Debut Feature Archives - Page 2 of 4

Announcing the BIFA Best Debut Director 2024 Longlist

Directors Notes is thrilled to partner with BIFA for the announcement of the 2024 longlist for The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director).

Documentary, Film Festival

Duncan Cowles on His Signature Deadpan Style and ‘Silent Men’ the Feature Film Culmination of a Decade of Shorts

Duncan Cowles speaks to us about his new shorts 'Outlets' 'Sighscapes' and 'Desire Lines', and the upcoming premiere of his debut documentary feature film.

Documentary

Louis Moir’s ‘A Brush With Comedy’ Explores the Seemingly Conflicting Relationship Between Comedy and Art

Louis Moir talks through the practical challenges of expanding his grad short into his debut feature doc exploring the creative process on stage and on canvas.

Live Action

An Unsavoury Opportunity Offers a Lucrative Solution for a Desperate Woman in Giuseppe Garau’s ‘L’Incidente’

Giuseppe Garau extols the creative perks of not being glued to a monitor when shooting his 16mm film about a woman who enters the seedy world of tow trucks.

Live Action

A Filipino Immigrant Worker Battles the Horrors of Assimilation in Paris Zarcilla’s Acerbic Debut ‘Raging Grace’

DN alum Paris Zarcilla dissects the claustrophobic tone and character-driven visual language of his chilling gothic SXSW winning feature debut.

Live Action

Ng Choon Ping & Sam H. Freeman’s ‘Femme’ Exposes the Various Disguises We Use to Protect Our True Selves

Ng Choon Ping & Sam H. Freeman reveal how intimate handheld camera work enhanced the tense dynamism of their neo-noir seduction as revenge thriller.

Is There Anybody Out There? director Ella Glendining is a disabled white woman in her twenties with long blonde hair, short, unusual looking legs, and a few tattoos on her arm. Ella sunbathes on a sandy beach. She looks blissful, basking in the sunshine. A sliver of sparkling blue ocean can be seen in distance.

Awards, Documentary

Ella Glendining’s Debut ‘Is There Anybody Out There?’ Is a Captivating Battle Cry for the Disabled Community

Ella Glendining speaks about bringing together the patchwork elements of her empowering documentary about her search for someone else with the same disability.

Live Action

Savanah Leaf’s Blistering ‘Earth Mama’ Lays Bare the Struggles of Marginalized Motherhood in a Flawed Care System

Savanah Leaf details how shooting 16mm benefited her gritty, surreal debut feature which shines a unique authorial lens on motherhood, race and class.

Live Action

Abi Damaris Corbin Honours Marine Veteran Brian Easley’s Tragic Story in Gripping Heist Thriller ‘Breaking’

Abi Damaris Corbin discusses the careful blocking, Demme-inspired close-ups and deep collaboration which underpin her portrayal of a larger-than-life heist.

Animation, Awards, Live Action

The Philosophical Musings of a One Eyed Shell Delight in Dean Fleischer Camp’s ‘Marcel the Shell with Shoes On’

Director Dean Fleischer Camp joins DN for an in-depth interview about turning his viral YouTube shorts into a beloved Oscar-nominated feature animation.

Film Festival, Live Action

Nina Ognjanović’s Slamdance Debut ‘Where the Road Leads’ Encapsulates the Push-and-Pull of Rural Living

Nina Ognjanović explains creating her Serbian mystery-western through widescreen frames, rigorous location scouting and a less-is-more approach.

Live Action

Natalia López Gallardo’s ‘Robe of Gems’ Depicts the Pervasive Climate of Fear Drug Cartels Impose on Mexican Life

Natalia López Gallardo reveals the intuitive layered approach to cinematic composition and structure she took for her Silver Bear-winning debut feature.

Debut Feature Tag Archive