Best Live Action Films

Live Action Category

Aleksandra Kingo Pays Homage to the Fine Art of Avoidance in Comedy Short ‘An Ode to Procrastination’

Photographer/Director Aleksandra Kingo explains the ideas first, technology second creative approach she took for her life imitating art debut short film.

Live Action, Premiere

A Friendship Is Irrevocably Changed After the Confession of a Dark Desire in Sebastian ’s Delascasas’ ‘Promise’

Sebastian Delascasas speaks about dropping his audience directly into the thorny heart of the deeply unsettling conversation at the centre of his debut short.

Live Action

A Jaded Jester Discovers a Sinister Plot Against Him in Gareth Bowen’s Darkly Comic ‘The Licensed Fool’

Gareth Bowen distils the infusion of gritty, zoom-lensed camerawork and medieval tomfoolery that lies at the heart of his paranoid medieval-set dark comedy.

Live Action, Premiere

An Expecting Young Father’s Traumatic Past Threatens to Overshadow His Happy Present in Luke Brookner’s ‘Home’

Luke Brookner delves into using 16mm & 35mm to represent the dual timelines of his film depicting the struggle of leaving behind an upbringing in foster care.

Live Action, Premiere

Nathan Morris’ Morning After Pill Comedy ‘My Eyes Are Up Here’ Exposes the Discriminatory Barriers of an Ableist World

Nathan Morris reveals the essential role his Disability Coordinator played in ensuring the diversity, inclusion and authenticity of his budding romance short.

Live Action

Cameron Thuman’s Yukon-Set Short ‘Suspended in Space’ Finds Two Skiers Embracing the Magnificent Frozen Winterscape

Cameron Thuman discusses applying an art house lens when capturing a pair of pro skiing friends' exploration of Yukon Territory's majestic landscapes.

Live Action, Premiere

A Pet’s Ill-Fated Demise Leads a Guilty Housemate to a Bizarre Remedy in Dark Comedy ‘Dead Cat Film’

Josie Charles & Nathan Miller talk to DN about the unwanted attention they garnered filming in public with a taxidermied cat for their quirky comedy short.

Live Action, Premiere

An Unnerving Stranger Disrupts a Fireside Get Together in Joel Jay Blacker’s Comedy ‘Don’t Let Kyle Sit Down’

Joel Jay Blacker discusses his love of the comedic tension found in the spaces between conversations as deftly used in his unnerving unwelcome guest comedy.

Live Action, Premiere

A High Schooler Has an Unusual Request for His Classmate in Christian Meola’s Drama ‘The Expanding Horizon’

Christian Meola opens up about discovering new narrative territory and a widely diverse range of responses to his emotionally intense coming of age drama.

Live Action, Premiere

A Dubious Pair With Ulterior Motives Spin an Unbelievable Yarn in Sean Lyons’ Political Satire ‘Smoking Dolphins’

Sean Lyons unpacks the on point comedic tone and tension-structured shooting style of his smoky comedy calling out the self-serving doublespeak of politicians.

Live Action

Screenwriter Colby Day on Penning Netflix’s Adam Sandler Starring Sci-Fi Drama ‘Spaceman’

Colby Day walks DN through the process of adapting the novel 'Spaceman of Bohemia' for his Netflix No. 1 Ranking Adam Sandler science-fiction feature.

Film Festival, Live Action

Romance is as Mysterious as the Currency Market in Francisco Lezama’s Berlinale-Winning ‘An Odd Turn’

Francisco Lezama expresses how a love of Balzac and Argentina's current fraught economic reality shaped his Berlinale Golden Bear-winning short film.