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

A Desperate Woman Visits the Site of Her Brother’s Death in Nicholas Payne Santos’ Horror Short ‘Strange Creatures’

Writer/Director Nicholas Payne Santos returns to DN and reveals why the visual effects had to be practical on his unnerving, grief-stricken horror short.

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Live Action

An Escaped Convict Encounters Two Immortal Time Travellers in Michael Anthony Kratochvil’s ‘Sweet Mary, Where Did You Go?’

Michael Anthony Kratochvil extols the rewards of rejecting appeasement and embracing the creative instinct of the peculiar for his trippy sci-fi horror short.

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Live Action, Premiere

Freddie Bonfanti Unearths Dark Truths in the Woods in His Urban Weird Horror Short ‘Treeline’

Freddie Bonfanti breaks down the intersection of masculinity and nature in crisis providing the backdrop to his unsettling, family-centred horror short.

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Live Action, Premiere

A Mother’s Contentment Is Thrown Off-Balance When Her Daughter Returns Home in Lily Weisberg’s Drama ‘Working Summer’

Lily Weisberg unpacks the gorgeous hazy visual language of her film about a daughter who's taken aback by the fullness of her mother’s independent life.

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Live Action

Iggy London’s Dreamlike ‘Area Boy’ Finds a Young Man Questioning His Place in the World Ahead of His Baptism

Iggy London explains why 16mm was the perfect vehicle for the timeless thematics and transcendental narrative of his coming of age identity short.

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Film Festival

Ten Incredible Shorts to Add to Your London Film Festival 2024 Watch List

DN filters the bounty of excellent short films on display at London Film Festival 2024 down to a list of ten recommended must-sees.

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Music Video

Dark Magic Takes Hold in Harv Frost’s Giallo-Inspired The Last Dinner Party Film ‘Prelude to Ecstasy’

Harv Frost digs into how she brought the decadent visual world of The Last Dinner Party to life in her intoxicating horror-inflected multi-video short film.

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Live Action

Decisions Are Made by Bickering Committee in Samuel Häkkinen & Henna Välkky’s Comedy ‘Verdict 30001: The Cookies’

Samuel Häkkinen & Henna Välkky talk pre-shoot planning and splitting creative responsibilities on set for their dark comedy poking fun at decision paralysis.

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Live Action

A Woman Is Engulfed by Mexico’s Broken Bureaucracy in Alejandro Gerber Bicecci’s Feature ‘Dead Man’s Switch’

Alejandro Gerber Bicecci reveals the genesis of his labyrinthine drama about a subway driver met by violent indifference in her search for her missing husband.

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Film Festival

68th London Film Festival Preview: Venture Forth

DN looks ahead to the 68th London Film Festival by exploring the expansive slate of features and shorts scheduled to screen across the festival's 12 days.

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Live Action

A Wrestler Grapples With His Desire to Speak Out in Amir Zargara’s Tense Political Drama ‘A Good Day Will

Amir Zargara talks through the difficult social implications of making his political film about a wrestler speaking out against the Iranian government.

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Art & Fashion, Music Video, Premiere

A Woman Experiences the Fullness of Existence Across Time in Anna Guseva’s Dance Film ‘Tem Po Ra Ry’

Anna Guseva outlines why 35mm film was the appropriate shooting format for her time-spanning dance short/music video traversing Dom Radio's rich history.

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