Directors Notes // The Home of Independent Filmmaking

Breakfast With “A Room Full of Bald Men”: The Unlikely Inspiration Behind Nicolas Keppens’ ‘Beautiful Men’

Director Nicolas Keppens walks DN through his journey into stop motion animation and the inspiration behind his Oscar-nominated short about male insecurity.

Film Festival

10 Shorts That Demand Attention From Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2025

DN plunged into the outstanding curation at the 47th edition of Clermont-Ferrand to highlight a selection of 10 favourites from this year's dynamic programmes.

Animation, Awards

How a Theatre Full of Disgusted Kids Inspired Loïc Espuche to Create the Oscar Nominated Short ‘Yuck!’ (Beurk!)

Director Loïc Espuche joins us to discuss how he brought a little lip-tingling magic to his Oscar-nominated tale of hidden desires and first kisses.

Awards, Documentary

Molly O’Brien’s ‘The Only Girl in the Orchestra’ Celebrates a Life Well Lived as a Musician at the Vanguard

Molly O'Brien takes DN inside the creation of her Netflix Oscar nominated doc short about the trailblazing musician Orin O’Brien and her beloved instruments.

Awards, Live Action

One Man Makes a Courageous Stand in Nebojša Slijepčević’s Oscar Drama ‘The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent’

Nebojša Slijepčević speaks to DN about his approach when filming his Oscar nominated live action short within the tight confines of a train carriage.

Animation, Awards

José Prats Reminds Us To Honour Our Parents With His BAFTA Nominated Short Film ‘Adiós’

When BAFTA recognition means your grandma finally understands your job: José Prats on bridging personal filmmaking and professional acclaim.

Live Action

A Party Enigmatically Descends Into a Symphony of Chaos in Luke Eberl & Edgar Morais’ ‘We Won’t Forget’

Luke Eberl & Edgar Morais share the origins of their short about the callous nature of herd mentality and our compulsion to film social infractions.

Awards, Live Action

A Father’s Loneliness Erupts Corporeally In Matty Crawford’s BAFTA Body Horror ‘Stomach Bug’

Matty Crawford chats to DN about building the horror fuelled landscape of his psychological drama about a lonely parent suffering from empty nest syndrome.

Awards, Live Action

A Singular Young Man’s Resiliency Captures the Collective Horrors of War in Franz Böhm’s ‘Rock Paper Scissors’

Franz Böhm breaks down how he built two distinct visual worlds in his BAFTA nominated Ukraine war drama where a makeshift hospital faces enemy attack.