Author

About the Author /

MarBelle has a strange compulsion to watch as many films as he can get his hands on and find jobs that give him a legitimate excuse to drill filmmakers about their work. Directors Notes is the multi-decade incarnation of this disorder and remains so much cheaper than film school.

Animation, Asides

The Handmade Gift

Anna Mantzaris deploys her considerable stop-motion talents for Greenpeace France in melancholic Christmas short 'The Handmade Gift'.

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Live Action

John Robert Brown Delves into the Madness of the Male Psyche in Dark Irish Western ‘My Father, My Blood’

DN sat down with John Robert Brown to discover how the awe-inspiring Irish landscape galvanised his dark western meets fairy tale, 'My Father, My Blood'.

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Music Video

A Man Strips Away His Personal Demons in Harvey Pearson’s Powerful One-Shot Rebirth Music Video ‘Gratitude’

DN speaks to Harvey Pearson about the powerful immediacy provided by real time narratives and why 35mm was the clear choice for his one-shot music video.

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Documentary

Tam Tam – Outside the Lines

Greg Hackett explores the meaning of 'identity' for an Italian youth basketball team of immigrant children in short doc 'Tam Tam – Outside the Lines'.

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Asides, Live Action

We Summoned A Demon

Chris McInroy delivers the blood-drenched tale of two hapless friends whose attempts to make themselves cool go horribly awry in 'We Summoned A Demon'.

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Art & Fashion, Asides

Forever

Nicolas Arnold ponders the concept of 'Forever' through a riot of colour and seamlessly integrated visual and practical effects for Pause Fest.

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Asides, Music Video

Maverick Sabre: Her Grace

A young mother finds herself pushed to the edge by a continuing cycle of domestic abuse in Shaun James Grant’s heartbreaking music video 'Her Grace'.

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Asides, Live Action

Babs

An estranged son makes an alarming discovery when cleaning out his late father's home in Celine Held & Logan George's tender short 'Babs'.

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Art & Fashion, Documentary

Underwater Dancer Julie Gautier Goes in Search of What’s Hidden in Shern Sharma’s Lyrical Documentary ‘Xibalba’

Shern Sharma joins us to discuss besting the challenges of underwater filming and Mexico's weather for his lyrical Julie Gautier documentary 'Xibalba'.

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Asides, Live Action

Abandon

Georgia Parris’ one-shot short 'Abandon' observes the emotional turmoil of a dancer required to give her all moments after being told she’s pregnant.

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Documentary

See How Technology Is Helping to Turn the Tables on Illegal Hunters in Ben Falk’s ‘Hunting the Poachers’

Ben Falk talks to DN about the challenges of capturing the important conservation work of Kenya’s Masai Mara Rangers in doc short 'Hunting the Poachers'.

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Asides, Live Action

American Dream

Alexia Oldini’s heartbreaking 'American Dream' follows a young Chinese immigrant whose dream of becoming a singer meets the harsh indifference of reality.

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