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.

Live Action

A Formidable Woman Confronts Her Trauma in Mat Sheldon’s Visceral Monologue Short ‘The Electricity in Me’

Mat Sheldon talks to DN about manifesting his mother's personal diaries into a captivating emotive monologue film performed by Ellora Torchia.

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Live Action

An Idealised Romance Reveals Its Toxic Underbelly in Tomás Whitmore’s Psychological Thriller ‘Allie & I’

Tomás Whitmore unveils how he built up the mystery as to the real meaning and intention behind his seductive social media psychological thriller.

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Live Action

An Unusual Love Triangle Blossoms in Nick Flügge’s Whimsical Mockumentary ‘The Last Bee on Earth’

Nick Flügge speaks to DN about using black & white, academy ratio and unintelligible dialogue to poke fun at the earnest eco-documentary format.

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Live Action

Harry Windsor’s ‘The Most Wonderful Day of the Year’ Explores What Happens When Dissatisfaction Turns Into Action

Harry Windsor discusses making the leap from film journalist to director with his nuanced drama about a young mother hitting the reset button on her life.

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Music Video

Giada Bossi’s Hybrid Short ‘Quattro Pareti’ Takes Us on a Painful Yet Tender Reflection of Grief

Giada Bossi talks to us about using 16mm to capture the dreamy yet emotionally challenging scenes of loss for her music video/narrative crossover short.

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Live Action

Alec Moeller’s Dark Comedy ‘Empath’ Explores the Tricky Relationship Between Identity and Social Acceptance

Alec Moeller discusses the creation of his darkly comic story of a woman with hyper-empathy syndrome who finds a group that claims to treat her disorder.

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Live Action

Ray Smiling’s ‘Play This At My Funeral’ Extols Our Intimate Connections to the Songs in Our Lives

Ray Smiling describes co-opting the mixtape format to capture the symbiotic link between music and memory for his idiosyncratic series of vignettes.

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Live Action

Katie Colosimo’s Comedy Short ‘Something You’ve Never Told Me’ Captures the Absurdity of Pettiness Between Friends

Katie Colosimo speaks to DN about mining the ridiculous petty nature of humans and the unsaid grievances of relationships for her wry comedy short.

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Live Action, Premiere

Nicole Rixon & Ryan Goodman’s ‘Portrayed’ Captures the Relentless Scrutiny Placed on Women in Politics

Nicole Rixon & Ryan Goodman talk about marrying shooting medium with concept for their uncomfortable one-shot drama about skewed gender dynamics.

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Documentary

Tobias James’ ‘Speedboat’ Is an Exhilarating White Knuckle Introduction to Bangkok’s Frenzied Waterway Racing

Tobias James describes the camera considerations and hold on and hope approach when filming at 130kmph on a drag racing turbo longtail riverboat.

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Animation, Premiere

Serafima Serafimova Puts a Magnifying Glass up to Gender Imbalance & Binary Societal Pressure in ‘The Unfair Sex’

Serafima Serafimova shares the lived frustrations and all-encompassing creative process which propelled the momentum of her thought-provoking short.

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Live Action

Ninja Thyberg’s Debut Feature ‘Pleasure’ Commands Us to Reconsider Preconceived Notions of the Porn Industry

Ninja Thryberg talks about applying her background in photography to reveal the hidden fringes within the porn industry in her provocative debut feature.

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