Directors Notes // The Home of Independent Filmmaking

Gerardo Coello Escalante Transforms Childhood Status Symbols Into Devastating Class Commentary in ‘Business Trip’

Gerardo Coello Escalante dissects how he confronted cultural malinchismo through his story of a sneaker revelation that unravels a Mexican boy's worldview.

Documentary

Lucy Knox Weaves Voices of Adolescence Into a Poignant Snapshot of Youth, Growth and Modern Struggles in ‘Eighteen’

Lucy Knox jumps into her newest offering weaving the collective hopes, dreams and fears of a generation tipping into adulthood into a cultural snapshot of now.

Live Action

Sci-Fi IVF Mystery Meets YouTube Storytelling in Uzo Oleh’s ‘Beth’, Channel 4’s First Digital Original Drama

Director Uzo Oleh & producer Yaw Basoah discuss the impact of subtext in their emotionally charged short made as Channel 4's first digital original drama.

Live Action

Daisy-May Hudson’s ‘Lollipop’ Is a Heartbreaking Portrait of Maternal Resilience and Devastating Systemic Failure

Daisy-May Hudson opens up about turning pain into power in her feature where a young woman struggles against a broken system to regain custody of her kids.

Documentary, Premiere

Rolf Hellat Explores Sacred Mysteries and Bodily Transience in His Collaborative Experimental Documentary ‘Déjà Nu’

Rolf Hellat delves into his experimental documentary which combines themes of culture, identity and bodily transience into an enthralling audiovisual poem.

Live Action

Nat Gee Explores the Invisible Violence of Dismissed Female Pain in Her Atmospheric Psychological Thriller ‘Buried’

Nat Gee details shooting on 16mm & cutting 4 minutes from her edit to help audiences deeply connect with her maverick winemaker's psychological fragmentation.

Live Action, Premiere

A Lovelorn Girl Vies for Her Boyfriend’s Attention in Ada Player & Bron Waugh’s Whimsical Comedy ‘Spare Part’

Ada Player & Bron Waugh explain how they adapted their stage monologue for film, found London's loneliest brutalist locations and crafted a loveable doormat.

Documentary, Premiere

Lily Baldwin Challenges Cinematic Voyeurism Through Intimate Collaboration in Her Boundary-Pushing Doc ‘Ecstasie’

Lily Baldwin discusses fusing documentary and performance art to reinvent film conventions in this captivating experimental hybrid film.

Live Action, Premiere

A Second-Hand Sale Gone Wrong Véras Fawaz’s ‘Warm’ Traps You in a Terrifying Game of Power and Control

Exploring the invisible grip of social and parental power, Véras Fawaz reveals how a news story inspired his tension fuelled psychological thriller.