“We Can Do Better”: Dana White and Chris Knoblock on the Making of Magan’s Fare

Academy Award nominee and BAFTA winner Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips) stars in Magan’s Fare, a new short drama from filmmakers Dana White and Chris Knoblock that shines a light on the little-discussed practice of patient dumping. Inspired by real-life accounts, the film follows Magan (Abdi), a ride-share driver who finds himself facing an unexpected moral […]

Will Niava on Jazz Inferno: “Don’t Doubt Your Crazy Ideas”

From its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to winning the Sundance Short Film Jury Award for International Fiction, Will Niava’s Jazz Infernal has made a striking impression on the international festival circuit. Co-written with Kristelle Laroche, the short film explores migration, identity and belonging through a deeply personal story of grief, memory […]

Getar Hero: Teddy Stern and Sneha Mehta on Music, Dreams and Making Their Film in India

What happens when the mythology of the American cowboy collides with the chaos and colour of Mumbai? In GETAR HERO, the filmmaking duo Sneddy, comprising director Teddy Stern and producer Sneha Mehta, reimagine the Western through the streets of modern-day India, blending the genre’s familiar iconography with the musicality of Bollywood and a story rooted […]

The Drive: David Arrow and Amber Paul on History, Humanity and Finding Hope

There are moments in history that become so familiar they can feel almost distant. The Drive looks at one of those moments from a far more intimate perspective. Set on the day of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, David Arrow and Amber Paul’s short film follows Liz (Paul) on what begins as an ordinary school carpool. […]

Living the Lie: Sai Karan Talwar on Masculinity, Influence and I AM THE PRIZE

In an age where social media can turn self-proclaimed gurus into modern-day idols overnight, the line between empowerment and manipulation has become increasingly blurred. Written and directed by Sai Karan Talwar, I AM THE PRIZE explores that uneasy space through Anthony Selvon (Russell Tovey), a charismatic self-help figure whose carefully constructed persona begins to unravel […]

Chris Roe on Finding the Music Inside Bad Apples

The composer behind Saoirse Ronan’s new dark comedy discusses creating a score that becomes its own character, unconventional instrumentation, musical theatre influences and finding the strange beauty in Maria’s descent into chaos. There is something immediately unsettling about Bad Apples. Directed by Jonatan Etzler and starring Saoirse Ronan, the film follows a teacher whose increasingly […]

Julia Schonstadt on Poppy: “At the Heart of the Story, It Is a Love Story”

There are some stories that stay with you long after you first encounter them. For Julia Schonstadt, Claudia’s story has remained with her for more than a decade. Around 11 years ago, while working on a documentary photography project inside German prisons, Schonstadt met Claudia, whose experiences with addiction, incarceration and domestic violence would eventually […]

Finding Light in the Dark: Dan Audritt and Kat Butterfield on Life Goes On

There are few places you would expect to find a comedy than a hospice, but that is exactly where Daniel Audritt and Kat Butterfield have chosen to set Life Goes On. The 19-minute short follows 83-year-old Bill (David Bradley), who, while receiving end-of-life care, finds himself trapped in an infinite time loop that forces him […]

Black Cab: James Arden on AI, Automation and the Human Cost of Convenience

There was a time when getting into a black cab meant more than simply getting from A to B. It could mean a conversation with a stranger, a recommendation from a local, or simply the small comfort of another human being behind the wheel. But as autonomous vehicles begin to appear on London’s streets, that […]

When Love Becomes an Act of Defiance: Mar Sudac and Sayali Upadhye on Zero, Infinity

As governments increasingly seek to regulate, categorise and define the most intimate aspects of our identities, Mar Sudac’s (Zero, Infinity) feels less like a work of speculative fiction and more like an unsettling glimpse into a possible near future. Following married couple Gus and Clark as they are forced to undergo an invasive government procedure […]