Independent Short Film Premieres & Interviews // Directors Notes

Premiere Category

Dustin Waldman’s ‘Never Fuggedaboutit’ Sees The Sopranos Become a Heated Battleground for American Patriotism

Dustin Waldman speaks about vividly evoking the paranoia of the post 9/11 era in showing a post-production house removing the Twin Towers from The Sopranos.

Live Action, Premiere

Hannah Renton Considers the Lasting Impact of Flawed Models of Love in Decade Spanning Triptych ‘Love Is Free’

Hannah Renton breaks down the challenge of building cohesion between the individual yet joined parts of her triptych film depicting the complexities of love.

Music, Premiere

Daria Geller’s ‘Everybody Knows’ Updates a Leonard Cohen Classic for Today’s Era of Russian Aggression

Daria Geller talks to us about counting the tragic cost of Russian complacency through warm 16mm, striking group scenes and a smart Leonard Cohen cover.

Live Action, Premiere

The Violence of the Milanese Underworld Hits Hard in Vivarinis Film ‘Mascagni’ Symphony | Inno all’Infamia’

Alessandro & Flavio Vivarini discuss creating a haunting ode to Italian gangsters with heavy contrasts, religious images and floating widescreen frames.

Live Action, Premiere

A Young Woman’s Longing for Intimate Fellowship Reverberates Through Julia Ponce Díaz’s Evocative Debut ‘Soredia’

Julia Ponce Díaz shares how personal & observed experiences inspired her fish-out-of-water drama about a self-conscious girl's desperate need for belonging.

Live Action, Premiere

A Tricky Patient Causes a Therapist to Face His Own Issues in Ron Eyal’s Drama Short ‘The Therapist’

Ron Eyal takes DN through how he and his crew approached production to prioritise the actor's process for his tender interior drama.

Animation, Music, Premiere

A Boundless Futuristic City Is Explored in Karl Poyzer’s Sci-Fi Music Video for Ital Tek’s ‘The Mirror’

Karl Poyzer explains how he embraced the freedom offered by animation and free application Blender for his cityscape-based science fiction music video.

Live Action, Premiere

Masculinity Is a Toxic, Menacing Curse in Dima Barch’s Gripping Queer Russian Horror Short ‘Dead End’

Dima Barch walks us through his use of long takes, dynamic lighting set-ups and an ambiguous mode to create an ambitious and menacing queer horror film.

Live Action, Premiere

The Prime Minister’s Untimely Death Leads to an Acerbic Battle of Self-Interest in Isher Sahota’s ‘Goodnight Henry’

Isher Sahota explains how he struck the right tonal balance of comedy and skulduggery for his darkly comic period drama about self-interested backstabbing.

Live Action, Premiere

A Man in Turmoil Searches for Meaning in Sergey Spirin & Andrei Beresnev’s Visually Stunning Short ‘IYOV’

Co-Directors Sergey Spirin and Andrei Beresnev open up on how they captured the staggering environments of Georgia for their spiritual drama.

Live Action, Premiere

A Surprise Package Leads a Heartbroken Recluse to Embrace His Inner Pervert in Greg Fox’s ‘Monkey-Love, Please Hold’

Director Greg Fox talks to DN about finding inspiration in one's fears of rejection for his unconventional comedy romance short about self-acceptance.

Live Action, Premiere

Loïc Phil’s ‘Connection’ Encapsulates the Life Altering Intensity of a Spontaneous Passionate Love Affair

Loïc Phil explains why he wanted to embrace the constraints of shooting on 16mm in order to fully convey the fervor of a life changing mayfly love affair.