Student Film Archives - Directors Notes

Phumi Morare Demonstrates a Woman’s Extraordinary Defiance in the Face of Oppression in ‘When the Sun Sets’

Phumi Morare reveals how she authentically represented her apartheid set Student Oscar-winning film about a woman's determination to protect her family.

Animation

Antonin Niclass Forges a Magical Link Between Strangers in BAFTA Nominated Animation ‘Do Not Feed The Pigeons’

Antonin Niclass unpacks the challenge of blending drawn 2D characters into a fully-crafted stop motion set for his melancholic NFTS short.

Film Festival

10 Essential Shorts From the National Film and Television School’s 2022 Graduate Showcase

An impressive display from the future of filmmaking - DN offers a collection of recommended shorts from the NFTS 2022 Graduate Showcase.

Live Action, Premiere

Will Wightman’s Frenetic Short ‘Heart Failure’ Is a Whip-Smart Gen Z Take on Modern Relationships

Will Wightman speaks about his desire to convey the rollercoaster of romantic turmoil that comes with being a 21-year-old in his musical dating comedy.

Live Action

The Bonds of Sisterhood Are Put To the Test in Kevin Vu’s Eccentric Misfit Short ‘Perfect as Cats’

Using 16mm film, Japanese-inspired costuming and shooting at Princeton University, Kevin Vu takes DN inside his zany tale of sisterly conflict.

Live Action, Premiere

The Past Never Leaves You in Mahyar Mandegar’s Melancholic Modern Fairytale ‘White Winged Horse’

Mahyar Mandegar discusses colliding fantasy and reality within floating Russian-inspired long takes for his Iranian war childhood fable short.

Live Action

Murad Abu Eisheh Captures a Childlike Perspective of War with Student Oscar Winner ‘Tala’vision’

Murad Abu Eisheh reveals how he protected his child star from the difficult message of his war-torn coming-of-age short while hewing to her perspective.