The last supper has been given to prisoners facing the death penalty as long as the punishment has existed. The tradition stems from funeral rites where the deceased person was given food on his deathbed to protect him on his journey to the afterlife. Today, the ritual of giving the last supper to the condemned person has been detached from its origin, and can be perceived to be as absurd as the punishment it accompanies.

Mats Bigert & Lars Bergström’s film Last Supper focuses on this discrepancy between historical ‘meaning’ and contemporary use of a tradition that has lost its connection with the past. The film mixes documentary material with sculptural installations and animated graphics.

The main character is the former death row chef Brian Price, who reconstructs one of the 200 final meals that he prepared during his time as inmate in Huntsville State Prison, Texas, US.The film was shot during 2004 in the US, Philippines, Thailand, Japan, Kenya, South Africa and Sweden.