Experiencing Interruptions?

Last Gasp

Powerful shareholder Robert Harper (David Suchet) and his teenage daughter Julianna have never faced the truth about his investments until Raad Karim arrives. Karim blames Harper’s oil company for poisoning his community in Iraq and giving his daughter leukaemia. As tensions rise and painful family secrets come to light, Robert is forced to choose between protecting his business empire and finally doing what is right.

  • Tom Cholmondeley
    Director
  • Tom Cholmondeley
    Writer
  • Henry Ajayi Ward
    Producer
  • David Suchet
    Key Cast
    "Robert Harper"
    Poirot (1988-2013), Freud, Murrow (1986), Cardinal Wolsey in Henry VIII (2003), Robert Maxwell in Maxwell (2007)
  • Waleed Elgadi
    Key Cast
    "Raad Karim"
    Mosul, A Hologram for a King
  • Aso Sherabayani
    Key Cast
    "Thabit Karim"
    BBC Casualty
  • Martha Maloney
    Key Cast
    "Juliana Harper"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    17 minutes 27 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 20, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    42,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Arri Alexa Mini
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Phoenix Rising International Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    November 15, 2025
    World Premiere
    Winner of two awards - Best Impact and Best Ensemble Nominated for seven awards:-Best British Film, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director (British Short Film), Best Ensemble, Best Original Score & Best Impact Film
  • Activists Without Borders Film Festival
    Reading
    United Kingdom
    November 29, 2025
    Social Impact Award and Best Short Drama of the Year
  • COLIFFE - COLiseum International Film FEstival
    Rome
    Italy
    November 17, 2025
    Selected - International Short
  • London Director Awards
    London
    United Kingdom
    February 20, 2026
    Triple Winner - Best Short Fiction Film, Best British Director Short Film, Best Senior Director
  • Africa International Human Rights Film Festival
    Lagos
    Nigeria
    December 8, 2025
    African Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital DCEFF
    Washington
    United States
    March 26, 2026
    US Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Liverpool Indie Awards
    Liverpool
    United Kingdom
    March 28, 2026
    Official Selection
  • Carmarthen Bay Film Festival
    Llanelli
    United Kingdom
    May 18, 2026
    Welsh Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Frome International Climate Film Festival
    frome
    United Kingdom
    May 17, 2026
    Best South West Film
Director Biography - Tom Cholmondeley

Last Gasp is Tom’s debut drama after more than 25 years making documentaries.

Across his career he has moved from news (Sunday Times, BBC Newsnight) to science (Horizon, BAFTA nominated Chemistry – A Volatile History) to BBC Arts (Paul Merton’s Silent Clowns) and finally history. (Charles I – Downfall of a King)

He has interviewed Mikhail Gorbachev on communism, flown in a helicopter with Sir Tony Robinson, carried Lucy Worsley through Oxford in a bath chair and set fire to diamonds with Professor Jim Al-Khalili.

His shows have won great press acclaim – ‘an exemplary hour’ (Daily Telegraph), ‘Intelligent, coherent and enthralling’ (Sunday Times), ‘a thrilling, not to be missed opportunity’ (Radio Times), ‘this is just beautiful television.’ (The Scotsman)

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

We are using gripping drama to highlight the scandal of gas flaring in a similar way that the Netflix series Adolescence highlighted the influence of teenagers of social media

Anger at injustice drove me to write this script. A close friend of mine was struggling with leukaemia.
I did a Google search for her prognosis. To my surprise up popped a BBC World Service film about Iraqi gas flaring. Children were getting leukaemia from breathing filthy air released as oil companies burn off (flare) excess natural gas.
The film was made by a brave young man Ali Julood suffering the same disease. In enraged me that oil companies could so callously give children the same horrific deadly disease my friend was suffering from. Ali hoped to show his film to BP shareholders at their AGM but died three days before he could do this. He was 21.

I reimagined Ali's story. What would happen if the father of a sick child arrives at the house of the man he holds responsible?

David Suchet superbly plays Robert Harper as he arcs from callous businessman into a broken shadow of himself.