Live Action Category

Live Action

Ewurakua Dawson-Amoah Celebrates Black Power in Academic Spaces in Rousing Commercial Spot ‘We Are’

Ewurakua Dawson-Amoah talks about bringing her own cinematic sensibilities and desire to uplift the Black community to her first commercial spot.

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Live Action

Amber Schaefer Showcases the Absurdity of Influencer Culture With Dark Comedy ‘NYC Tips and Tricks’

Amber Schaefer talks through the cinematic tricks she utilised to expose the oblivious comedic nature of influencer culture in her cringe-inducing short.

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Live Action

Guido Acampa Aligns the Fragility of Human Relationships Against an Ominous Backdrop of War in ‘Inner Front.’

We talk to first time feature director Guido Acampa about working with a dog pack, location as character and leaving an audience with questions.

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Live Action, Premiere

Nathan Engelhardt’s ‘Your Curly Hair’ Beautifully Explores the Moments That Make a Relationship

Nathan Engelhardt talks us through using montage, whimsical voiceover and nostalgic 35mm film to create a fresh, unsentimental romance.

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Awards, Live Action

JONES Harness the Power of Allegorical Storytelling in BAFTA Short ‘Three Meetings of the Extraordinary Committee’

Max Barron of JONES reveals how the duo used the allegory of a mythical creature as a tool to tell a universal story about entrenched beliefs.

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Live Action, Premiere

Tomas Gomez Bustillo Curates a Collection of Quotidian Memories in ‘Museum of Fleeting Wonders’

Tomas Gomez Bustillo conveys the challenges of capturing the magical moments of the everyday in vignettes for his enthralling short film collection.

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Hope

Live Action

Shaun James Grant Captures Perseverance in the Face of Bitter Loss in Melancholic Diner-Set Tale ‘Hope’

Shaun James Grant explains how he imbued his tale of loss with a great use of space, sharply-written characters and a fine poetic sense.

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Live Action, Premiere

Will Wightman’s Frenetic Short ‘Heart Failure’ Is a Whip-Smart Gen Z Take on Modern Relationships

Will Wightman speaks about his desire to convey the rollercoaster of romantic turmoil that comes with being a 21-year-old in his musical dating comedy.

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Live Action

A Woman Finds Herself Obsessively Compelled to Dig a Hole in Anna Maguire’s Metaphorical Drama ‘It’s Nothing’

Anna Maguire and Julia Lederer discuss the transitional process from stage to screen of their drama about a woman's self-destructive compulsion.

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Live Action, Premiere

Chloe Sarbib & Amy Taylor Rosenblum Depict the Self-Questioning Fear of Confiding in ‘Go Tell Your Fathers’

Chloe Sarbib and Amy Taylor Rosenblum deconstruct the considered approach behind their portrayal of a woman struggling to confide in her family.

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Perfect as Cats

Live Action

The Bonds of Sisterhood Are Put To the Test in Kevin Vu’s Eccentric Misfit Short ‘Perfect as Cats’

Using 16mm film, Japanese-inspired costuming and shooting at Princeton University, Kevin Vu takes DN inside his zany tale of sisterly conflict.

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Live Action, Premiere

A Nosy Scholar Encounters Dark Secrets in Ryan Mackfall’s Macabre H. P. Lovecraft Adaptation ‘Backwoods’

Director Ryan Mackfall and Screenwriter Neil Fox walk DN through the literary challenges of adapting H. P. Lovecraft for their chilling horror short.

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