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.

Awards, Film Festival

Presenting the Inaugural WeAreDN Awards

We're delighted to present the WeAreDn Awards, a celebration of the best films from DN's 2023 official submissions, taking place on the 25th of April.

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Live Action, Premiere

Paul Chambers’ ‘Three Bull-Mastiffs in a Kitchen Corner’ Viscerally Portrays a Life in the Grip of Addiction

Paul Chambers discusses the 16mm camerawork used in his hard hitting experimental drama capturing a young man's spiralling loss of control to addiction.

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Documentary

Ancient Chinese Tea Culture Lives on in Anna-Claria Ostasenko Bogdanoff’s Cadent Documentary ‘Her Scents of Pu Er’

Anna-Claria Ostasenko Bogdanoff details how she captured sensorial experiences for her documentary unveiling the ancient tea tasting practices of a master.

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Live Action, Premiere

A Couple’s Therapist Brings Them Together in the Most Unanticipated Way in Daniel Sinclair’s ‘The Breakthrough’

We speak to Daniel Sinclair about managing the fine line of grounded comedy in his tonal mashup short where a couple reach an unexpected therapy breakthrough.

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Awards, Documentary

A Personal Search for Identity Is Reflected Through a Wider Geopolitical Context in S. Leo Chiang’s ‘Island in Between’

S. Leo Chiang discusses his aim for achieving a universality of understanding in his Oscar doc examining the complicated relationship between Taiwan & China.

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Awards, Documentary

Ben Proudfoot & Kris Bowers Celebrate the Unsung Heroes of L.A. Music in Oscar Winning Doc ‘The Last Repair

Ben Proudfoot & Kris Bowers reveal how their improvisational backgrounds were a crucial tool in the creation of their inspirational Oscar winning short.

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Awards, Live Action

Vincent René-Lortie’s Oscar Short ‘Invincible’ Tenderly Depicts the Duality of a Troubled Teen’s Mental Health Crisis

A deeply personal film years in the making, Vincent René-Lortie details the intimate approach needed to bring the true story of his troubled friend to screen.

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Live Action

A Schoolgirl Attempts to Navigate the Reality of Her Fractured Memories in Victoria Singh-Thompson’s ‘14 in February’

Victoria Singh-Thompson talks about crafting a fragmented editing style to convey the dissociative turmoil churning in her traumatised protagonist's brain.

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Awards, Live Action

A Shared Loss Forges an Unlikely Bond in Lasse Lyskjær Noer’s Oscar Nominated Dark Comedy ‘Knight of Fortune’

Lasse Lyskjær Noer speaks to capturing the cathartic release of comedy even in the depths of despair for his short about two widowers struggling with grief.

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Live Action

Gabriel Caste’s ‘Are You Awake?’ Explores the Debilitating Nature of Existential Dread Lurking in Our Subconscious

Gabriel Caste tells DN about drawing viewers into his psychological thriller probing the dread of existence which can throw us into a depressive cycle.

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Awards, Live Action

An Unexpected Pregnancy Forces a Single Mother to Cross State Lines in Nazrin Choudhury’s ‘Red, White and Blue’

Nazrin Choudhury discusses crafting the pace of her Oscar nominated short to fully immerse the audience into the precarious life of a struggling young mother.

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Awards, Live Action

An Insuppressible Barrage of Grief Courses Through Misan Harriman’s Oscar Nominated Debut Short ‘The After’

Misan Harriman explains the narrative and emotional importance of the shocking opening to his Oscar nominated Netflix short starring David Oyelowo.

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