Author

About the Author /

Sarah is a true multi-hyphenate within the film industry. Alongside her role as Associate Editor & Head of Outreach for Directors Notes, her extensive festival experience ranges from MC and juror duties to previously serving as Deputy Director of Brighton Rocks, where she helped steer its growth into a BIFA-qualifying event. Sarah also produces for Brighton film collective The Imaginary Project and contributes as a freelance writer for publications including 1.4 and Shots Magazine.

Podcasts

Sandhya Suri on Crafting a Nuanced Crime Thriller About Violence Against Women in ‘Santosh’

Sandhya Suri discusses her decade-long journey to bring Santosh to life, blending crime thriller tension with a searing critique of gendered violence in India.

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Live Action, Premiere

Politeness Becomes Horror in Dave Paige’s Socially Anxious Dark Comedy ‘Deep Tish’

Dave Paige shares the inciting awkward massage which triggered his amusement, sparking the idea for his darkly comedic tale of socially anxious politeness.

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Film Festival

9 Standout Short Films From BFI Flare 2025

As BFI Flare the UK's largest queer film festival gets underway we share our top 9 short films and tease some of the most exciting world premieres screening.

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Podcasts

‘Sister Midnight’: Exploring Misanthropy and Marriage with Karan Kandhari

Karan Kandhari on directing his debut feature, protecting his vision, capturing the nuances of marriage & why laughing audiences are the ultimate drug.

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Live Action, Premiere

Alex Bush Explores the Dynamic Nature of Gender Expression and the Transgender Experience in Intimate Fable ‘Thaw’

Alex Bush talks about reappropriating tropes of classic melodramas for their proof-of-concept short where two friends begin exploring their gender variance.

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Live Action, Premiere

A Rancorous Soul Refuses a Last Chance for Redemption in David Leon’s Cautionary Tale ‘Converse Blues’

David Leon reveals how he tonally distinguished the three worlds of his allegorical tale cautioning against making the same mistakes as those who came before.

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Live Action, Premiere

A Well Intentioned Street Preacher’s Premonition of Ruin Ultimately Comes to Pass in Lucas Vilicich’s ‘Luddite’

Lucas Vilicich unravels how his short evolved from screaming frustrations at the world to engaging audiences with a comedic forewarning against technology.

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Live Action

Emotional Chaos and Bad Habits Erupt for a Pair on a Blind Date in Tim Hendrix’s Playful Short ‘Baggage’

Tim Hendrix breaks down the VFX bonanza of his blind date comedy short which tackles life’s complexities with humour, heart and a whole lot of dildos.

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Live Action, Premiere

The Discovery of an Intimate Gold Mine Threatens a Couple’s Love in Krit Komkrichwarakool’s Romance Drama ‘Auganic’

Krit Komkrichwarakool walks us through how he blended magical realism with grounded storytelling to explore the complex dynamics of modern relationships.

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Awards, Documentary

Bill Morrison Unveils the Power of Contemporary Archive in ‘Incident’ a Harrowing Exploration of Police Collusion

Bill Morrison discusses the defined parameters he adhered to when constructing his haunting Oscar nominated documentary short about a 2018 police shooting.

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Awards, Live Action

Cindy Lee & Darwin Shaw Explore the Human Cost of Conservation in Their Oscar Nominated Short ‘The Last Ranger’

Cindy Lee & Darwin Shaw share how they orchestrated powerful performances while tracking wild rhinos in a game reserve with less than 5 days to capture it all.

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Awards, Live Action

An Online Annoyance Triggers a Complete Identity Crisis in Victoria Warmerdam’s Oscar Winning ‘I’m Not a Robot’

The lone genre film in the shorts Oscar race Victoria Warmerdam explains how a simple captcha fail became a gripping exploration of identity and control.

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