Dark Comedy Archives - Directors Notes

Emma Jesse’s Dark Comedy ‘Soggy Biscuit’ Takes a Stomach Churning Look at Peer Pressure Fuelled Male Bravado

Emma Jesse talks through the false preconceptions she had to overcome when making her short exploring humiliating toxic masculinity within male groups.

Live Action, Premiere

Bousher & Gee’s ‘You’re Absolutely Right’ Sees an Affirming Hotline Fuel a Paranoid Hoarder’s Troubled Beliefs

Theo Gee and Ian Bousher detail how they echoed their protagonist's inner turmoil through the detailed production design of their claustrophobic set.

Live Action

Kurt Andrew Schneider’s Dark Comedy ‘Notice Me’ Questions the Contrasting Facades We Hide Behind Online

Kurt Andrew Schneider explains why he chose to shoot on film for his contemporary story examining our problematic engagement with phones and social media.

Live Action

Alec Moeller’s Dark Comedy ‘Empath’ Explores the Tricky Relationship Between Identity and Social Acceptance

Alec Moeller discusses the creation of his darkly comic story of a woman with hyper-empathy syndrome who finds a group that claims to treat her disorder.

Live Action

A Mother and Son Fall Into a Toxic Masquerade in Émile V. Schlesser’s Darkly Twisted Satire ‘Kowalsky’

Émile V. Schlesser explains how he made the unlikeable conniving protagonists of his tragicomic short film satire so effortlessly compelling.

Live Action

Anthony Oberbeck’s Darkly Comedic ‘Book’ Tracks a Stoic Man Who Finds Solace in an Unusual Literary Tome

Anthony Oberbeck explains how he achieved the off-kilter tone of his comedic deadpan short through an uncanny use of creeping cinematography.

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.

Live Action, Premiere

A Troubled Writer Loses His Grip on Reality in Harry Sherriff’s Dark Meta-Comedy ‘Harry Is Not Okay’

Harry Sherriff explains how he used the application deadline for the NFTS as a creative motivator when conceiving his deliciously dark, surreal meta-comedy.

Live Action, Premiere

Savvas Stavrou Presents a Cautionary Tale of Self-Isolation in Deliciously Dark Comedy ‘A Jar of Nuts’

Savvas Stavrou talks to DN about the tone and style inspirations of ‘A Jar of Nuts’, his wryly dark comedy about the repercussions of social isolation.

Live Action

Mitch Dequilettes Takes a Satirical Swipe at Narcissistic Behaviours in the Indie Film World in ‘Staff Pick’

DN talks to Mitch deQuilettes about the self-referential filmmaking of 'Staff Pick' a dark comedy reality hopping meta-narrative about outsized male egos.

Live Action

Sam McMullen Tackles the Futility of Nationalism in Irish Black Comedy ‘The Cocaine Famine’

Sam McMullen breaks down the key visual concepts he employed to translate his Irish black comedy 'The Cocaine Famine' from a well-known play to short film.

Live Action, Premiere

Raphael Gonzalez Tests the Boundaries of a Fractured Friendship in Gallows Humour Short ‘The Living’

Raphael Gonzalez explains how he delivered a witty, thoughtful portrayal of the bonds of friendship in his dark, impossible request comedy 'The Living'.

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