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explains why he decided to create 'Body' a boldly unabashed digital magazine cover hosted on OnlyFans to bypass outdated censorship rules.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

Daria Geller Encompasses the Everyday Agonies and Delights of an Intensely Fractious Relationship in ‘Him & Her’

Daria Geller outlines how she paid respect to Chekhov's original text in 'Him & Her', a captivating exploration of the toxic depths of romantic love.

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Film Festival, Live Action

Molly Gillis Explores a Woman’s Yearning to Overcome Her Current Fragility in Graceful Short ‘Plaisir’

Molly Gillis takes DN inside the creation of her sun-soaked autobiographical tale of self-discovery and unrequited love in the South of France.

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Live Action, Premiere

Raphael Gonzalez Tests the Boundaries of a Fractured Friendship in Gallows Humour Short ‘The Living’

Raphael Gonzalez explains how he delivered a witty, thoughtful portrayal of the bonds of friendship in his dark, impossible request comedy 'The Living'.

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Documentary, Music Video, Premiere

Moe Najati Captures the Evolving World of Cuban Rumba’s Intersecting Beliefs and Gender Biases in ‘Uproar’

Moe Najati reveals how stumbling upon an astounding all female Rumba group during a research trip reshaped his Cuban music documentary 'Uproar'.

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Animation

A Forgotten Hawaiian Legend Rises Like a Phoenix in Vibrant Oscar Shortlisted Animation ‘Kapaemahu’

Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu explains the extreme care taken to authentically tell a treasured Hawaiian story of old about ancient power forgotten in 'Kapaemahu'.

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