Feature Archives - Directors Notes

The Voices of Palestine’s Oppressed and Colonised Speak Out in Zaya & Maurizio Benazzo’s ‘Where Olive Trees Weep’

Zaya & Maurizio Benazzo discuss how they safeguarded their team and contributors when documenting the struggles of Palestinian life under Israeli occupation.

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.

Article

Jeanie Finlay Top Ten Feature Films of 2023

A year indelibly marked both by deep loss and professional exhilaration, director Jeanie Finlay reflects on the cinematic triumphs of 2023 in her best of list.

Article

Sarah Smith Top Ten Feature Films of 2023

With seven female filmmakers leading the way, Sarah Smith walks us through why these 10 feature films of 2023 refuse to leave her consciousness.

Article

Neil Fox Top Ten Feature Films of 2023

Making a most welcome return to DN's end of year list fold The Cinematologists' Neil Fox shares 10 of his favourite 2023 UK released features.

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.

Article

James Maitre Top Ten Feature Films of 2023

James reflects on his most memorable feature-length watches of 2023, whittling down everything he saw into a list of ten favourites.

Article

Redmond Bacon Top Ten Feature Films of 2023

Courtroom dramas, creature-feature horrors, genre reinventions and sad character studies characterise Redmond Bacon's Top 10 features of 2023.

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.

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.

Documentary

NONO & Rodrgio Inada’s Epic ‘Naija Odyssey’ for Whatsapp Reconciles the Fundamentals of Identity and Belonging

NONO & Rodrgio Inada layout the methodical juggling needed to pull off the ambitious multi-country production of their Giannis Antetokounmpo profile film.

Feature Tag Archive