Grid Test - Directors Notes

A Father Faces a Burden He Can’t Quite Grasp in Jesse Lewis-Reece’s Moving Drama Short ‘Mother of Mine’

Jesse Lewis-Reece unpacks the different facets of grief he wanted to explore with his personal bereavement drama.

A Son Sacrifices His Sense of Self to Provide His Demented Mother Solace in Raphaël Pettigrew’s ‘I Remember’

Raphaël Pettigrew talks to DN about the narrative importance of getting as close as humanly possible to the actors in his heartbreaking Alzheimer's short.

Film Festival

Celebrating the Innovation and Growth of Conero Film + Adv 2024

DN returns to the unique festival that is Conero Film + Adv in the heart of Italy for its 2nd year honouring excellence in sustainable cinema and advertising.

Live Action, Premiere

Pack Mentality Transforms Idle Teens Into a Feral Gang in Barnaby Blackburn’s Anxiety Inducing Drama ‘Pylon’

Barnaby Blackburn discusses why he wanted to lead his audience unwillingly through the high tension drama of his tale of sibling rivalry and false bravado.

Live Action

Michael Jobling’s ‘The Walk’ Captures Britain’s Disenfranchised Lives Via One Man’s Trek Through Nature

Michael Jobling speaks about purposely avoiding the typical approach to working class stories in his short showcasing a man’s gruelling emotional journey.

Live Action, Premiere

The Loss of a Pregnancy Leads a Bride-To-Be Down an Impulsive Road Towards Healing in Rachel Sweeney’s ‘Fish Bowl’

Rachel Sweeney shares why she wanted to use comedy to normalise the rarely discussed complex emotions around miscarriage in her gallows humour short.

Live Action, Premiere

Robert Higgins & Patrick McGivney Explore the Tenderness of Lifelong Male Friendships in Drama Short ‘Drifting’

Robert Higgins & Patrick McGivney reveal how their Paul Mescal & Dafhyd Flynn starring Irish short allowed them to cultivate ideas for their debut feature.

Art & Fashion, Premiere

Folu Odimayo’s Woodland Dance Film ‘On The Cut of Three’ Is a Dreamlike Exploration of Myth and Archetype

Folu Odimayo deconstructs his use of narration during the choreographic prep of his film telling the tale of a stag whose fate is controlled by three birds.

Live Action, Premiere

A Reluctant Witch Comes to Realise Her Own Potential in Lauren Pringle’s Atmospheric Movement Film ‘Witch-Hunt’

Lauren Pringle explains how she drew from the rich history of witches and environmental uncertainty for her dance short about a lonely outcast coming of age.

Live Action, Premiere

A Homeless Ballet Dancer Prepares for a Life-Altering Audition in Jason Hogan’s Tense Drama ‘Twenty’

Jason Hogan breaks down the script work, journalling and improvisations on the street of London that comprised the rigorous rehearsals of his ballet drama.

Live Action

Peter Franklyn Banks’ Drama ‘Nearly Never’ Finds an Injured Footballer Isolated in a Strained Healthcare System

Peter Franklyn Banks discusses translating a chilling real world experience into his fraught drama short about the danger of overburdened hospital workers.

Live Action, Premiere

Sophie King Flips the Script on the Morning After Pill in Contraception Comedy ‘Does Your Condom Make You Fat?’

DN talks to Sophie King about blending humour and social commentary in her subversive gender disparity comedy short about a world where men can get pregnant.