Awards Campaigns
For short filmmakers in the Oscar race, the challenge is visibility. With hundreds of qualified shorts competing for just 15 places on each shortlist, how do you make sure your film isn’t just watched, but truly understood?
We’re inviting filmmakers in the awards race to commission a deep-dive video interview with Directors Notes: an in-depth conversation with a senior member of the DN editorial team that explores your craft, your creative decisions and the choices behind the scenes. It gives you substantial, lasting content to support your awards campaign, published on a confirmed date before Academy members vote, on a platform that has championed short film for over 20 years.
Book by Friday 20 November to be live before shortlist voting opens on 7 December. Shortlisted films can book from 15 December for a feature live before nominations voting. Enquire now or email [email protected].
Two Ways to Reach the DN Audience
Awards Interview
An in-depth video interview about your film, published on our YouTube channel and website, shared as an Instagram carousel and featured in our weekly newsletter. From £2,400.
Dedicated FYC Newsletter
An email to our full list of 4,900+ filmmakers and industry professionals, devoted entirely to your film and built around your FYC message. Book it on its own or alongside an interview. From £950.
A Professionally Produced Video Interview
An in-depth, recorded conversation about the making of your film with a senior member of the DN editorial team. Here are our interviews with last year’s Oscar-winning short filmmakers:
Prime Placement on YouTube
Published on the Directors Notes YouTube channel, with 141k subscribers and 81M+ total views.
A Permanent Feature on Directors Notes
A dedicated feature on Directors Notes, with an introduction written by our editorial team. Your interview becomes a permanent part of our Awards library alongside previous Oscar winners and nominees, and reaches 30k+ monthly visitors.
Instagram Carousel
A carousel post on our Instagram (34k+ followers) in DN’s house style, built around your film’s stills and a standout quote from the interview. Collabs are available for up to 5 members of the film team, so the post can appear on your own grids too. Want video as well? Add a vertical highlight clip (see Optional Add-Ons).
The DN Newsletter
Every Awards Interview is featured in the weekly DN newsletter, which goes to 4,900+ filmmakers and industry professionals, around 2,200 of whom open it each week.
Want the whole email to be about your film? A dedicated FYC newsletter goes to our full list as a standalone send, devoted entirely to your film: your FYC message, trailer or where-to-watch link, key credits and laurels, plus your DN interview if you’ve booked one. It’s the most direct way to put your film in front of our readers, and you can book it on its own or alongside an interview.
Ready-Made Campaign Assets
You receive the embeddable interview, the feature link and the Instagram carousel to share in your FYC mailers, on your film’s website and across your social channels. Add the vertical highlight clip if you’d like a ready-cut video for your own socials.
Stream Your Film on DN During Awards Season
Want more people to see your film while your campaign is running? Alongside your interview, we can host your full short on our YouTube channel and website for a limited run, on dates you choose, and take it down again when your campaign ends. It puts your film in front of a large short film audience and gives you a public link to share. Shorts on our channel regularly reach audiences far beyond the festival circuit: Brief Somebodies passed 2 million views in under two months, and The Ceiling has been watched 12 million times.
There’s no charge for a limited run. Tick the box on the enquiry form and we’ll watch your film first to make sure it’s a fit. Before putting your film online, check any festival or distribution commitments. Shorts that qualified for the Oscars through a theatrical run can’t go online until that run is complete.
What Oscar-Nominated Filmmakers Say About DN
“I loved that they created the space to explore our filmmaking process in real depth. We even used some excerpts from that conversation for our Oscar campaign, which was a lovely way to share more background about the story.”
Nina Gantz
Oscar, BAFTA & EFA nominee
“It’s one of the few places we trust to premiere and carry our work online… It’s one of the few sites that really makes you feel seen as a director and allows you to fully share the story and insight into your work.”
Sam & David Cutler-Kreutz
Oscar-nominated directors
“Platforms like Directors Notes, a welcoming home for independent cinema, have played a crucial role in my career, featuring my previous films such as In Other Words and Under the Little Sun. As a devoted reader, I am genuinely grateful for the opportunity to share and discuss the work behind Letter to a Pig.”
Tal Kantor
Oscar-nominated director
“DN has been supporting my projects for several years now, from my early music videos to my latest short film, Invincible. Their support has provided greater visibility for my work worldwide, and the fact that they consistently write beautifully detailed reviews of my pieces demonstrates their passion for the craft.”
Vincent René-Lortie
Oscar-nominated director
How It Works
- Enquire and book. Tell us about your film using the enquiry form. We confirm your publication date and send an invoice.
- Prepare. We send a short prep form and you share your stills, trailer and press materials.
- Record. We record your interview remotely, about 40–60 minutes of your time, at a time that suits you.
- Go live. Your interview, feature, Instagram carousel and newsletter slot go out on your confirmed date.
Booking a dedicated newsletter? Send us your FYC message, links and stills at least 7 days before your send date. We’ll write and build the email and share a proof for your approval before it goes out. Shorter turnarounds may be possible for an additional fee.
Pricing
| Package | Includes | Book by 20 November | Shortlisted films (booked from 15 December) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awards Interview | Video interview published on the DN YouTube channel, website feature, Instagram carousel, featured slot in our weekly DN newsletter | £2,400 | £2,950 |
| Awards Interview + Q&A Transcript & Pull Quotes | Everything above, plus a full, editorially polished Q&A interview taken from the video transcript published with the website feature, with 3–4 highlighted pull quotes you’re free to use, credited to Directors Notes, in your FYC mailers, press kit and socials | £2,850 | £3,400 |
| Dedicated FYC Newsletter | A standalone email to our full list, devoted entirely to your film and built around your FYC message. Available on its own or with either interview package | £1,200 on its own, or £950 with an interview | £1,450 on its own, or £950 with an interview |
Shortlist-window places are limited by the short time before nominations voting opens on 11 January. We send no more than one dedicated newsletter a week, so places are very limited.
The Q&A transcript turns your interview into a permanent article that Google indexes word for word, so searches for your film’s title and your name lead to an in-depth DN feature for years to come. It also reaches readers who won’t press play, and gives you quotable lines for your campaign.
Optional Add-Ons
| Add-on | Price |
|---|---|
| Vertical highlight clip: a one-minute edit from your interview, posted as an Instagram Reel and YouTube Short, with the file supplied for your own use | £350 |
| Additional vertical highlight clips (each) | £200 |
| Instagram Story with link sticker | £100 |
Pricing for studio, streamer and publication-backed titles is available on request.
Key Dates for the 99th Academy Awards
Timing matters. A feature does the most for your campaign when it’s live before Academy members vote.
| Book by | Your feature goes live | Ahead of |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 20 November | By Friday 4 December | Shortlist voting, 7–11 December |
| Friday 18 December (shortlisted films only, interviews recorded by 23 December) | By Friday 8 January | Nominations voting, 11–15 January |
Shortlists are announced on 15 December and nominations on 21 January. Bookings made after 20 November can’t be guaranteed to go live before shortlist voting. Space in each window is limited, and bookings are confirmed in the order they’re received.
How We Work
- Our editorial voice. Interviews are conducted, edited and written by the Directors Notes team. You provide background, key messages and assets, and we shape the final piece. That’s why our audience trusts it.
- Clearly labelled. Commissioned features and dedicated newsletters are marked as sponsored, in line with UK advertising standards.
- Remote recording. Interviews are recorded remotely via Zoom or Riverside, so they work across time zones and around festival travel.
- Payment. 100% upfront on booking. Full terms are provided with your invoice.
- Working with a publicist? We’re happy to coordinate directly with your publicist or distributor. Booking three or more films? Ask about our multi-film rate.
- Awards rules. Please check your category’s campaign rules before booking. Academy rules require any FYC communication to members to be sent through an Academy-approved mailing house, and BAFTA does not permit campaigning in its British Short Film and British Short Animation categories.
FAQs
What if my film isn’t shortlisted?
Your interview and feature are permanent. They keep working for your film’s festival run and distribution, and for your next project, long after awards season.
How much of our time does it take?
About 40–60 minutes for the recorded conversation, plus a short prep form. We handle everything else.
Can we have more than one filmmaker on the interview?
Yes. Co-directors, or key collaborators such as a producer, cinematographer or lead actor, can join the conversation.
What do you need from us?
Stills, BTS images, your trailer, key credits and any press materials. A private screener link will also be needed if your film is not yet publicly available.
Can we use the interview in our campaign?
Yes. Share the video, the feature link and the Instagram carousel anywhere, and quote from the interview with credit to Directors Notes.
Will the feature be labelled as sponsored?
Yes. Commissioned features and dedicated newsletters are clearly marked as sponsored, in line with UK advertising standards. The interview itself is conducted and written by our editorial team.
Book Your Interview or Newsletter
Tell us about your film using the form below, or email [email protected]. We reply within two working days.
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