Directors Notes // The Home of Independent Filmmaking

A Houseguest Too Many Tips Everything Into Chaos in Kiyan Ahmadi’s Tense & Tender Short ‘PIERRE THE GREAT’

How much can a relationship withstand when an outsider disrupts its delicate balance? Kiyan Ahmadi explores that tension in his cramped, darkly comic short.

Animation

Animator Kate Renshaw-Lewis Peels Back the Repetition, Rhythm and Absurdity of Mass Production in ‘Busy Bodies’

Kate Renshaw-Lewis explores the hidden complexities of consumerism driven mass production in a surreal, tactile world of Rube Goldberg systems of production.

Article, Documentary

Creating Space to Breathe in the Film Industry: Inside the No Man’s Land Creative Retreat

An antidote to constant hustle, the team behind the No Man's Land Creative Retreat in Italy discuss why spaces like this are so important to creativity.

Film Festival, Sponsored

From Cosmic Head Explosions to Awkward Third Wheels: 11 Short Films to Discover at Encounters Film Festival 2026

From experimental documentaries to animated dance, DN selects 11 short films to discover at Encounters 2026.

Live Action, Premiere

Lola-Rose Maxwell Turns a Vintage Coat Into a Voyeuristic Menace in Her Debut Horror Comedy ‘Attack of the Coat’

Lola-Rose Maxwell outlines how she stepped behind the camera, engineered a creepy puppet antagonist & blended comedy with atmospheric horror for her debut.

Live Action

When Friendship Becomes a Nightmare: Hugo De Sousa on His SXSW Short ‘Best Friends with the Devil’

Hugo De Sousa digs into the guilt of letting old friends go and takes that to the absolute extreme in the tonal tightrope of his SXSW comedy thriller short.

Film Festival, Sponsored

Political, Powerful and Playful: 10 Captivating Shorts from Bolton International Film Festival 2026

From bold animation to hilarious comedy-horror, DN picks out 10 favourites from Bolton Film Festival's 2026 vibrant and surprising shorts showcases.

Documentary, Premiere

‘Fjallferð’ Finds Song, Storm and Community Strength in the Mountains of Iceland’s Annual Sheep Round-Up

Three Self shooting directors, $6.5k and six days of unpredictable Icelandic weather. Caution Media on why scale is a question of ambition rather than budget.

Live Action

Theo Matza Zooms in on Digital Deception and Tourist Naivety in His Paris-Set Catfishing Comedy ‘Faux Amis’

Theo Matza flips the fantasy of Paris and rewrites the rules of catfishing through an unexpected story of digital deception and toxic friendship.