Exemplary master's student graduates after overcoming multiple challenges

Christopher Breen, 50, will graduate from our MA Drama Production for TV, Film and Digital Media programme, as a passionate filmmaker who has changed his life around after a difficult few years.

The father-of-five has been an exemplary student at Salford, beginning his studies back in September 2023 before having to take a year out due to being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in January 2024.

Undeterred, he return to Salford this January to complete his studies and after helming a number of groundbreaking film projects, he is graduating today with a Distinction and as a Create Student Award winner who has found purpose making stories about and with those who have faced difficulties in life.

Chris grew up in Ardwick, Manchester and first entered higher education during his mid-20s at Manchester Metropolitan University to study Politics and History, graduating in 2003.

As a student, he became a taxi driver to earn extra money and subsequently stayed in the profession after graduating, whilst also floating between a number of other jobs.

After 15 years of driving taxis on and off, he left the profession and started working for a marketing company. However, his life then started to spiral out of control as a drug addiction took over his life.

He said: "My life was terrible. I had got myself into quite a bad drug problem and I was becoming fed up with my life.

"I felt like I was only doing the job for the money so I could buy drugs and it wasn't fulfilling me in any shape or form. I felt like I was selling my soul every single day.

"I then lost my dad and that sent me into a downwards spiral."

In December 2019, Chris checked himself into rehab. It was a decision that he later said 'changed his life' as he sought to press restart after a difficult few years.

"Taking drugs is a negative obsession," he said. "And I thought that if I could switch my obsession to something that was more positive and healthy, I would be able to find a way forward."

When the country went into lockdown for the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, Chris began writing a novel based on a story that he’d had in his head for a number of years prior.

He said: "For about three months, I wasn't getting anywhere with it at all. I kept thinking 'This is absolutely terrible' and then it suddenly came to me. This wasn't a novel, it was a script. So I taught myself how to write a script."

The process of scriptwriting proved to waken a sleeping talent in Chris and alongside some counselling support he was doing with Acorn Recovery Projects in Manchester, he started introducing film as a medium to encourage participants to open up about their personal struggles.

A number of the participants came from backgrounds where they too had faced drug problems or domestic violence and Chris' interventions through film started to make a difference.

"They found the whole filming process really cathartic. The first film we made was on a mobile and it was about domestic violence, with everyone involved having their own experience of it.

"They really got a positive experience out of making it and I started to think that film could be used as a positive force for change and help alter people's mindsets."

Chris started to develop his own short features, releasing Love Bite (2023), a zombie romance loosely based on drug addiction and another film called One Last Dance (2023). Each of the films were made with participants that had previously come from disadvantaged and marginalised backgrounds who had all faced challenges in life.

As Chris began to look to secure funding for further film projects, he decided it was time to get a professional qualification and enrolled at Salford in September 2023.

He instantly began to make an impression on the course, despite the world of higher education feeling 'alien' to him.

His lecturer, Simon Stanton-Sharma, said: "When Chris joined the MA programme, he quickly established himself as a student of remarkable creativity and generosity.

"He set high standards for his practical work and consistently supported his peers, always willing to lend a hand on other projects. His commitment to learning was evident in his approach. He sought to improve, experiment and challenge himself at every opportunity."

Chris said: "When you're from a background when you've broken down on yourself, because of whatever life has thrown at you, you can be quite often intimidated by educational establishments.

"But if you've got a background in doing what you're going into study, you have more confidence because of the experience you've had, and that's how I felt when I went on the course. The films I had made stood me in good stead."

After a high-flying start, Chris then faced his next challenge as his health took a downturn in November 2023 and it was feared he had bowel cancer.

"I started feeling initially unwell in November but I thought it was stress-induced because of my studies.

"Around Christmas, I started to feel really unwell and by the time it was January, it was disastrous. I felt like I couldn’t leave the house and was becoming so self-conscious."

Despite displaying many of the symptoms of bowel cancer, Chris' doctors later diagnosed him with ulcerative colitis - a life-long condition in which the digestive system is inflamed, leading to recurring tummy pain and diarrhea as well as extreme tiredness.

Chris said: "It sounds strange to say but I was absolutely over the moon when they said I didn't have cancer. I had been put on an urgent cancer pathway and had to do all these immediate tests so my mind had gone west.

"So when it wasn't cancer, I just felt instantly better because I felt like I could tackle it without the fear of that word hanging over me."

Following his diagnosis, Chris completely changed his diet and began starting to 'live and eat as healthy as he could.'

He was able to come off the painkillers after some time, but knew it was too soon to return to Salford, so he delayed his return to this January.

Despite delaying his studies, his desire to make films was undaunted and he was commissioned by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to make a film to raise awareness about homelessness in the region through the Unseen Voices exhibition.

The 12-minute short was about a character who was made homeless and then has to face all their demons on the street. The film was screened earlier this year.

Chris shot the film this February, weeks after returning to his studies at Salford, where he threw himself back into the fold.

"When I came back, I was thinking ‘Right, I need to get this done now’ because I was so eager to throw myself into filmmaking. I was just on a roll, my clarity of thought was incredible and everything just turned out really well.”

His efforts at Salford were then rewarded in June this year when he was given the Outstanding Commitment Award at the 2025 Create Student Awards.

Simon added: “When Chris rejoined the programme with a new cohort in 2025, he came back with the same energy and determination that defined him from the start.

“What truly sets him apart is not just his talent but his attitude. His kindness, resilience and unwavering support for those around him makes him an exceptional presence in the classroom and beyond.”

Looking forward, Chris has already begun his plans for future films.

He is currently setting up his own community interest company (CIC) with the intention to make films with all crews and performers to come from disadvantaged and marginalised backgrounds.

He is hoping to make four short films through the company over the coming two years before a feature film in 2028.