THE SHUG

"When sightings of the notorious monster The Shug resurface, a father must team up with unlikely allies to rescue his daughter and put an end to its terror in the British countryside." Martin J Pickering is the founder of Big Head Media. Martin has directed many music videos, working with the likes of Warner Music, Atlantic Records, Elektra and Island Records, with music videos and promos for Morcheeba, James TW, Paloma Faith, Janine, Mikill Pane, Clement Marfo And The Frontline, Lethal Bizzle and Josh Osho. After making a short film called Stealing Moses, Martin now also has a feature film released Worldwide called Witches Witches. Released in late 2019. Martin is also heavily involved in the online commercial and fashion film world and has gained well known clients including Next, Label/Mix, Pepe Jeans (Dua Lipa), Footlocker, Karen Millen, UGG, L.K. Bennett, Benetton and many more. Photographing, Filming and directing campaign films for these brands have seen them work directly with the likes of the legendary David Bailey, Dua Lipa, James McVoy, Daniel Radcliffe and actress Rosamund Pike. Martin is also now working with shoe designer Manolo Blahnik on campaign films, e-commerce photography, print photography and animations. Director Statement: The Shug is a film I’ve been working on for 3 years or more and is based on real sightings of an elusive creature. I wrote it in lockdown when I had plenty of time. It’s based on a scary, Fenland mythological cryptid known as The Shug Monkey. I find the Cambridgeshire Fens a creepy and cinematic place, especially in the summer. Because some of it is remote, It can be an odd place with backward people and villages known for witchcraft. This film is based in the same world as my last film Wicked Witches aka The Witches of Dumpling Farm. It’s a scary yet emotional journey where a father has to reconcile with his estranged daughter but has to face the monster that’s been haunting him for 25 years.