Directors Notes

This is one of the most asked questions we get from filmmakers. Thanks for sharing the actual stats with us all @stephenfollows.com 🙏🏾

10 Outstanding Shorts From Bolton Film Festival 2025 - Directors Notes With a varied, engrossing programme sure to delight one and all playing at Bolton Film Festival next month, DN compiles our list of 10 choice, riveting shorts.

Thanks to @directorsnotes.bsky.social for picking out their 10 Outstanding Shorts from this years edition of Bolton Film Festival (Wed 1st - Sun 5th October) - tickets and passes are now on sale.

directorsnotes.com/2025/09/11/b...

Premiere: Amigo by The Newman Brothers // Comedy // Directors Notes The Newman Brothers reveal how their rent-a-friend satire evolved from TV pilot to a sharp social commentary comedy about convenient, predatory tech platforms.

The Newman Brothers reveal how their rent-a-friend satire 'Amigo' starring seannwalsh.bsky.social evolved from TV pilot to a sharp social commentary comedy short about overly convenient, predatory gig work tech platforms.

directorsnotes.com/2025/07/02/n...

#premiere #comedy #shortfilm

Ten Essential Short Film Discoveries From Tribeca 2025 - Directors Notes As the 24th edition of Tribeca draws to a close, DN shares a choice selection of 10 of our favourites from the festival's biggest ever showcase of short films.

Ten Essential Short Films to Watch From Tribeca’s 2025 Lineup

directorsnotes.com/2025/06/15/t...

#TribecaFestival #Tribeca2025 #BestofFest

Premiere: Business Trip by Gerardo Coello Escalante // Directors Notes Gerardo Coello Escalante dissects how he confronted cultural malinchismo through his story of a sneaker revelation that unravels a Mexican boy's worldview.

Gerardo Coello Escalante Transforms Childhood Status Symbols Into Devastating Class Commentary in ‘Business Trip’

directorsnotes.com/2025/06/12/g...

Beth by Uzo Oleh // Sci-Fi Drama // Directors Notes Director Uzo Oleh & producer Yaw Basoah discuss the impact of subtext in their emotionally charged short made as Channel 4's first digital original drama.

Sci-Fi IVF Mystery Meets YouTube Storytelling in Uzo Oleh’s ‘Beth’, Channel 4’s First Digital Original Drama

directorsnotes.com/2025/06/09/u...

Lollipop by Daisy-May Hudson // Family Drama // Directors Notes Daisy-May Hudson opens up about turning pain into power in her feature where a young woman struggles against a broken system to regain custody of her kids.

Daisy-May Hudson’s ‘Lollipop’ Is a Heartbreaking Portrait of Maternal Resilience and Devastating Systemic Failure
directorsnotes.com/2025/06/06/d...

Premiere: Warm by Véras Fawaz // Thriller // Directors Notes Exploring the invisible grip of social and parental power, Véras Fawaz reveals how a news story inspired his tension fuelled psychological thriller.

A Second-Hand Sale Gone Wrong Véras Fawaz’s ‘Warm’ Traps You in a Terrifying Game of Power and Control

directorsnotes.com/2025/05/28/v...

#premiere #shortfilm #psychologicalthriller

Premiere: Triton by Jeroen Kooistra // Drama // Directors Notes Jeroen Kooistra recounts how a shared creative itch evolved into his stark short exploring how our need for belonging can be manipulated to serve others.

A Neglected Young Man Seeks Belonging in the Wrong Place in Jeroen Kooistra’s Desolate Debut ‘Triton’

directorsnotes.com/2025/05/27/j...

#premiere #shortfilm

So much joy which is normally missing from 'estate' films

Rocket Fuel by Jordon Scott Kennedy // Comedy // Directors Notes Jordon Scott Kennedy shares his frustration with typical social realist films and his desire to tell joyful working class stories which embrace a child's POV.

Jordon Scott Kennedy Reignites the Joy of Working Class Childhoods in His BBC Comedy Short ‘Rocket Fuel’

directorsnotes.com/2025/05/22/j...

#shortfilm #comedy #bradford #bbcthree

Predators by Jack King // Drama Short Film // Directors Notes From abandoned snakes to abandoned morals: Jack King discusses crafting a dark, child-led world of ethical ambiguity in his BFI-backed suburban short.

Jack King Traverses the Moral Wilderness of Childhood Cruelty in His Unsettling Drama-Thriller ‘Predators’

directorsnotes.com/2025/05/20/j...

#shortfilm

Premiere: Mush by Olivier Richomme // Short Film // Directors Notes Drawn to the faded heyday glamour of Blackpool, Olivier Richomme explains how he transformed seaside banality into a surrealist meditation on monstrosity.

A Confused Monster Finds Herself Adrift in a Surreal Seaside Town in Olivier Richomme’s Disorienting Short ‘Mush’

directorsnotes.com/2025/05/12/o...

#premiere #shortfilm #blackpool

Oleum by VERSUS // Short Film // Directors Notes VERSUS breakdown the collaborations at the heart of their love letter reframing of Opera in Sydney's underground which pays homage to its iconic institution.

VERSUS Reimagine Operatic Tradition Through the Contemporary Lens of Sydney’s Melting Pot in Triptych Short ‘Oleum’
directorsnotes.com/2025/05/08/v...

#opera #sydneyoperahouse #shortfilm

The Consecration of a Perpetual Virgin by Alexander Jeremy // Directors Notes Alexander Jeremy trumpets the lofi manifesto which has enabled him to continually develop his filmmaking creativity free from gatekeeping financial barriers.

Sacred Vows Collapse Under Carnal Desire in Alexander Jeremy’s Psychodrama ‘The Consecration of a Perpetual Virgin'
directorsnotes.com/2025/05/07/a...
#psychodrama #shortfilm

Premiere: Flattened by Julia Godfrey & Will Abbott // Directors Notes Julia Godfrey & Will Abbott talk about creating a disorientatingly cohesive world where two friends manically unravel in the 24 hours after a hit and run.

Picket Fence Perfection Unravels in Julia Godfrey & Will Abbott’s Unsettlingly Suburban Nightmare ‘Flattened’

directorsnotes.com/2025/05/06/j...

#premiere #shortfilm #hitandrun

The WeAreDN Awards 2025 Winners - Directors Notes Join us in reflecting on the WeAreDN Awards 2025 winning shorts and learn how all the films went from ideation to completion in the our making of interviews.

A huge thank you to everyone who came to the WeAreDN Awards 2025 🏆

You can watch them & learn how these award winning films were made over on DN directorsnotes.com/2025/05/02/w...

Directors Notes Presents: The WeAreDN Awards 2025 After the resounding success of last year’s launch, Directors Notes is thrilled to present our 2025 edition of the WeAreDN Awards.

🏆 Join @directorsnotes.bsky.social to celebrate with a screening of the winning shorts followed by celebratory drinks, networking and a live DJ set 💃

1 May @ 7pm | FOMO House, London
Tickets available at: bit.ly/WeAreDNAward... 🎟️

Good luck to our alumni! 🤞🎉

Premiere: Park Benches by Dan Braga Ulvestad // Directors Notes Dan Braga Ulvestad takes us inside the stripped-back approach, actor trust and delicate existential dialogue which were central to his grounded breakup short.

Dan Braga Ulvestad Confronts the Unspoken Weight of Shared History in His Emotionally Raw Two-Hander ‘Park Benches’

directorsnotes.com/2025/04/29/d...

#premiere #breakup #shortfilm

To Call Home Always the Same Place by Giada Bossi // Directors Notes Giada Bossi reveals how she and musician Arssalendo built a visual/sonic journey capturing the vibrant euphoria and profound introspection of adolescence.

Giada Bossi Blurs the Space Between Film and Music Video in ‘To Call Home Always The Same Place'

directorsnotes.com/2025/04/23/g...

#musicvideo #shortfilm

Premiere: The Ceiling by Louisa Connolly-Burnham // Drama // Directors Notes Louisa Connolly-Burnham discusses using long takes to place us in the visceral tension of her depiction of a woman's lack of consent being repeatedly ignored.

Time Stretches and Fractures in @louisacb.bsky.social’s Unflinching Exploration of Consent ‘The Ceiling’
directorsnotes.com/2025/04/21/l...

#premiere #consent #arousalnonconcordance #shortfilm

Everyone Does It by Craig Ainsley // Comedy // Directors Notes Craig Ainsley reveals how a sleep-deprived 4am idea evolved into a sci-fi comedy short grounded in painfully relatable human awkwardness.

Craig Ainsley Blends Sci-Fi and Morning-After Awkwardness in One Night Stand Comedy ‘Everyone Does It’

directorsnotes.com/2025/04/18/c...

#scifi #shortfilm

Premiere: Crease by Demitri Zujew // Drama Short Film // Directors Notes Demetri Zujew delves into the importance of representing "strong eat the weak" culture for what it is and his use of origami as a potent narrative symbol.

Demitri Zujew Crafts an Emblematic Tale Denouncing the Cult of Strength and Power in His Debut Short ‘Crease’

directorsnotes.com/2025/04/16/d...

#premiere #shortfilm #victimization #debutshort

Premiere: At Sea by Martin Marko // Documentary // Directors Notes Martin Marko talks about the multi-year journey across sea, editing, sound and image to create his enveloping, unpredictable epic maritime adventure short.

Martin Marko talks to DN about his multi-year journey across sea, editing, sound, and image to create the enveloping, unpredictable mood and atmosphere of his epic maritime adventure short 'At Sea'
directorsnotes.com/2025/04/14/m...

#premiere #sailing #adventure #shortfilm

Premiere: Editorial by Riccardo Fusetti // Fashion // Directors Notes Riccardo Fusetti walks through the construction of his lifestyle short which uses 80 AI VFX shots to subvert our expectations of a model's carefree existence.

Riccardo Fusetti Gives the Carefree Lifestyle Fashion Film a Subversive Twist in Multiformat Short ‘Editorial’
directorsnotes.com/2025/04/08/r...
#premiere #fashion #aifilmmaking

Lighting up the Darkness by Johannes Moe // Thriller // Directors Notes Johannes Moe talks about balancing the line between clinical detachment and dangerous emotional investment in his tragic short.

Johannes Moe Blurs the Psychiatrist-Patient Dynamic With Devastating Consequences in ‘Lighting Up the Darkness’

directorsnotes.com/2025/04/07/j...

#premiere #shortfilm #psychologicalthriller

Directors Notes is proud to announce the 2025 edition of the WeAreDN Awards, celebrating exceptional filmmaking from our official submissions. Join us at 7pm 1st of May at FOMO House, London

Full details & 🎟️ directorsnotes.com/2025/04/03/w...

It now lives rent free in our heads...probably for all time!

Make Me a Pizza by Talia Shea Levin // Comedy // Directors Notes Marxism, melting cheese, and mayhem: Talia Shea Levin takes us inside the saucy structural logic of her deliciously absurdist pizza porno parody.

Transactional Intimacy Morphs Into a Surreal Meditation on Consumption in Talia Shea Levin’s ‘Make Me a Pizza’

directorsnotes.com/2025/04/02/t...

#pizza #shortfilm #comedy

Premiere: Dictionary of Emotions in a Time of War by Leah Loftin - Directors Notes Leah Lofitn unpacks the rapid, bare-bones process used to create her expressionistic non-fiction short portraying first-person Ukrainian wartime experiences.

Leah Loftin Adapts Frontline Victim Testimony of Putin’s Invasion In ‘Dictionary of Emotions in a Time of War'

directorsnotes.com/2025/03/31/l...

#premiere #mixedmedia #documentary #ukraine