Brighton festival film explores dramatic reality of cost-of-living crisis

The 10-minute drama For What We Are About To Receive follows a hungry couple who turn to crime in order to put food on the table - but find their relationship and morals put to the test as a result.

In addition to being conceived and directed by Matt Page, who provides technical support on the University of Brighton's Moving Image BA(Hons) course, the film's production team features others who have come through the university's highly-regarded film production and photography courses - ranked joint 2nd in the UK for career prospects in the Guardian University Guide 2022.

A still from the film For What We Are About To Receive directed by Matt Page

Matt Page directs Gina Kawecka on the set of 'An Opportunist' (2018)

Director of Photography Kenny McKracken studied Photography BA(Hons), while the film's music was composed by Jeph Vanger, who took the Digital Music and Sound Arts BA(Hons) degree.

Actor Gina Kawecka, meanwhile, did the university's Photography MA before showcasing her skills in front of a camera as one half of the film's on-screen couple. This follows her appearances in two films by This Is England director Shane Meadows - 24/7 and Small Time. Gina also teamed up with Matt for a previous film called An Opportunist, which won the Best Short Film Award at the LA Festival of Cinema in 2019.

"I started writing For What We Are About To Receive in May 2021 in response to the food poverty crisis engulfing the UK," Matt explains. "My aim was to make an accessible and timely film capturing the stresses and emotions of two people struggling with such a basic part of living. I'm now working on a feature project which expands on the themes of the short film.

“It was also inspirational being able to build a fabulous production crew from people who have learned and honed their skills at University of Brighton.”

You can read a Q+A session featuring Matt discussing his film-making on Brighton's Copperdollar Studios website.

Celebrating its 20th edition this year, the overall Cinecity Festival (11-20 November) also has strong links to the University of Brighton. Its Artistic Director Tim Brown lectures in the university's School of Art and Media, while the festival was co-founded in 2003 by Dr Frank Gray, who oversees the university's acclaimed Screen Archive South East, in addition to continuing involvement in curating Cinecity's array of dazzling international and independent film.

Note: The Moving Image BA(Hons) course has now been replaced by Film BA(Hons) for new students.