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

Marianne Farley Imagines a Dystopic Near Future Where Abortions Are Banned for Her Thriller ‘Frimas’

Marianne Farley explains how she crafted high levels of emotional and narrative tension for the central set piece of her charged drama short.

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Documentary

Nils Clauss & Neil Dowling Chart the Evolution of Five Cities in ‘Crossroads: Life in the Resilient City’

Nils Clauss and Neil Dowling deconstruct the creative non-fiction approach of their documentary which chronicles change in five major cities.

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Live Action

Generational Difference Causes a Tense Familial Clash in Dan Thorburn’s Stirring Drama ‘Salt Water Town’

Dan Thorburn opens up about the core themes of masculinity and generational difference he sought to explore in his drama 'Salt Water Town'.

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Documentary

A Mother and Daughter Forge a New Path in Empathic Doc ‘I Thank My Mother for My Hair’

Anna Dobos reveals how she and co-director Susie Peng created a therapeutic atmosphere on set for their intimate short documentary.

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Live Action, Premiere

Sion Thomas Subverts the Macho Posturing of Traditional Crime Drama in ‘Face Down in the Back of a Car’

Sion Thomas reveals how he utilised static and handheld camerawork to capture the failing bravado central to his contained crime drama.

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Live Action

Sami Schinaia’s Trippy Romance Short ‘Nope!’ Highlights the Underlying Addictions of the Modern World

Sami Schinaia deconstructs the potent cinematic flourishes of his debut solo short 'Nope!', a contemporary story of online dating and psychedelic drugs.

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Live Action

Govinda Van Maele’s Sci-FI Drama ‘Mutations’ Sees a Mysterious Illness Take Hold of a Quiet Community

Govinda Van Maele explains how embracing creative restrictions led him to find originality when directing his 16mm virus drama 'Mutations'.

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Article

Five Spine-Tingling Short Scares For Halloween 2021

From obscenely bombastic body horrors to twisted satanic comedies, DN recommends five short horror films to watch this Halloween.

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Live Action, Premiere

A Troubled Writer Loses His Grip on Reality in Harry Sherriff’s Dark Meta-Comedy ‘Harry Is Not Okay’

Harry Sherriff explains how he used the application deadline for the NFTS as a creative motivator when conceiving his deliciously dark, surreal meta-comedy.

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Live Action

It’s a Life or Death Moment for a Beloved Toy in Andrew Rutter’s Absurd Horror Comedy ‘Peter the Penguin’

Andrew Rutter talks through the impressive practical effects work behind the outlandish title character of his horror comedy 'Peter the Penguin'.

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Live Action

Samuel de Ceccatty Tensely Captures the Aftermath of a Casual Hook-Up in One-Shot Short ‘Adrift’

Samuel de Ceccatty explains the technical challenges he faced when shooting his gripping one-shot drama 'Adrift' on a boat in central London.

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Film Festival

Ten Must-Watch Feature Films From London Film Festival 2021

From insightful documentaries to epic dramas, DN delivers a list of ten recommended feature films from the 65th London Film Festival.

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