Directors Notes // The Home of Independent Filmmaking

Adolescent Reality Blurs Into the Surreal in Debby Friday & Nathan De Paz Habib’s Hybrid Music Video ‘Good Luck’

Debby Friday & Nathan De Paz Habib break down the experimental approach they took to fully capture the surreal nature of the whirlwind that is adolescence.

Live Action, Premiere

Two Drunk Best Friends Demonstrate the Depths of Their Love for One Another in Joel Jay Blacker’s ‘Shoes Off’

Joel Jay Blacker details the careful balance of humour and strangeness he sought to navigate through his bizarre male friendship comedy short.

Animation, Music

A Nocturnal Predator Stalks a Young Woman in Nikita Kibirev’s Hyper-Stylised Animated Music Video ‘NOIR’

Nikita Kibirev breaks down the process behind the distinct colour-rich visual aesthetic of his promo exploring jealousy, obsession and toxic masculinity.

Live Action

Christian Avilés ‘Daydreaming So Vividly About Our Spanish Holidays’ Elegantly Captures the Tragic Spirit of Brits Abroad

Christian Avilés discusses his use of sun-dappled 16mm images and the mixture of documentary and magic realism to depict the tragic Balconing phenomenon.

Live Action, Premiere

Tiger Ji Brings Humour and Heart to Life’s Final Feast With a Bowl of Noodles in ‘Death & Ramen’

Tiger Ji talks subverting common tropes associated with Asian performers in his deliciously dark comedy where Death and a ramen chef share a bowl of noodles.

Live Action

Beru Tessema’s BIFA Nominated ‘Lions’ Shines a Light on the Disparate Experiences of Poverty in Modern Day Britain

Beru Tessema walks us through giving his actors room to embody the meaning of scenes through improvisation for his short about Britain's dysfunctional systems.

Live Action

A Woman Wonders if Her New Love Is Scamming Her in Lucy McKendrick & Charles Polinger’s ‘Fuck Me, Richard’

Lucy Elizabeth McKendrick & Charles Polinger talk about creating the fantasies a young woman loses herself to in their twisted long distance romance short.

Live Action

Ng Choon Ping & Sam H. Freeman’s ‘Femme’ Exposes the Various Disguises We Use to Protect Our True Selves

Ng Choon Ping & Sam H. Freeman reveal how intimate handheld camera work enhanced the tense dynamism of their neo-noir seduction as revenge thriller.

Live Action, Premiere

A Harrowing Phone Call Leads to an Illegal Immigrant’s Worst Nightmare in Joshua Okwuosa’s Suspensive Short ‘Okem’

Joshua Okwuosa discusses choosing a claustrophobic 4:3 ratio for his tension fuelled film about a Nigerian immigrant faced with a devastating situation.