Whoever You May Be

An enigmatic black British man and a blustering white ‘All Lives Matter’ supporter encounter one another on the street outside the British Museum in London, on the day of a Black Lives Matter protest.

The film stars Nathaniel Martello-White, who recently starred in Steve McQueen's 'Small Axe' for the BBC, and Billie Piper and Lucy Prebble's 'I Hate Suzie' on Sky Atlantic and HBO Max; and Bradley Taylor, who recently played the lead in independent feature film Silent Night.

  • Ruth Pickett
    Director
  • Ruth Pickett
    Writer
  • Nathaniel Martello-White
    Key Cast
    "Yeez"
    Small Axe (BBC), I Hate Suzie (Sky Atlantic), One Dollar (CBS), Collateral (BBC), Guerilla (Sky Atlantic, Showtime)
  • Bradley Taylor
    Key Cast
    "Gaz"
    Silent Night (Feature Film), Dark Heart (ITV)
  • Ruth Pickett
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Comedy
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 31 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 30, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    6,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival

    Semi Finalist
  • The Shortest Nights Film Festival

    Honourable Mention
Director Biography - Ruth Pickett

Ruth Pickett is an Emmy-nominated Writer/Director, working across both TV and film. She has written and directed several award-winning short films which have played at highly regarded international and BAFTA-qualifying festivals and recently directed a digital series for Comedy Central which recently won a 2020 Broadcast Digital Award for Best Short form scripted.

Ruth was educated at a non-selective state school in Yorkshire, and went on study English at Cambridge University. She is from a mixed-race family and is passionate about diverse representation both in front of and behind the camera.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The film is about an enigmatic black man who appears to be on his way home from a protest - who encounters a blustering, right-wing 'All Lives Matter' supporter, on the streets outside the British Musuem.

The story was written in direct response to 2020's Black Lives Matter protests. Whilst on one of the marches in London, I was bowled over by the passion, hope, and humanity - there were people from all walks of life, empassioned about fighting for change. It seemed to contrast so profoundly with the small-minded, backward-looking rage of the so-called 'statue protectors' who came out in opposition to the movement. This difference in attitude was encapsulated by the photograph of Patrick Hutchinson, the personal trainer who lifted a right-wing racist to safety during one of the London protests. To me, that photo epitomised the humanity of a movement that is fighting for a better world.

Whoever You May Be is about the ways in which some white people have been made to believe they 'own' a country, despite not really having any power - and how black people have had to carry not only the burden of racist oppression, but also been asked to carry and contain white people's emotional reactions to being confronted about systematic racism. Ultimatey it is a story about how we treat and view other people - and how important it is to see others as individuals, and as human beings; rather than as members of a group.