Directors Notes

Directors Notes is an interview podcast dedicated to independent filmmaking in all its wondrous forms, lengths and styles. The show digs deep into the what, how and why of the world's best filmmaking in the only way that counts - by hearing directly from those talented individuals who have successfully taken their ideas from concept to screen.

CACTUS PEARS: Rohan Parashuram Kanawade Dissects His Sundance & SXSW Award-Winning Debut

Rohan Parashuram Kanawade speaks about subverting queer film tropes, shooting on vintage Russian lenses and his overarching desire to create "life on screen."

06-29
28:53

BETH: Uzo Oleh & Yaw Basoah on Creating Channel 4’s First Digital Original Drama

Nimi Raja talks to Uzo Oleh & Yaw Basoah about breaking new digital ground as Channel 4's first digital original drama with their IVF sci-fi mystery.

06-16
44:56

LOLLIPOP: Daisy-May Hudson on Depicting the Heartbreaking Impact of a Failing Care System

Daisy-May Hudson returns to discuss making the move from documentary to narrative features for her emotive drama about a woman's fight for her children.

06-09
38:25

ROCKET FUEL: Jordon Scott Kennedy on Capturing Childhood Magic Through a Working-Class Lens

Jordan Scott Kennedy joins us for a chat about getting his Slick Films Fund Grand Prize winning short off the ground and on to the screens of BBC Three.

05-26
35:06

SATU - YEAR OF THE RABBIT: Joshua Trigg on His 16mm Indie Feature Odyssey in Laos

Joshua Trigg shares how he overcame the logistical nightmares of poisonous wells, a broken camera and losing half the funding for his debut indie feature.

04-13
31:45

THE ONLY GIRL IN THE ORCHESTRA: From Producer to Oscar Winning Director with Molly O’Brien

Molly O’Brien talks to us about patiently biding her time for over a decade before finally gaining permission to make her Oscar winning documentary short.

04-07
26:03

IN THE SHADOW OF THE CYPRESS: Inside the Oscar Winning Silent Father-Daughter Short Film

Shirin Sohani & Hossein Molayemi reveal the logistical battles behind their Oscar winning animation and why its absence of dialogue speaks louder than words.

03-31
42:53

SANTOSH: Sandhya Suri on Crafting a Nuanced Crime Thriller About Violence Against Women

Sandhya Suri discusses her decade-long journey to bring Santosh to life, blending crime thriller tension with a searing critique of gendered violence in India.

03-23
14:57

SISTER MIDNIGHT: Exploring Misanthropy and Marriage with Director Karan Kandhari

Karan Kandhari on directing his debut feature, protecting his vision, capturing the nuances of marriage & why laughing audiences are the ultimate drug.

03-16
24:36

I'M NOT A ROBOT: From CAPTCHA Fail to Oscar Win with Filmmakers Victoria Warmerdam & Trent

DN sat down with writer/director Victoria Warmerdam & producer Trent to decipher the creation of their CAPTCHA inspired Oscar winning short.

03-09
43:04

A Roundup of the BFI Future Film Festival 2025

Jesse delves into the experience of attending BFI Future Film Festival 2025 speaking to one of the festival's Young Programmers & three screening filmmakers.

03-01
36:20

ROCK PAPER SCISSORS: BAFTA Winner Franz Böhm on Depicting the Horrors of the Ukraine War

Franz Böhm speaks to DN about capturing the all too real horrors of life on the frontline of the Ukraine war in his BAFTA winning NFTS graduate short.

02-23
29:07

THE FLOWERS STAND SILENTLY, WITNESSING: How Theo Panagopoulos Reclaimed Archive Films of Palestine

Theo Panagopoulos discusses reclaiming archival footage of his ancestral Palestine to question the role of image-making as a tool of testimony and violence.

01-26
33:38

BAFTA's Anna Higgs on the Awards, Membership & Building an Equitable British Film Industry

Film Committee Chair Anna Higgs discusses BAFTA’s role as a champion of British filmmaking and the mechanics of the BAFTA Awards from eligibility to voting.

01-19
01:02:54

BRING THEM DOWN - Christopher Andrews on Broken Trust, Violence & Toxic Masculinity

Christopher Andrews reflects on the destructive nature of toxicity in his BIFA winning debut pitting Christopher Abbott & Barry Keoghan against one another.

12-20
31:37

WANDER TO WONDER: Nina Gantz on the Craftsmanship of Her BIFA Winning Short

BIFA Best British Short winner Nina Gantz takes DN inside the craftsmanship of her stop motion film which offers a unique, poignant exploration of loss.

12-14
29:15

KNEECAP: Rich Peppiatt on Jokes as Molotov Cocktails in His BIFA Winning Feature Debut

Rich Peppiatt takes us inside the making of his multi BIFA winning anarchic, riotous, rule breaking fictionalised biopic of Belfast hip-hop trio 'Kneecap'.

12-01
31:55

MEAT PUPPET: Eros V on Puppet Possession & the Power of Great Titles

DN caught up with Eros V to learn how a conversation with The Jim Henson Company inspired his surprising man-child possessed by a puppet comedy-horror short.

11-26
35:15

LAST SWIM: Sasha Nathwani on Capturing the Carefree Nostalgia of Youthful Friendships

Sasha Nathwani explains why a vibrant yet nostalgic colour palette was key to his coming-of-age drama about a group of London teens on a day of adventure.

11-17
30:18

HOLLOWAY: Sophie Compton & Daisy-May Hudson on Co-Creating a Trauma-Informed Documentary Feature

Sophie Compton & Daisy-May Hudson speak to the importance of flattening outdated hierarchical structures of filmmaking for their trauma-informed documentary.

11-10
34:53

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