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.

Film Festival

Ten Eye-Catching Shorts at the 2024 National Film and Television School Graduate Showcase

Covering films featured in the Fiction, Animation and Comedy programmes, DN highlights ten shorts screening as part of the 2024 NFTS Graduate Showcase.

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Animation, Awards

Jerusha & Jared Hess’ Oscar Nominated Animation ‘Ninety-Five Senses’ Is an Ode to Our Sensory Experience

Jerusha & Jared Hess take DN through their transition from live-action filmmakers to animation co-directors for their Oscar nominated short.

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Live Action, Premiere

Christopher Pickering Blows the Lid off the Secret Science Behind Snack Serving Sizes in Short Film ‘Jimmy Boden’

Christopher Pickering reveals how he arrived at the deceptively profound concept of his short exposing the bizarre method for determining snack serving sizes.

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Animation, Awards

Tal Kantor’s Oscar Nominated ‘Letter to a Pig’ Finds a Schoolgirl Transported on a Traumatic Inner Voyage

Tal Kantor breaks down the brushstroke-infused monochrome aesthetic of her haunting short about identity, collective trauma and the extremes of human nature.

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Animation

A Rite of Passage Fishing Ritual Challenges a Father-Son Relationship in Ross Stringer’s BAFTA Winner ‘Crab Day’

Ross Stringer breaks down the deceptively minimal monochrome colour palette he used to tell the thematically rich story of his NFTS graduate short.

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Animation, Awards, Documentary

Samantha Moore Champions the Curative Power of Knitting in Her BAFTA Nominated Stop Motion Doc ‘Visible Mending’

Samantha Moore breaks down the slyly subversive framework of her tactile and therapeutic animated documentary expressing the restorative power of knitting.

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Film Festival

10 Stellar Shorts by Upcoming Filmmakers at London Film School’s 2024 Graduate Showcase

Celebrating the best shorts by promising graduate filmmakers, DN spotlights the films on offer at London Film School's 2024 showcase.

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Music Video

Night Lovell Encounters a Series of Strange Episodes in Avery Stedman’s Video for ‘My Day Is Ruined!’

Avery Stedman breaks down his collaborative process with Night Lovell and the creative back-and-forth they had making their stylised scene hopping video.

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Animation

Kevin Staake’s Space-Set Drama ‘Noah’s Belt’ Finds Prisoners of Opposed Warring Nations Sharing a Cell

Kevin Staake opens up about his synergistic process with actors during the performance capture stage of his Unreal Engine, flag or friend loyalty short.

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Live Action, Premiere

A Screenwriting Professor Experiences a Kafkaesque Descent in Harry Sherriff’s ‘Jeremy: A Nightmare’

Harry Sherriff returns to reveal how his creative development at the NFTS informed his latest nightmarish comedy about a man pitted against his doppelgänger.

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Live Action

Conor Dooley’s Sprawling Short ‘Gold and Mud’ Tells a Lifelong Story of Love and Loss via a Single Face

Conor Dooley reveals to DN how he struck the balance between absurdist comedy and honest emotion for his ambitious vignette packed comedy short.

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Live Action, Premiere

A Forgetful Spouse Sparks Marital Disharmony in Arne Gjelten’s ‘The Best Day of Our Lives’

Arne Gjelten breaks down how he and his team achieved the tense atmosphere that permeates throughout his Bergman-esque marriage anniversary drama.

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