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.

Music Video

Pedro Takahashi Captures Shame’s Kinetic Live Energy Through Hyperfast Editing in ‘Water in the Well’

Pedro Takahashi explains how he channelled Shame's dynamic and urgent live sensibility into exhilarating location-shifting music video 'Water in the Well'.

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Live Action, Premiere

Past Obsessions Afflict the Present in Ursula Ellis’ Emotional Drama ‘For George on His 30th Birthday’

Ursula Ellis talks emotional history and developing a vintage filmic look for her South-set coming of age drama 'For George on His 30th Birthday'.

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Art & Fashion, Music Video

High Culture Meets Subculture in Emilie Norenberg’s Contemporary Dance Film ‘Voguing With Beethoven’

Emilie Norenberg shares the experience of modernising classical music for 'Voguing With Beethoven', her dance film commemorating the famous composer.

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Live Action, Premiere

Alfie Dale Tells the Spiritual Journey of a Trans Teen in Fairytale Drama ‘My Brother is a Mermaid’

Alfie Dale explains how he sought to re-understand embedded societal gender norms through his social-realist LGBTQ fairytale 'My Brother is a Mermaid'.

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Art & Fashion, Premiere

Ayla Spaans Orchestrates a Devilish Dinner Party for Experimental Self-Love Story ‘A Boring Day in Hell’

Ayla Spaans describes how her relationship with self-love informed 'A Boring Day in Hell', her experimental horror about a thrilling dinner party.

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Article

James Maitre Top Ten Feature Films of 2020

"Even in a year such as this, there is still an impressive amount of indelible cinema to gush over." James delivers his top ten feature films of 2020.

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Live Action, Premiere

The Last Man Alive Wrestles With His Will to Survival in Alex Wither’s Apocalyptic Horror Drama ‘Dead Quiet’

Alex Withers walks DN through building his vision of a world in silent despair for his end-of-the-world horror drama 'Dead Quiet'.

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Live Action, Premiere

Helen Warner Weaves a Tale of Religious Guilt, Sin & Redemption in Experimental Drama ‘Stigma’

Helen Warner explains how she drew upon real-life experiences of her past to informed the themes and period setting of her 1940s-set Irish drama 'Stigma'.

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Live Action, Premiere

Rob Price’s Existential Debut ‘What Is Ian’ Tells a Story of One Middle-Aged Man’s Idyllic Safe Space, His Bath

Rob Price walks DN through the meditative acting techniques he taught his non-actor protagonist for their minimalistic drama short 'What Is Ian'.

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Animation, Documentary, Premiere

Kieran Nolan Jones Expresses the Shared Familial Horror of a Life Changing Injury in Deeply Personal Doc ‘Jelly Brain’

Kieran Nolan Jones discusses combining surreal animation with personal interviews to document the aftermath of his family's trauma in 'Jelly Brain'.

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Music Video

NONO Captures the Depths of the Grieving Process in Andalusian Culture in Califato ¾’s ‘Fandangô de Carmen Porter’

NONO talks digging into Andalusian identity and channelling it into a timeless 16mm portrait of death, loss and mysticism in 'Fandangô de Carmen Porter'.

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Film Festival

How the Shark Awards Is Evolving Into One of the UK’s Most Exciting Short Film Festivals

Chairman Peter Brady introduces us to The Shark Awards' latest venture Shark Awards Short Film, a brand new stand alone festival and awards event.

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