Best Live Action Films

Live Action Category

Jo Ingabire Moys’ BAFTA Nominated ‘Bazigaga’ Spotlights the Unsung Witch Who Saved 100s During the Rwandan Genocide

Director Jo Ingabire Moys talks to DN about crafting terrifying moments of silence in her tension-filled BAFTA nominated short about the Rwandan genocide.

Live Action, Premiere

Bousher & Gee’s ‘You’re Absolutely Right’ Sees an Affirming Hotline Fuel a Paranoid Hoarder’s Troubled Beliefs

Theo Gee and Ian Bousher detail how they echoed their protagonist's inner turmoil through the detailed production design of their claustrophobic set.

Live Action

Kurt Andrew Schneider’s Dark Comedy ‘Notice Me’ Questions the Contrasting Facades We Hide Behind Online

Kurt Andrew Schneider explains why he chose to shoot on film for his contemporary story examining our problematic engagement with phones and social media.

Live Action, Premiere

Colby Day Traverses the Archetypal Romantic Journey of a New Relationship in Dance Short ‘Lead/Follow’

Colby Day explains how he practically translated his intimate play, about a couple experiencing new love, into a free-flowing dance short.

Live Action, Premiere

Paul Holbrook’s ‘Old Windows’ Captivates With a Conversation Between Strangers That Is Much More Than It Seems

We spoke to Paul Holbrook about stripping down the dialogue in his nuanced short where an unsettling interest in the past grows tensions.

Live Action

A Filmmaker Asks His Roommate to Watch His Short in Frank Mosley & Hugo De Sousa’s Comedy ‘The Event’

Co-Directors Frank Mosley & Hugo De Sousa break down the comedic implications of the still camerawork in their uncomfortable conversation friendship short.

Live Action

A Mystery Devours a Group of Stranded Men in Andrey M Paounov & Alex Barrett’s Chilly Thriller ‘January’

Director Andrey Paounov & Screenwriter Alex Barrett expound on how they created the absurd, maddening atmosphere of their snowbound folk horror feature.

Film Festival, Live Action

Nina Ognjanović’s Slamdance Debut ‘Where the Road Leads’ Encapsulates the Push-and-Pull of Rural Living

Nina Ognjanović explains creating her Serbian mystery-western through widescreen frames, rigorous location scouting and a less-is-more approach.

Live Action, Premiere

The Newman Brothers Comedy ‘Do Not Touch’ Captures the Absurd Actions a Man Takes To Hide His Cheating Ways

The Newman Bros discuss tapering comedy with emotional stakes for their short about an art exhibition which throws an adulterer's life into chaos.

Live Action

A Shared Bereavement Forces Estranged Brothers into Awkward Reconciliation in Oscar & BAFTA Winning Short ‘An Irish Goodbye’

BAFTA winning OSCAR nominated co-writer/directors Tom Berkeley & Ross White talk about the streamlined working practices behind their offbeat comedy short.

Live Action

A Physical Manifestation of Family Dysfunction Heralds a Young Girl’s Empowerment in Sarah Lasry’s ‘Spell on You’

Sarah Lasry discusses constructing the ominous atmosphere of her supernatural horror short where a young girl's warts express a family’s disfunction.

Live Action

Sarah Grant’s ‘Candy’ Is a Heartening Body Positive Reclamation of Sexuality and Empowerment

Sarah Grant talks to DN about her empowering body positive, inclusive short which challenges outdated notions of size being a barrier to self-expression.