Grandpa Schmol's Black Leather Boots
A Welcome Project Digital Short commission by Bee in my Beanie in Association with Little Angel Theatre
25th January 2024
Grandpa Schmol had the biggest boots in Vitebsk. In all of Russia even.
They were made of fine black leather and he wore them everywhere! Even when he had to take grandma Rachel and the kids and escape the war. His boots saw them all safely to the new land, through steep mountains, choppy seas and vast wasteland. And when they arrived in the new land? The boots became their home.
Based the immigration story of Jewish Russian family in the 18th century, this a fantastical story about endurance and love. A story that shows that no matter how hard things get, as long as you have your shoes on your feet and your loved ones around you – you can feel at home.
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Credits:
Tess Agus – writer & filmmaker
Katherine Sturt-Scobie – puppet maker & filmmaker
Voices:
Sam Agus
Limor Agus
Agam Mizarchi
Ely Mizrachi
Noy Asulin
Noa Asulin
Music:
Long Road Ahead B by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
About the Company
Bee in My Beanie (Tess Agus and Katherine Sturt-Scobie) are a collaboration of third culture artists who have called many places home. They aim to uncover the human condition through art, laughter and visual storytelling.
The story of Grandpa Schmol was originally used in their 2021 VAULTS Festival show ‘Aamira and Gad’. An immersive play about two children caught in a border conflict based on the Israeli Palestinian conflict. This story has felt painfully pertinent in recent weeks.
We decided that Grandpa Schmol’s journey held in it a shared experience that we can all consider. That of resilience in the face of conflict and the desire for a home as well as the need to hold on to something familiar during uncertain times.
The story of Grandpa Schmol is based on the story of Tess’ great, great grandfather who fled Russia to the United States when the Soviet Union came to power. But it is also the story of millions around the world who are fleeing war torn countries.
The voices in the video belong to Tess’ dear family in Israel. We thank them for their kindness in the lending their voices to this story in these hard times.
And we would like to dedicate this to every child whose life has been affected during recent events. To the innocent who have been caught in wars of ideology and power. We celebrate unity and the coming together of communities across the world for peace and pray for better times.