Debut Short Tag Archive

Live Action

Jessica Morris’ Tragicomedy ‘Round Robin’ Depicts the Surreal Reality Beneath a Faltering Family Facade

Filmmaker Jessica Morris reveals how she crafted the intense, surreal and manic tone of her failing to keep up appearances familial dark comedy short.

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Live Action, Premiere

Hilary Eden Immerses Us in the Fervently Charged World of a Y2K Teenager in Nostalgic Short ‘Bellybutton’

Hilary Eden speaks to DN about the power she found in the specificity of her storytelling for her evocative coming-of-age portrait of adolescent girlhood.

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Live Action

BLOK Take Aim at the Warped Ideals of Honour in Darkly Comic Satirical Short ‘A Dishonourable Death’

BLOK chew over the technical decisions that manifested the heightened tone of their period short about bruised male pride escalating to fatal consequences.

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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.

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Dead End

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.

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Gwendoline

Live Action

Joaquim Bayle’s ‘Gwendoline’ is a Delightfully Deadpan Tribute to Being Struggling Musicians on the Road

Joaquim Bayle shares how black and white Super 16mm images, a deadpan style and a balance of sincerity and absurdity perfectly suited his band film.

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Live Action

The Sole Survivor of a Climbing Accident Recalls His Supernatural Encounter in Giles Buchanan’s Horror ‘Terror’

Giles Buchanan recounts the practical trials and tribulations of shooting on the Ben Nevis mountain face for his ambitious Lovecraftian horror short.

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Live Action

Reed Purvis Offers Us a Snapshot of the Culture Shock Experienced by Rural to Urban Migrants in ‘Barrio Frontera’

Reed Purvis explains how he captured the authentic sounds, scenarios and conversations of a Buenos Aires barrio as seen through the eyes of a recent arrival.

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Live Action, Premiere

A French Exchange Student Stumbles Into a Family Tragedy in Joe Weiland’s Upbeat Comedy Drama ‘Gorka’

Joe Weiland explains how the wide, vibrant frames of his seaside comedy drama are emblematic of the film's themes of connection and catharsis.

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Live Action, Premiere

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.

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Live Action, Premiere

Calvin Demba Takes an Algorithmic Look at the Damaging Cycle of Toxic Relationships in Sexbot Comedy ‘BabyDolls’

We speak to Calvin Demba about creating a timeless feeling for his dark AI relationship comedy about a misogynistic man falling victim to his own toxicity.

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Film Festival, Live Action

Michelle & Noel Keserwany’s Golden-Bear Winning Poetic Short ‘Les Chenilles’ Weaves a Delicate Thread

Berlinale Best Short winners Michelle & Noel Keserwany talk to DN about using both essay and fiction forms to create a touching tale of feminine solidarity.

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