Designated Caretaker Redux, directed by Frederick Keeve, is a short film about high school drama teacher and filmmaker, Paul Miller (Frederick Keeve), who has to come to grips with the fact that as a result of his obsession with completing a film about the great actor/artist Michael Chekhov (William Morgan Sheppard), he is losing touch with his family and perhaps his sanity in the process. This film addresses a man's obsession with his artistic dreams, his need to create, and the eternal quest to find balance between life and art. This film is inspired by Keeve’s own life producing/writing/directing/composing a feature-length documentary about the lives of two Russian-born actor/teachers - Michael Chekhov and George Shdanoff - entitled From Russia to Hollywood: The 100-Year Odyssey of Chekhov and Shdanoff. Keeve became a student of 90-year-old Shdanoff while he was still teaching acting classes from his Brentwood apartment. When Keeve heard about Shdanoff and Chekhov’s incredible journey, the idea for the documentary about two Russian acting coaches was born. Designated Caretaker Redux is a film within a film, and a love letter to the great actor/artist Michael Chekhov.

About The Production

Designated Caretaker Redux was shot on location in LA. It was Star Trek and RSC veteran, William Morgan Sheppard’s last screen performance. The film enjoyed great success on the independent film festival circuit receiving several nominations and awards, including Gold Remi Award - WorldFest Houston, Most Inspiration Short Film - Culver City Film Festival, Best Short Film - Global Shorts Los Angeles, Award of Merit - Canada Shorts Film Festival, Platinum Award - L.A. Shorts Fest, and Diamond Award - L.A. Shorts Awards.

Further information about the production can be found on IMDb here.