Independent Short Film Premieres & Interviews // Directors Notes

The Ethics of Great Art Are Challenged in Lisa Clarkson’s Philosophical and Seductive Drama Featurette ‘Muse’

Lisa Clarkson breaks down the photographic aesthetic of her 16mm NFTS drama, about a talented art student and his teacher's questionable methods.

Live Action, Premiere

Harry Windsor’s ‘The Most Wonderful Day of the Year’ Explores What Happens When Dissatisfaction Turns Into Action

Harry Windsor discusses making the leap from film journalist to director with his nuanced drama about a young mother hitting the reset button on her life.

Live Action, Premiere

A Pair of Arctic Explorers Resort to Desperate Measures in Ben Pearce’s Perilous Comedy ‘A Few Miles South’

Ben Pearce unpacks the process of crafting a dialogue free comedy narrative about two arctic explorers through production design, performance and editing.

Live Action, Premiere

An Inquisitive Retiree Surprises Her Neighbours in Caroline Steinbeis’ Comedy Drama ‘From A Strange Land’

Caroline Steinbeis breaks down the technical lessons she learnt in her transition from theatre to film for her debut short film.

Live Action, Premiere

Samantha Scaffidi’s Drama Short ‘The Things We Left Unsaid’ Sees a Writer Fight for Her Emotional Freedom

Samantha Scaffidi walks DN through the decision of capturing her actors in an intense close-up for her revealing short drama.

Live Action, Premiere

Nicole Rixon & Ryan Goodman’s ‘Portrayed’ Captures the Relentless Scrutiny Placed on Women in Politics

Nicole Rixon & Ryan Goodman talk about marrying shooting medium with concept for their uncomfortable one-shot drama about skewed gender dynamics.

Animation, Premiere

A Seemingly Regular Hookup Causes a Seismic Shift in David McShane’s Intimate Animated Short Film ‘Come’

David McShane shares the journey from initial spark to being able to screen his tender bedroom-made LGBTQ animation in front of audiences across the globe.

Live Action, Premiere

Ramiel Petros’ Touching Student Oscar/BAFTA Drama ‘Aziz’ Takes Three Friends On a Devastating Desert Road Trip

Ramiel Petros details bringing 1980s Iraqi history vividly to life in his mournful, based on a true story short about friendship, war and grief.

Animation, Premiere

Serafima Serafimova Puts a Magnifying Glass up to Gender Imbalance & Binary Societal Pressure in ‘The Unfair Sex’

Serafima Serafimova shares the lived frustrations and all-encompassing creative process which propelled the momentum of her thought-provoking short.

Live Action, Premiere

A Starving Wolf Crawls Inside Human Skin in Solmund MacPherson’s Absurd Comedy ‘Wolf in Dude’s Clothing’

Solmund MacPherson reveals how the farcical nature of everyday life inspired his short film about a wolf hiding inside a human skin.

Live Action, Premiere

Gregory Foltynowicz’s Arthouse Film ‘Lachesis’ Piercingly Ponders If We Can Control our Own Future

With Academy Ratio, stark black-and-white images and high-contrast camerawork, Gregory Foltynowicz explores the inevitability of fate.

Live Action, Premiere

Jermaine Manigault’s Experimental Short ‘Not Black Enough’ Cathartically Confronts Blackness in America

Epic long takes, musical pastiche and minimalist music, Jermaine Manigault reveals the tools he used to create a unique portrait of what blackness means.

Premiere Category