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

An Overworked Game Developer’s Multiple Personalities Revive a Deeply Buried Memory in Guen Murroni’s ‘As for Me’

Guen Murroni reveals her subtle approach to authentic character portrayal and the blending of past and present in her dissociative identity disorder drama.

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Live Action

Rudá Santos’ ‘Vibrations’ Sees A Young Girl’s Surprise Survival Lead a Mother to Rebel Against Those in Power

Rudá Santos digs into the process of creating impactful characterisation by fine-tuning the dialogue delivery in his subversive film about female rebellion.

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Animation, Music Video

Balázs Simon & Cátia Abreu’s ‘Wake Up Pass Out’ Finds a Zoned Out Nightclubber Encountering a Grotesque Monster

Balázs Simon & Cátia Abreu unpack the practical and digital tools that gave birth to the Cronenbergian monster in their creepy Sad Night Dynamite promo.

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Animation

Harry Plowden’s Scuzzy Animation ‘All Gucci My Broski’ Chronicles a Young Man’s Filthy Inner Monologue

Harry Plowden tells DN why embarrassment was the key emotional touchstone of his short exploring the line between comedic relatability and dark misogyny.

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Live Action, Premiere

Nathan Ginter’s Darkly Comic Body Horror ‘The Third Ear’ Sees a Nude Model’s Self-Image Begin to Spiral

Nathan Ginter takes us inside the ways he and his crew maximised the potential and adaptability of their locations when crafting their body horror grad short.

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Live Action, Premiere

A Chance Encounter With a Hustler Shifts a Suicidal Young Man’s Perspective in Lovell Holder’s ‘You Say Hello’

Lovell Holder opens up on why moving to a non-linear structure during post yielded a more compelling version of his queer drama about a young man on the brink.

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Live Action, Premiere

Kat Mills Martin Deconstructs the Regressive Notion of the Obedient Mother in Comedy Drama ‘Celeste in Spring’

Kat Mills Martin unveils the methodology behind the restrained shooting style of her subversive pregnancy drama about a woman's desire for a one-night stand.

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Music Video, Premiere

In Stefano Usberghi’s Pulsating Genetik Music Video ‘Sanctuary’ a Priest Treats Addiction With Sonic Catharsis

Stefano Usberghi peels back the curtain on the dynamic camerawork infusing the surreal aesthetic of his subversive Alcoholics Anonymous-set music video.

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Live Action, Premiere

A Couple Bear the Cost of the Contaminated Blood Scandal in Luke Shelley’s ‘What We Wished We Could Be’

Luke Shelley explains how he used grounded characterisation to frame the charged issues of an ongoing true life scandal within a humanistic perspective.

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Live Action

Ryan Walker-Edwards Explores the Joy of Black Queer Relationships in Playful Hook-Up Short ‘MAN>CODE’

Writer/Actor Ryan Walker-Edwards opens up about working behind and in front of the camera to bring a rarely seen story of Black queer intimacy to screen.

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Live Action

A Major Injury Forces a Professional Footballer to Question His Sense of Self in William Miller’s ‘Broke’

William Miller shares how his background helped him to authentically portray the locations, movements and emotions of professional football in his debut short.

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Live Action

Bottled up Emotions Become Primed to Explode in Andrew De Zen’s Freeing Dance Short ‘Let This Feeling Go’

Andrew De Zen explains why 65mm film was the perfect format to capture the grand yet intimate story of his short about a woman who finally lets herself loose.

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