Best Live Action Films

Live Action Category

Yasmin Afifi’s BAFTA Winner ‘Jellyfish & Lobster’ Extols the Joys of Living Without Conforming to Expectations

Writer/Director Yasmin Afifi tells DN why magical realism was the perfect genre in which to tell her dark comedic story about finding joy at the end of life.

Live Action

Jon Ryan Sugimoto’s ‘Full Time’ Is a Stark Warning Against Falling Into the Trap of the 9 to 5

Jon Ryan Sugimoto defines the visual motifs he deployed to capture the passion crushing effect adulthood and responsibility can have on youthful dreams.

Live Action, Premiere

A Screenwriting Professor Experiences a Kafkaesque Descent in Harry Sherriff’s ‘Jeremy: A Nightmare’

Harry Sherriff returns to reveal how his creative development at the NFTS informed his latest nightmarish comedy about a man pitted against his doppelgänger.

Live Action

Conor Dooley’s Sprawling Short ‘Gold and Mud’ Tells a Lifelong Story of Love and Loss via a Single Face

Conor Dooley reveals to DN how he struck the balance between absurdist comedy and honest emotion for his ambitious vignette packed comedy short.

Live Action, Premiere

A Shy Englishman Abroad Isn’t Quite Able to Read Between the Lines in Edoardo Ulivelli’s Flirtatious ‘Lo Sguardo’

Edoardo Ulivelli discusses the catharsis of putting his own insecurities into his short film following a young man unable to decipher romantic advances.

Live Action, Premiere

A Forgetful Spouse Sparks Marital Disharmony in Arne Gjelten’s ‘The Best Day of Our Lives’

Arne Gjelten breaks down how he and his team achieved the tense atmosphere that permeates throughout his Bergman-esque marriage anniversary drama.

Live Action, Premiere

Imminent Death Forces a Wall Street Suit to Assess Her Boujee Life in Tomson Tee’s Comedy ‘click, click, BOOM!’

Tomson Tee details the narrative division of warm and cold tones and wide frames within his dark comedy pointing a mocking finger at the super wealthy.

Live Action

Two Warring Sisters’ Desperation Reaches Its Peak in Tom Berkeley & Ross White’s Bleak Western ‘The Golden West’

Tom Berkeley & Ross White discuss subverting character expectations in their psychological pitch black comedy Western about sisters hunting gold in Wales.

Live Action

A Stagnant Relationship Reaches a Theatrical Crescendo in Nick Rutter’s Dark Comedy Musical ‘Skewered’

Nick Rutter & Ben Richardson explain how they established the dark, witty tone of their farcical short about opposing sexual appetites and dietary ethics.

Live Action

A Filipino Immigrant Worker Battles the Horrors of Assimilation in Paris Zarcilla’s Acerbic Debut ‘Raging Grace’

DN alum Paris Zarcilla dissects the claustrophobic tone and character-driven visual language of his chilling gothic SXSW winning feature debut.

Live Action

Vinnie Jones Deals With Santa’s Naughty List in Andzej Gavriss’ Satirical WoT Branded Spot ‘Never Going Back’

Andzej Gavriss explains how meticulous planning enabled him to execute the ambitious level of production required for his Christmas-set World of Tanks spot.

Live Action, Premiere

A Man Bungles Through Life With a Complete Lack of Self-Awareness in Jonathan Salmon’s Comedy ‘Life of Brad James’

Jonathan Salmon reveals how he seamlessly tied together the three parts of his comedic anthology following the life of a blissfully unaware man-child.