MOUSE! is a story about how boys and their dads relate to each other and about how we process grief. In a way this is a story about my relationship with my own dad, and with my seven year old son, as well as my relationship with seven year old me who had a secret pet mouse like Moni does. My Dad had a stroke last year and we thought he would die. He didn’t, but I was suddenly confronted with some big feelings and it made me think about how my son who loves him dearly would cope with this loss and how my son’s feelings for my dad are so much simpler than mine. I think we were all deeply affected by lock down and I have yet to see any films which really moved me and which are set in that time. I was really struck by how life went on despite this generation defining historic event going on all around us . I wanted to set a film in this time but make lock down almost incidental to the story – like life goes on. I’ve always loved films which could easily be a stage play. Placing our story in lock down gave me that ability to stage the first two acts inside the flat and the third at the grave. It gave me pressure cooker environment to play out a story which of course is not really about covid at all. We have this big world event which everyone remembers and which is a raw nerve to every single person – and within that setting we play out a timeless story but covid gives it scale and depth and kind of an anchor point in our recent consciousness.

A whirlwind of energy, Max is an award winning filmmaker with a bold and intimate style. He is a natural storyteller with an ability to build strong relationships, which allow him to draw great performances from contributors from all walks of life. His work is noted for its strong visual style. A director well known for his emotional storytelling, Max has an enviable reputation for crafting powerful, memorable films for clients including Red Cross, Lloyds, The Royal Navy, Nike and CALM. Max makes films with a lot of heart that always connect with the audience, his most recent example of this is The Last Photo for CALM, a sensitive and moving film for the charity. This incredible and highly revered film has resulted in Max winning multiple prestigious awards including Campaign Big, Kinsale Grand Prix, Shots, 1.4 as well as the Cannes Lions Grand Prix and Commercial of the Year at the British Arrows. His most recent short, Small Change, elevates a simple premise into a thought-provoking comment on morality and redemption - with a few laugh out loud moments. The short has so far one Best British Short at the London International Short Film Festival with no doubt more accolades to follow. His talent for drawing great performances has been honed by his extensive long form documentary experience; films such as ‘The Street Kids World Cup’, ‘The Wrestlers’ and ‘Kids Behind Bars’ have all received widespread critical acclaim and have won awards. Max moved from directing long from TV to commercials in 2015 and has recently shot major campaigns for brands such as Boots, Nike, VW, Amex, Samsung, Lloyds Bank, Tesco, The Royal Navy and many more. A former youth worker, Max is particularly adept at working with young people. He is just as gifted when collaborating with celebrities and sports stars – from Lebron James through to Lily Allen.