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.

Documentary, Live Action

Jonas Bak Casts His Own Mother in Feature ‘Wood and Water’, a Spiritual Piece of Late-Life Slow Cinema

Jonas Bak describes how he wanted to faithfully tell his mother's story through both form and narrative for his debut feature film.

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Documentary

Bill Blaine Quietly Reflects on the Nature of Art in Jakub Blank’s Gentle Doc ‘A Walk Around the House’

Jakub Blank explains how he created the subtle, conversational atmosphere of his short documentary about prolific painter Bill Blaine.

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Documentary

Chad Sogas’ Autobiographical Doc ‘Rat Tail’ Traverses the Path to Self-Discovery via an Awkward Hairstyle

Chad Sogas opens up about the serendipitous process of self-discovery that informed & was necessary for the completion of his autobiographical documentary.

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Documentary

Arthur Cauty Encapsulates the Journey of the Colston Statue Trial in Rousing Documentary ‘The Colston Four’

Arthur Cauty speaks to the social issues that informed his decision to document the journey from statue toppling to the trial of The Colston Four.

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Live Action

Alex Fischman Cárdenas’ Dance Film ‘Neptune’s Dreams’ Blends Mesmerising Movements With Aquatic Imagery

Alex Fischman Cárdenas reveals how the spontaneous method of filmmaking for his dance short came together cohesively in the editing room.

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Documentary, Premiere

Robert Hope Records the Slow Radicalisation of His Eccentric Neighbour in Personal Doc ‘Heaven on Earth’

Robert Hope explains his motivation to capture the insidious rise of far-right conspiracy ideologies from a personal perspective for his doc short.

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Live Action, Premiere

The Boundaries of an Old Friendship Are Tested in Jonas Grimeland’s Nordic Crime Drama ‘Service’

Jonas Grimeland explains how the personal conflict at the heart of his short film was inspired by conversations he had with a police officer.

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Art & Fashion, Premiere

Charlie Clift Allegorises the Ups and Downs of the Creative Process in Dance Short ‘Beyond the Horizon’

Charlie Clift explains how his team achieved the graceful, dancer-esque cinematography of his metaphorical short despite shooting on shifting sands.

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Article

James Maitre Top Ten Feature Films of 2021

From pulse-pounding manga adaptations to three hour epics on the winding nature of grief, James dishes out his top ten features of 2021.

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Live Action

Christmas Is a Time for Coming-Of-Age in Annie St-Pierre’s Festive Short ‘Like the Ones I Used to Know’

Annie St-Pierre tells DN why and how she staged her coming-of-age story about a broken family amidst the melancholy of the festive period.

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Live Action, Premiere

A Brother Confronts His Sister’s Appalling Boyfriend in Max Kane’s NYE Drama ‘House of Brotherly Love’

Max Kane tells DN how he gained eye-opening benefits from applying creative limitations to the narrative of his NYE set family drama short.

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Music Video

Jacob Jonas Curates a Sense of Endless Togetherness With His One-Shot Music Video for Sia’s ‘Pin Drop’

Jacob Jonas explains how he and his Cinematographer Jessica Young developed the vast, story-driven lighting for their minimal music video.

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