Live Action Category

Live Action, Premiere

Tiger Ji Brings Humour and Heart to Life’s Final Feast With a Bowl of Noodles in ‘Death & Ramen’

Tiger Ji talks subverting common tropes associated with Asian performers in his deliciously dark comedy where Death and a ramen chef share a bowl of noodles.

Read more

Live Action

Beru Tessema’s BIFA Nominated ‘Lions’ Shines a Light on the Disparate Experiences of Poverty in Modern Day Britain

Beru Tessema walks us through giving his actors room to embody the meaning of scenes through improvisation for his short about Britain's dysfunctional systems.

Read more

Live Action

A Woman Wonders if Her New Love Is Scamming Her in Lucy McKendrick & Charles Polinger’s ‘Fuck Me, Richard’

Lucy Elizabeth McKendrick & Charles Polinger talk about creating the fantasies a young woman loses herself to in their twisted long distance romance short.

Read more

Live Action

Ng Choon Ping & Sam H. Freeman’s ‘Femme’ Exposes the Various Disguises We Use to Protect Our True Selves

Ng Choon Ping & Sam H. Freeman reveal how intimate handheld camera work enhanced the tense dynamism of their neo-noir seduction as revenge thriller.

Read more

Live Action, Premiere

A Harrowing Phone Call Leads to an Illegal Immigrant’s Worst Nightmare in Joshua Okwuosa’s Suspensive Short ‘Okem’

Joshua Okwuosa discusses choosing a claustrophobic 4:3 ratio for his tension fuelled film about a Nigerian immigrant faced with a devastating situation.

Read more

Live Action

Reality & Fantasy Blur for a Delusional Production Assistant in Thomas May Bailey’s BIFA Nominated Debut ‘The Talent’

Thomas May Bailey speaks to DN about harnessing the metaphorical potential of a VP stage as the setting for his debut short exploring ambition and desire.

Read more

Live Action, Premiere

A Knockabout Game of Football Becomes a Playground for Toxic Masculinity in Rumi Kaul’s Coming of Age Drama ‘Cage’

Rumi Kaul breaks down the underlying themes of youth and its progression to toxic masculinity he sought to reckon with in his vibrant playground drama.

Read more

Live Action, Premiere

Two Thirty-Somethings Find Themselves in a Purgatorial State in Tom Gentle’s Existential Relationship Short ‘Close’

Tom Gentle deconstructs the thematic significance of the purgatorial communal stairwell setting of his existential short about a relationship crossroads.

Read more

Live Action

Savanah Leaf’s Blistering ‘Earth Mama’ Lays Bare the Struggles of Marginalized Motherhood in a Flawed Care System

Savanah Leaf details how shooting 16mm benefited her gritty, surreal debut feature which shines a unique authorial lens on motherhood, race and class.

Read more

Live Action

Kerry O’Neill’s Euphoric Dark Comedy ‘Walk Out Nice and Smooth’ Explores the Moral Ambiguity of a Mother’s Love.

Kerry O’Neill discusses building an atmosphere of chaotic adventure in her short about a mother & her adolescent child's mission to sell a stolen laptop.

Read more

Live Action

Abdou Cissé Examines the Inter-Generational Dynamics of a Nigerian Family in Hilarious Comedy ‘Festival of Slaps’

Abdou Cissé reveals his intentions of making a superhero film with his mum as the hero in his kinetic exploration of the misconceptions of African parenting.

Read more

Live Action

Cristina Sánchez Salamanca Illustrates the Fracturing of a Modern Family in Her Intimate Drama ‘Bebé’

Cristina Sánchez Salamanca reveals how she crafted the quiet, everyday gestures in her observant familial drama to build to a concentrated breaking point.

Read more