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, Premiere

Naomi Pacifique Excavates the Intertwined Nature of Bodies and Intimacy in Her LFS Grad Short ‘after a room’

Naomi Pacifique reveals how she wanted to alter on-screen representations of the body through her intimate, exploratory London Film School graduate short.

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Music Video

Twin Brothers Have to Say a Tragic Goodbye in Argam Gevorgyan’s Experimental Vertical Drama ‘La Beaute’

Argam Gevorgyan enlightens DN as to how his latest short film is informed by his ongoing obsession with Armenia's rich history and culture.

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Live Action

Craig Bingham’s Yorkshire-Set Fight Pit Short ‘IRONSTONE’ Is a Brooding Look at a Battle for Survival

Craig Bingham breaks down the physical and emotional intensity of shooting the long one-shot takes required for his engrossing fight pit short.

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Animation

A Young Artist Falls Into Nostalgic Pitfalls in Ewa Smyk’s Wistful Hand-Painted Animated Short ‘Homebird’

Ewa Smyk tells DN how she combined 3D modelling with hand-drawn 2D animation to speed up the lengthy creation process of her NFTS grad short.

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Live Action

Mask-Clad Roller Skating Thieves Risk It All in Ben Dean’s Frenetic Dr. Dre Branded Short ‘Flipper’s Skate Heist’

Ben Dean tells DN how he imbued his action-packed and propulsive style of filmmaking into his branded short set around a roller skate heist.

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Film Festival

10 Must-Catch Short Films by Promising Filmmakers at Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2022

DN presents a tantalising selection of 10 short films from exciting and up-and-coming filmmakers screening at Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2022.

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Live Action, Premiere

A Black Student’s Revelation Leads to Uncomfortable Repercussions in Chinwe Okorie’s Drama Short ‘Elephant’

Chinwe Okorie tells DN how she mined a darkly comedic childhood memory for her short drama about a tense encounter for a girl at her new school.

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Live Action

An Immigrant Couple in 70s London Navigate the Law and Each Other in Roxy Rezvany’s Short ‘Photo Booth’

Roxy Rezvany divulges how she sought to subtly unpack immigrant prejudice through the setup of her single-shot short drama.

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Live Action

An Oblique Ritual Is Performed to Create Genetically Designed Kids in Lucy McRae’s Experimental Sci-Fi ‘Futurekin’

Artist Lucy McRae reveals how she moulds her on-set adaptive and fluid creative approach into an enthralling sci-fi narrative during post-production.

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Animation

Richan Li’s Zany Head-Swapping Animated Short ‘Babble Bubble’ Explores a Hyper-Modern Identity Crisis

Richan Li explains the underlying metaphorical implications of the surreal animal heads her protagonist Norah dons in her 2D animated short.

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Live Action, Premiere

Dimitris Tsakaleas & Lida Vartzioti’s Dating Short ‘Happy Ending’ Is an Ode to Finding Love in Unexpected Places

Dimitris Tsakaleas & Lida Vartzioti break down the mumblecore-esque approach to dialogue improvisation of their modern dating romantic comedy.

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Art & Fashion

Tom Wakeling’s Experimental Sci-Fi ‘Pattern’ Is a Dreamlike Voyage on the Destructive Power of Repetition

Tom Wakeling reveals the in-camera lighting effects he utilised to achieve the illusive visuals of his experimental sci-fi short.

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