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

Unspoken Toxic Masculinity Is Threateningly Palpable in Beck Kitsis’ Thriller ‘The Three Men You Meet at Night’

Beck Kitsis explains how she repurposed reductive horror conventions for her tense twilight thriller 'The Three Men You Meet At Night'.

Read more

Animation, Music Video

Saad Moosajee Animates a Dancing Series of Otherworldly Renaissance Vignettes for Joji Music Video ‘777’

Saad Moosajee walks us through the complex technical skills he needed to master when creating the motion-captured animated Renaissance vignettes of '777'.

Read more

Live Action

A Woman Wrestles With Her HPV Diagnosis in Chloe Berk & Blair Baker’s Comedy/Drama ‘Summer Fridays’

'Summer Fridays' actor/director Chloe Berk discusses the need for filmic representation of taboo topics and her passion for telling female-centred stories.

Read more

Music Video

An Exiled Author Is Thrown Into a Dance With His Inner Demons in Alexandre Richard’s ‘Autonome’

The story of a writer's descent into isolated madness is conveyed through dance in Alexandre Richard's prescient music video for Mada Mada's 'Autonome'.

Read more

Live Action, Premiere

A Murderer in the Smallest Town in America Reveals the Gruesome Details of His Crime in James Coyle’s ‘Confession’

Created entirely with miniatures, James Coyle's 'Confession' is a noirish micro-thriller about a murderer's declaration in a small-town police station.

Read more

Live Action

A Hookup Escalates Into a Harrowing Encounter in Andree Ljutica’s ‘How to Say I Love You at Night’

Andree Ljutica delineates the loose rehearsal process and musical shooting rhythm of his sixteen minute one-take drama 'How To Say I Love You At Night'.

Read more

Film Festival

How Festival Formula Are Streamlining the Festival Circuit for Filmmakers in a Post-COVID Landscape

Festival Formula's Katie McCullough reveals her essential Do's & Don'ts for filmmakers approaching the film festival circuit in a post-Covid world.

Read more

Music Video

The Cycle of Ageing Is Lovingly Captured in Breno Moreira’s Sweeping Portrayal of Brazilian Life ‘Ciclos’

From streets bustling with childhood to the concerns of ageing parents, Bruno Moreira captures the circle of life in Brazil for MC Marechal's 'Ciclos'.

Read more

Live Action

A Bodybuilder Takes Self-Obsession to Bizarre New Heights in Josefin Malmén & David Strindberg’s Surreal ‘Flex’

Josefin Malmén and David Strindberg reveal how their neurotic self-assessments as working creatives inspired surreal bodybuilder comedy short 'Flex'.

Read more

Film Festival

10 Must-Watch Shorts From Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2020

DN has dug deep into the programme to select a list of ten eclectic and unmissable shorts streaming online as part of Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2020.

Read more

Music Video

A Teenager Reveals Illicit Feelings for Her Guardian in Alexandre Richard’s LGBTQ Music Video ‘Ellipse’

Complicated power dynamics and repressed emotions are confronted in Alexandre Richard's heartfelt and dreamlike music video for Felixe's anthemic 'Ellipse'.

Read more

Music Video

Taisia Deeva’s Powerful Music Video ‘Parachute’ Sees a Community Transcend in Shared Emotional Unity

Taisia Deeva explains how she achieved a seamless levitation effect without green screen in her unifying music video for Paul Kalkbrenner's 'Parachute'.

Read more