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

Denzel Whitaker Spotlights the Toxic Collision of Modern Celebrity, Cancel Culture and Mental Health in ‘5150′

We talk to Denzel Whitaker about delving into the power of modern celebrity in our culture and the complexities of race in America in short film '5150'.

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Art & Fashion, Premiere

Adrián Suárez Interconnects the Rich Beauty of Nature and the Human Body in Sensorial Short ‘Skins’

Adrián Suárez discusses conveying the interconnectedness of the human body and the Earth we inhabit in beautifully realised experimental short 'Skins'.

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Documentary, Premiere

Matt Cascella Ennobles Man’s Best Friend in Charming Doc Short ‘Talking Dog’

Matt Cascella enlightens DN on his free-form approach to directing in ‘Talking Dog’, a documentary ode to the dogs of Maine by their human companions.

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Live Action

A Young Woman Falls for the Seductive Allure of a Tilt-a-Whirl in Zoé Wittocks Fantastical Romance Debut ‘Jumbo’

Zoé Wittock provides an insight into the production practicalities of choreographing the many moving parts of her objectophilia romance feature 'Jumbo'.

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Animation

Kai Stänicke Examines Our Destructive Relationship With Time in Reflective Animated Short ‘Pace’

Kai Stänicke details how he drew inspiration from the animation styles of 80s & 90s German abstract films for his admonitory time crunch short ‘Pace’.

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Live Action

A Hapless Young Man Seeking a Connection Bares All in Sam Baron’s Provocative Tragicomedy ‘The Orgy’

Sam Baron speaks to DN about a hastily drawn up improv phrase that bloomed into endearing short ‘The Orgy’ a title which misleads the film's true tone.

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Art & Fashion, Documentary

Tommaso Ottomano Delivers a Bold Exploration of the Relationship Between the Physical and Mental Ego in ‘Body’

Tommaso Ottomano explains why he decided to create 'Body' a boldly unabashed digital magazine cover hosted on OnlyFans to bypass outdated censorship rules.

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Live Action, Premiere

Grayson Whitehurst Presents a Darkly Comedic Reckoning In Morality Spec Ad ‘Purple | Life-Changing Sleep’

Grayson Whitehurst discusses using a talking bear to force a hardened woodsman to face his own insecurities in his comedic, morality play spec ad.

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Live Action, Premiere

Savvas Stavrou Presents a Cautionary Tale of Self-Isolation in Deliciously Dark Comedy ‘A Jar of Nuts’

Savvas Stavrou talks to DN about the tone and style inspirations of ‘A Jar of Nuts’, his wryly dark comedy about the repercussions of social isolation.

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Film Festival, Live Action

A Contemporary Narrative on the African Diaspora Shines Through a Tale of Redemption in Ivan Herrera’s ‘Bantú Mama’

We talk to Ivan Herrera about working with young non-professionals, shooting on a single lens & rejecting the lazy trap of porno-poverty in 'Bantú Mama'.

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Live Action

Mitch Dequilettes Takes a Satirical Swipe at Narcissistic Behaviours in the Indie Film World in ‘Staff Pick’

DN talks to Mitch deQuilettes about the self-referential filmmaking of 'Staff Pick' a dark comedy reality hopping meta-narrative about outsized male egos.

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Film Festival, Live Action

A Rambunctious Portrayal of a Surprise Pregnancy Jumps from Page to Screen in Yngvild Sve Flikke’s ‘Ninjababy’

Yngvild Sve Flikke discusses walking the fine line between humour and causing offence in her offbeat SXSW winning unwanted pregnancy feature 'Ninjababy'.

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