Grief Archives - Directors Notes

Grief & Political Rage Converge in Musa Alderson-Clarke’s Searing Cannes Selected Thriller ‘Killing Boris Johnson’

Musa Alderson-Clarke takes DN through the challenge of baking white hot tension into the fabric of his Cannes premiering short about a young man in turmoil.

Animation

An Immigrant Battles Loss and Her Legal Status in Tsvetelina Zdraveva & Jerred North’s Drama ‘Yellowbird’

Co-Directors Tsvetelina Zdraveva & Jerred North break down the production roles they each occupied in order to craft their animated immigrant drama.

Live Action

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.

Live Action, Premiere

Chloe Sarbib’s ‘Jensen’ Finds a Songwriter Struggling to Retain Her Sense of Self Before Taking Centre Stage

Chloe Sarbib explains why she deliberately engendered shifts in her directing style for her heartfelt music drama about identity and self-examination.

Live Action, Premiere

Werner Vivier’s ‘Walls Like Windows’ Captures Our Acute Need for Human Connection and Empathy When Navigating Trauma

Werner Vivier walks us through the narrative developing cinematography and surprising shifts of tone of his expectation subverting drama short.

Animation

A Mother Battles Grief in a Dense and Vivid Fantasy World in Matt O’Donnell’s Animated Short ‘Runelight’

Matt O'Donnell describes the pleasure of creating the 3D animation behind the vivid world featured in his short film.

Animation

A Father and Son Wrestle With the Nature of Loss in João Gonzalez’ Oscar Nominated Short ‘Ice Merchants’

João Gonzalez breaks down how the distinct visual aesthetic of his Oscar nominated animation intersects with its themes of grief and loss.

Animation, 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.

Music, Premiere

A Grieving Woman Experiences a Close Encounter in Meredith Hama-Brown’s Music Video for Loscil’s ‘Sol’

Meredith Hama-Brown reveals how she and her team embraced light and lasers to create a visually distinctive UFO for her emotional healing music video.

Live Action

A Shared Bereavement Forces Estranged Brothers into Awkward Reconciliation in Oscar & BAFTA Winning Short ‘An Irish Goodbye’

BAFTA winning OSCAR nominated co-writer/directors Tom Berkeley & Ross White talk about the streamlined working practices behind their offbeat comedy short.

Live Action

David Findlay’s Drama ‘Lay Me by the Shore’ Follows a Week in the Life of a Grieving Trans Boy

David Findlay explains how he constructed the subtle yet emotional journey of his short LGBTQ drama about grief and friendship during post-production.

Music

Giada Bossi’s Hybrid Short ‘Quattro Pareti’ Takes Us on a Painful Yet Tender Reflection of Grief

Giada Bossi talks to us about using 16mm to capture the dreamy yet emotionally challenging scenes of loss for her music video/narrative crossover short.

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