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.

Art & Fashion

Zen Pace’s Poetic Experimental Short ‘Little Mirror’ Is a Therapeutic Love Letter to the Inner Child

Zen Pace breaks down the meticulously crafted emotional architecture of their self-reflexive experimental poetry short film love letter to the inner child.

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Music Video

Manish Khushalani Portrays the Delicacy of Relationships in His Vibrant Dreamlike Music Video ‘Jhula’

Manish Khushalani deconstructs the symbolic meaning of the choreographed movements and potent colour palette in his vibrant, dance-led music video.

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Live Action, Premiere

A Desperate Romantic Is Prescribed a Love-Cynical Rebound in Julie Magnaudet’s Conceptual Rom-Com ‘Broken Hearts’

Julie Magnaudet breaks down the colourful, warm and subversive visual language of her conceit-driven romantic comedy about a women seeking love life help.

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Live Action

Hysteria and Paranoia Take Hold in Joe Williams & Charlie Edwards-Moss’ Folk Horror Short ‘O, Glory!’

Joe Williams & Charlie Edwards-Moss discuss imbuing their 70s-influenced folk horror with a contemporary edge while shooting on 35mm to evoke the time period.

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Awards, Documentary

Miranda Stern’s Cathartic NFTS Documentary ‘milk’ Is an Intimate Exploration of Maternity, Addiction and Loss

Miranda Stern unpacks the cathartic and narrative reasons she opted for an abstract, mixed media scrapbook-style approach for her self-explorative doc short.

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Art & Fashion

A Loyal Steed Eternally Awaits the Impossible Return of Its Knight in Enea Colombi’s Fashion Film ‘Demon’

Enea Colombi delves into the process of generating the striking shot compositions that populate his eerie, medieval branded fashion short.

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Live Action

A Couple Investigate Their Mutating Cloning Ability in Peter Collins Campbell’s Sci-Fi Short ‘Variations on a Theme’

Peter Collins Campbell unpacks the wizardry behind the split-screen visuals of his short about a couple who can duplicate into new versions of themselves.

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Animation, Music Video

The End of the World Births a Burning Passion in Marek Partyš’ Zany Collage-Like Music Video ‘Burnout’

Marek Partyš walks DN through the extensive planning required to achieve the light and playfully surreal collage style of his Island Mint music video.

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Live Action

A Low-Ranking Worker Finds Himself in the Eye of a Viral Data Leak Storm in Matt Porter’s ‘See Saw’

Matt Porter breaks down the origins of his viral culture comedy and shares how they constructed a paranoid visual tone to match their character's predicament.

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Music Video

Alexandre Richard’s Striking Mada Mada Music Video ‘NonNonNon’ Wanders Through a Dreamlike Journey of Apprehension

Alexandre Richard talks through the rich visual language and expressionistic sound design of his film about a man's dreamlike journey into his deepest fears.

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Live Action, Premiere

A Cat Sitting Mishap Leads a Woman to Fall into a Spiral of Self-Recrimination in James Arden’s ‘Sitter’

James Arden explains how he crafted the anxious and heightened social realist tone of his kinetic urban short, about a lonely cat sitter.

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Art & Fashion

Sirius’ ‘Morning Interlude’ Finds a Fractious Young Couple Reconciling Their Differences After a Long Night

Sirius unpacks the challenges of blending choreography with performance in his country road-set film about a couple dancing their way back to one another.

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