Author

About the Author /

James is DN’s resident horror fan and is inspired by all academic, formal and Ethan Hawke-related aspects of filmmaking. When he isn’t writing for DN you’ll most likely find him on Bluesky, reading a graphic novel or and being sat on by his cat Peanut.

Live Action

Cristina Sánchez Salamanca Illustrates the Fracturing of a Modern Family in Her Intimate Drama ‘Bebé’

Cristina Sánchez Salamanca reveals how she crafted the quiet, everyday gestures in her observant familial drama to build to a concentrated breaking point.

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Music Video

A Brother and Sister Share a Moment Through Time in David Findlay’s Music Video ‘Leaning into your Palms’

David Findlay describes how he balanced meticulous planning with the ability to create in the moment on his time-hopping 35mm music video.

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Live Action, Premiere

Tim Ewalts’ Primal Woodland Drama ‘Undergrowth’ Finds Two Brothers in an Escalating Struggle for Power

Tim Ewalts breaks down the fluid, improvisational approach to shooting that he utilised for his foreboding 16mm familial drama about warring siblings.

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Documentary

Five Decades of Songwriting Comes Together in Oliver Murray’s Doc ‘Now and Then: The Last Beatles Song’

Oliver Murray explains why it was important to be concise and economical with the storytelling in his doc about the creation of a legendary Beatles song.

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Live Action

An Actor Auditions for a Secretive Project in Hugo De Sousa’s Satire ‘Je Ne Suis Pas Une Star de

Hugo De Sousa returns to DN and tells us how he recreated the claustrophobic, exploitative atmosphere of an audition for his uncomfortable satirical short.

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Live Action, Premiere

Mass Panic Erupts When a Series of Strange Events Occur in Tom Salvaggio’s News Serial Homage ‘Bellingham’s Belief’

Tom Salvaggio reflects on how the rise of conspiratorial thinking inspired his uncanny Twilight Zone-esque short about a seemingly unexplainable mystery.

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Live Action

A Dangerous Hazing Ritual Tests a Friendship in Sam & David Cutler-Kreutz’ Intense Drama ‘Flounder’

Sam & David Cutler-Kreutz detail how they adapted to the challenge of shooting the pivotal murky underwater sequence for their tense toxic masculinity drama.

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Film Festival

10 Essential Short Films from London Film Festival 2023

DN throws a spotlight on ten short films which are definitely watch-list worthy from the 2023 edition of the BFI London Film Festival.

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Live Action

Evil Reigns on Both Sides of the Camera in Josefin Malmén & David Strindberg’s Meta Short ‘A Bloody Mess’

Josefin Malmén & David Strindberg talk through the practical challenges of rendering themselves on screen for their self-referential comedy horror.

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Music Video

A Father Confronts His Past in Andrew De Zen’s Soulful Music Video for Alaskan Tapes’ ‘Of Woods And Seas’

Andrew De Zen reveals how visiting Japan led him to his most ambitious shoot yet for his deeply reflective father-son Alaskan Tapes music video.

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Animation, Music Video

Alessandra Leone Literalises Fluidity as Form in Her Immersive Music Video for Zoë Mc Pherson’s ‘Lamella’

Alessandra Leone tells DN how she channelled the malleability of Zoe Mc Pherson's track into the ever evolving form of her experimental video.

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Live Action, Premiere

Jon Olav Stokke Depicts the Farcical Absurdity of the Pistol Duel in His Witty Period Comedy ‘Deloping’

Jon Olav Stokke talks about the benefits of having a wet draft script version of his satirical pistol duel between two women where miscommunication runs rife.

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