Ladies First
‘Ladies First’ is a short period drama set in 1919, focusing on a young couple challenging gender inequality as a social norm.
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James BowsherProducer
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Matthew StegglesProducer
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Matthew StegglesDirector
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Matthew StegglesWriter
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James BowsherWriter
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Martha BaileyAssistant Producer
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Amy NewtonKey Cast
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Andrew HortonKey Cast
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Aaron BellEditor
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Howard MillsDirector of Photography
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Graeme WillettsSound Recordist
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George Johnson1st Assistant Director
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Emily DodgeMake-Up Artist
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Simone CilioComposer
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Jamies WardSound Designer
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Aaron BellColour Grader
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Ayse KayaAssistant Camera
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Olivia JakemanProduction Assistant
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Elly ObeneyProduction Assistant
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Jack HughesPublicity Stills Photographer
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Project Type:Short
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Genres:Drama
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Runtime:4 minutes 50 seconds
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Completion Date:March 4, 2016
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Production Budget:2,300 GBP
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Country of Origin:United Kingdom
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Country of Filming:United Kingdom
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Arri Amira (2k Pro Res)
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Aspect Ratio:2:40:1
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Cannes Short Film CornerCannes
May 11, 2016
World Premier -
Zero Film Festival - LondonLondon
United Kingdom
August 16, 2016
UK Premier -
New Renaissance Film FestivalLondon
United Kingdom
August 20, 2016 -
Exit 6 Film FestivalBasingstoke
United Kingdom
September 24, 2016 -
London International Short Film FestivalLondon
United Kingdom
October 27, 2016 -
Grand Rapids Feminist Film FestivalMichigan
United States
October 23, 2016
North American Premier -
Carmarthen Bay Film FestivalCarmarthen Bay
United Kingdom
May 10, 2017
Matthew Steggles was born and raised just outside of Wrexham, UK. At the age of 13 he created his first video. in 2013 Matthew graduated from the University of South Wales with a Bachelors Degree with Honours in Film and Video. Later that same year, Matthew was accepted as a member of the National Youth Film Academy, UK.
Matthew’s music video 'Lost days' has to date garnered over 1 million hits on YouTube and been televised on BBC Midlands, ITV Central and UKESAD (2014).
Matthew Steggles' current directorial, ‘Ladies First’ is a short period drama set in 1919, focussing on a young couple challenging gender equality as a social norm. He is also producing a psychological short film thriller ‘Withheld’ set to be released later this year.
‘Ladies First’ has two sources of inspiration; Emma Watson’s HeForShe speech at the UN and Amma Asante’s film ‘Belle’. I felt that Asante’s intelligent use of 19th Century England as a setting highlighted the racial obstacles the protagonist endured. However, Gender Equality was the subject I wanted to tackle. Specifically the linguistic modes employed by the patriarchy to re-enforce traditional social dynamics. The films title, ‘Ladies First’ references the term: whilst promoting women in the short run, it actually segments society in favour of the man. You may walk through the door first as I allow you to.
This film is set in 1919 as this was famously a turning point in the movement towards gender equality in Britain. My goal was to use the past to reflect contemporary issues and use the trappings of the setting to illustrate that while there has been great legislative and social change in nearly 100 years, the linguistic dimension has yet to catch up.