To Those Who + Q&A

Join Take 1 Studios & Air Digital Studio for a free film screening of To Those Who… followed by a Q&A with members of the cast & crew, hosted by Broadway’s Sanaa Masud.

To Those Who… is a powerful short drama following Jamal Smith, a gifted young footballer standing at a crossroads between promise and peril. Living with his mother and carrying the weight of financial pressure, pride and expectation, Jamal sees football as his only escape. A disciplined path that could secure his future, if he can stay focused long enough to make the team.

Pulled between contrasting influences, Jamal is torn between the structure and hope offered by football and his loyal friend Daniel, and the chaotic demands of his childhood friends Nathan and Tiny, whose involvement in street life drags Jamal toward dangerous choices. When a failed move leaves them owing money and facing serious consequences, Jamal is tempted by the promise of fast cash and the chance to support his family.

As the pressure mounts, Jamal’s mental state begins to fracture. He experiences hallucinations, hearing the people around him as competing voices battling for control. What begins as an attempt to fix a problem spirals into violence at a party, setting off a chain of irreversible consequences.

In the aftermath, Jamal is consumed by guilt and fear as grief ripples through a community already fractured by distrust toward authority. To Those Who… is a cautionary tale about environment, pride, reputation, mental health and the brutal cost of a single decision, asking who we become when survival feels like the only option.  

This film was made in Nottingham, featuring Nottingham actors.

The above text is written by cast member Kyle Futers.