Live Action Category

Awards, Live Action

A Father’s Loneliness Erupts Corporeally In Matty Crawford’s SXSW Winning BAFTA Body Horror ‘Stomach Bug’

Matty Crawford chats to DN about building the horror fuelled landscape of his psychological drama about a lonely parent suffering from empty nest syndrome.

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Awards, Live Action

A Singular Young Man’s Resiliency Captures the Collective Horrors of War in Franz Böhm’s ‘Rock Paper Scissors’

Franz Böhm breaks down how he built two distinct visual worlds in his BAFTA nominated Ukraine war drama where a makeshift hospital faces enemy attack.

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Live Action

Brennan McGee Charts a Bizarre Journey Through the Human Psyche in Uncanny Short ‘Wesley Loses His Penis’

Brennan McGee reveals the formalist approach he took when shooting his psychologically absurd dark comedy about a man's surreal quest to find his member.

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Animation, Live Action

Private Island’s ‘Meme, Myself and A.I.’ Dissects the Human Condition Through a Satirical Synthetic Nightmare

Private Island director Chris Boyle take us inside the intentions, toolset and techniques behind his mixed-media dissection of AI and the human condition.

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Live Action

A Supposed Bank Heist Expresses the White Hot Rage of Suppressed Speech in Andrew De Zen’s ‘The Robbery’

Multi-DN alum Andrew De Zen opens up about the very personal and visceral feelings he poured into his deeply affecting Amnesty International campaign short.

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Live Action

A Woman Endures the Silent Harassment of an Outwardly Innocuous Everyday Encounter in Debbie Howard’s ‘Safe’

Debbie Howard explains why handheld was the ideal aesthetic to fully immerse the audience in her disquietingly familiar short about unwanted male attention.

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Live Action, Premiere

William Grave’s ‘In My Day’ Peels Back the Layers of Bigotry With a Surprising Revelation

William Grave speaks to DN about creating a neutral almost timeless setting for his black and white drama about a cross-cultural couple battling prejudice.

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Live Action

A Mother Learns the Horrifying Cause of Her Sudden Inability to Enjoy Sex in Jessica Barr’s Revenge Short ‘Tight’

We speak to Jessica Barr about embracing the art in social cause filmmaking for her disturbing short about a woman who has her sexual agency taken from her.

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Live Action, Premiere

A Clown’s First Birthday Party Gig Devolves Into a Pitched Battle of Masculinity in Iris Breward’s ‘Sidney’

Iris Breward discusses crafting the dual tones of her short about an aspiring performer's optimism vs the harsh reality of working as a children's party clown.

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Live Action, Premiere

Toni Hipwell’s ‘The Lure’ Reels in the Terror as a Fisherman Discovers He’s Not Alone Hoping for a Bite

Toni Hipwell tells DN how they achieved lush, detailed night time close-ups when shooting his macabre micro short about a lone fisherman's nocturnal surprise.

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Live Action

A Double Booked Airbnb Causes Poolside Chaos in Michael Rees’ Comedy Short ‘His Parents Never Taught Him’

Michael Rees talks us through prioritising a chaotic tone over script-specific dialogue to great comic effect in his short film about a double-booked Airbnb.

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Awards, Live Action

Joshua Trigg Hits the Road in Search of Identity in Laos Set Debut ‘Satu – Year of the Rabbit’

DN speaks to BIFA nominee Joshua Trigg about shooting in Laos with limited film stock & non-professional lead actors for his self-financed 16mm feature debut.

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