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.

Article

Sarah Smith Top Ten Feature Films of 2025

Films about transformation, characters who ache and fall apart magnificently—Sarah Smith shares the ten features that lodged in her heart in 2025.

Read more

Art & Fashion

François Larpin Finds Absurdist Poetry in Restraint in the Surreal Holiday Storytelling of ‘A Festive Tale’

Faced with the saturated festive ad space, François Larpin built a distinctive world, stripping Christmas to its essence for his branded seasonal triptych.

Read more

Live Action

Victor Nauwynck Pumps Primal Desire Into Marital Decay in His Transgressive & Visually Arresting Short ‘The Bull’

Victor Nauwynck discusses how pivoting from a planned, restrained visual style to reactive handheld cinematography unlocked his film's animalistic crescendo.

Read more

Animation, Documentary

Ruben Gagliardini Conjures an Animated Chimera to Battle Corporate Cynicism in His Documentary ‘Macchina Continua’

Ruben Gagliardini talks to DN about constructing a hand-drawn machine-as-character to illuminate the human cost of Italy's deindustrialised heartland.

Read more

Animation, Premiere

Thomas Laurance Exorcises Creative Paralysis Through DIY Rotoscoping in His Scatological Satire ‘Tortured Artist’

Thomas Laurance deconstructs the unequivocally independent process of his joyfully crude sub-£100 comedy short lampooning the toxic pressure to make good art.

Read more

Awards, Live Action

Vanity Propels a Disturbing Longing for the Past in Kathryn Ferguson’s BAFTA Nominated Belfast-Set Short ‘Nostalgie’

Kathryn Ferguson dissects the tonal shift in her Belfast-set drama debut where a faded 80s pop star's hope of reliving his glory days hits a chilling reality.

Read more

Live Action

Will Wightman Unleashes the Domestic Disgust of Shared Flats in Insta360 Comedy Horror ‘This Place is a Sh*thole’

Will Wightman explains layering practical chaos with post-production keyframing to craft impossible camera moves in his tale housemate horror.

Read more

Live Action, Premiere

Firas Itani Charts the Invisible Sisyphean Weight of Everyday Labour in Tense Drama ‘Lower Ground’

Denying any relief, Firas Itani uses framing, contrasting colour & relentless routine to depict skewed power dynamics in his portrait of everyday servitude.

Read more

Live Action

Lope Serrano’s ‘The Cause Of The Accident That Started The Fire’ Turns Creative Crisis Into Meta-Narrative Excellence

We learn why Lope Serrano used a printed waveform as a structural guide to make creative paralysis tangible in his celebrated Spanish film industry showcase.

Read more

Live Action, Premiere

Gus Reed Choreographs a Delicate Dance of Discontent in His Enigimatic Disquieting Short ‘Losing Season’

Gus Reed breaks down the precise blocking used to map a psychological power struggle when a woman's stagnation is disturbed by an uninvited visitor.

Read more

Article

Julija Fricsone-Gavriss on the Philosophy of Production Design and Building Worlds That Feel Real

For Julija Fricsone-Gavriss, a set must be an extension of the character. She details her process of building extensive PD boards to breathe life into film

Read more

Live Action, Premiere

Amir Youssef Constructs a Tender Child’s-Eye View of Personal Loss Amongst Historical Rupture in ‘Dawn Every Day’

Using wide lenses and a meticulous B&W palette, director Amir Youssef locks us at eye-level with an eight-year-old boy grappling with a world coming apart.

Read more