BFI Network Archives - Directors Notes

Jack King Traverses the Moral Wilderness of Childhood Cruelty in His Unsettling Drama-Thriller ‘Predators’

From abandoned snakes to abandoned morals: Jack King discusses crafting a dark, child-led world of ethical ambiguity in his BFI-backed suburban short.

Live Action

Riffy Ahmed’s ‘The Call’ Presents an Improbable Hero in Her Tower Block Meditation on Intergenerational Bonds

Riffy Ahmed discusses integrating magical realism into her short film which offers a fresh take on the emotional dynamics of mother/daughter relationships.

Live Action

A Woman Endures the Silent Harassment of an Outwardly Innocuous Everyday Encounter in Debbie Howard’s ‘Safe’

Debbie Howard explains why handheld was the ideal aesthetic to fully immerse the audience in her disquietingly familiar short about unwanted male attention.

Live Action, Premiere

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.

Live Action

Hysteria and Paranoia Take Hold in Joe Williams & Charlie Edwards-Moss’ Folk Horror Short ‘O, Glory!’

Joe Williams & Charlie Edwards-Moss discuss imbuing their 70s-influenced folk horror with a contemporary edge while shooting on 35mm to evoke the time period.

Live Action, Premiere

Age Proves to Be No Obstacle to a Long Lost Love Affair in Katia Shannon’s ‘Us & In Between’

Katia Shannon reveals how she approached subverting the commonly held reductive vision of growing older in her passionate dramedy about long lost lovers.

Live Action

A Jaded Jester Discovers a Sinister Plot Against Him in Gareth Bowen’s Darkly Comic ‘The Licensed Fool’

Gareth Bowen distils the infusion of gritty, zoom-lensed camerawork and medieval tomfoolery which underpins his paranoid medieval-set dark comedy.

Live Action, Premiere

Nathan Morris’ Morning After Pill Comedy ‘My Eyes Are Up Here’ Exposes the Discriminatory Barriers of an Ableist World

Nathan Morris reveals the essential role his Disability Coordinator played in ensuring the diversity, inclusion and authenticity of his budding romance short.

Animation, Documentary

Journey Through a Young Woman’s Battle With Mental Health and Self-Acceptance in Melanie Cura Daball’s ‘Trust Me’

Melanie Cura Daball reveals why an ethical approach was an essential pillar in the making of her hybrid doc about her friend's battle with a bipolar diagnosis.

Live Action

Beru Tessema’s BIFA Nominated ‘Lions’ Shines a Light on the Disparate Experiences of Poverty in Modern Day Britain

Beru Tessema walks us through giving his actors room to embody the meaning of scenes through improvisation for his short about Britain's dysfunctional systems.

Animation

A Horrifying Tour of Humanity Raises Questions of Free Will in Theo W Scott’s Animated Short Cuties

Theo W Scott talks to DN about his hope that its tale of "dumb characters butchering each other" throughout history will inspire questions of free will.

Live Action

Olivia J. Middleton Weaves a Classical Tale of Fleeting Romance in Her Roadside Cafe-Set Drama ‘A90′

Olivia J. Middleton explains how the roadside cafe setting of her romantic drama became the ideal locale for her tale of fleeting connection.

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