrote and also played the part of Jake in, has earned the title Best Short Film at two major festivals in 2018 and has had a number of nominations and other awards in various categories, most notably earning a Best Director award for legendary film maker Pascal Lebegue and a Best Actress award for Erika Stasiuleviciute . Although Richard has directed a number of corporate films to date, 'The Games Children Play' marks his directional debut in film.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Whilst the story you are about to watch is fiction, the concept behind 'The Games Children Play' is based on an actual event. In addition, I was fortunate and grateful to have a fantastic creative team who worked closely alongside me to help make the film a reality, with contributions from the UK, Germany and Los Angeles, California. The end result is testament to everyone's commitment and belief in the project. 'The Games Children Play' is dedicated to everyone who had a hand in its making. I will be forever grateful for all their hard work.
The film premiered at the iconic Graumans Chinese Theatre in Hollywood in March 2019 as a part of the Golden State Film Festival and secured a best director award there. It also introduces the wonderful Karl Lichtenwald to audiences, who plays Charlie Wells/Charles Dodd. This incredibly talented, versatile young actor blew us away with his performance. Watching him on screen, it's hard to believe that he had never been in front of a camera before filming commenced. At only six years of age I predict a fantastic future for him should he wish to pursue acting as a career.