USA Tag Archive

Animation, Premiere

How a Desire for Environmental Harmony Led Emily Halaka to Create Animated Fever-Dream Short ‘Organic Matter’

Emily Halaka joins DN to discuss how she used animation to promote harmony between humanity and the Earth in her delightfully surreal ecological short.

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Documentary, Premiere

Henry Behel Chronicles the Life-Affirming Perspective of a Daredevil Pilot in Documentary Short ‘26,000 Days’

Henry Behel deconstructs the ambitious mix of plane and FPV drone aerial photography choreographed for his contemplative doc about Airshow Pilot Eric Tucker.

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Live Action

Bianca Poletti’s Meta Comedy ‘Ultra Low’ Pokes Fun at the Farcical Battle of Indie Filmmaking on a Shoestring

Bianca Poletti explains why she leaned into a grounded comedic style for her short about the self-inflicted mishaps of low budget filmmaking friends.

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Live Action

A Seasoned Veteran Tries to Adapt to Japan’s Modern Entertainment Industry in Anna J. Takayama’s ‘The Voice Actress’

Anna J. Takayama talks shooting in Tokyo and colour as a narrative tool whilst dissecting the creation of her multi-award winning film about an ageing actress.

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Documentary, Premiere

Nicholas Woytuk’s ‘The Alchemy of David’ Finds a Renowned Artist Reflecting on His Place in the Digital Age

Nicholas Woytuk discusses the organic Black & White 16mm shooting process he employed for his documentary about veteran photographer David Michael Kennedy.

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Live Action

Kali Kahn Captures the Nuance of a Girl Growing Into a Woman in Her Coming of Age Short ‘Father’s

Kali Kahn breaks down the technical choices that informed the subtly maturing awareness of the teenage girl at the centre of her poolside drama.

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Live Action

Maegan Houang Depicts the Genesis of America’s Asian Exploitation in Drama ‘Astonishing Little Feet’

Maegan Houang returns to DN and explains how she used confronting POV shots to challenge the viewer in her potent historical drama short.

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Live Action, Premiere

A Couple’s Therapist Brings Them Together in the Most Unanticipated Way in Daniel Sinclair’s ‘The Breakthrough’

We speak to Daniel Sinclair about managing the fine line of grounded comedy in his tonal mashup short where a couple reach an unexpected therapy breakthrough.

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Awards, Documentary

A Personal Search for Identity Is Reflected Through a Wider Geopolitical Context in S. Leo Chiang’s ‘Island in Between’

S. Leo Chiang discusses his aim for achieving a universality of understanding in his Oscar doc examining the complicated relationship between Taiwan & China.

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Awards, Documentary

Ben Proudfoot & Kris Bowers Celebrate the Unsung Heroes of L.A. Music in Oscar Winning Doc ‘The Last Repair

Ben Proudfoot & Kris Bowers reveal how their improvisational backgrounds were a crucial tool in the creation of their inspirational Oscar winning short.

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Awards, Live Action

An Unexpected Pregnancy Forces a Single Mother to Cross State Lines in Nazrin Choudhury’s ‘Red, White and Blue’

Nazrin Choudhury discusses crafting the pace of her Oscar nominated short to fully immerse the audience into the precarious life of a struggling young mother.

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Live Action

Jon Ryan Sugimoto’s ‘Full Time’ Is a Stark Warning Against Falling Into the Trap of the 9 to 5

Jon Ryan Sugimoto defines the visual motifs he deployed to capture the passion crushing effect adulthood and responsibility can have on youthful dreams.

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