Interviews

If you happen to be walking along the coastline all wrapped up in your winter garb you will be hard pushed these days not to come across an intrepid sea swimmer. Clothed only in the skimpiest of wares and perhaps the thinnest layer of neoprene. You might initially question their sanity but, as discovered byContinue reading “Interview with Kristian Coburn, director of ‘Just Add Water: Stories From The Sea’”

There is something very refreshing about having your opinion of a film changed almost instantly. A rare and significant feat which filmmaker Richard Rowntree achieved with aplomb in his latest horror ‘Mask of the Devil’. Rather than falling into the “not another cringey horror movie” category, Richard and the team at Ash Mountain Films takeContinue reading “Interview with Richard Rowntree, writer and director of ‘Mask of the Devil’”

‘Betrayed’ is a multiple award-winning short film, including ‘Best Sci-Fi’ at Brighton Rocks International Film Festival 2022, which is now in redevelopment as a feature film. We caught up with writer and producer Jay Shurey and director Dagmar Scheibenreif to garner some inside information on the evolution of the film and the work that wentContinue reading “Interview with Jay Shurey & Dagmar Scheibenreif of ‘Betrayed’”

Rocks International Film Festivals wholeheartedly embrace the weird, wonderful and thought-provoking. Our feature film for LRIFF22 is no exception, ‘Alice, Through the Looking: À la recherche d’un lapin perdu’ by Adam Donen is a piece of work whose intricacies, quirks and hidden jabs reflect in no small measure the beguiling man behind the madness. ‘Alice’Continue reading “In Conversation with Adam Donen Writer, Director and Producer of ‘Alice, Through the Looking: À la rech

London Rocks International Film Festival is proud to be screening ‘The Mountain’ where Matthew, played by Jamie Wilkes, has to physically confront his inner demons who manifest as he is going about the seemingly mundane yet insurmountable challenge of daily life. Mental health is something we are now starting to see broached in television, documentaryContinue reading “Interview with Clare Macdonald, Director of ‘The Mountain’”

Daniel Thomas Freeman’s feature film, ‘The Silence After Life’, won the award for Best Actress at Brighton Rocks 2020 and we are delighted to be hosting him again at London Rocks this year with his latest film ‘The Day After’. Daniel has a multifarious background immersed in and around music and film which allows himContinue reading “Interview with Daniel Thomas Freeman, Writer, Director and Producer of ‘The Day After’”

Brighton Rocks International Film Festival is proud to be showcasing ‘Today I Wrote Nothing’ by Keith Sargent, aptly named after the work of the absurdist avant-garde Russian poet, Danill Kharms. By employing his incredible aptitudes in animation, music composition amongst so much more, Sargent has weaved together a beautiful 3-minute experiential film proving that theContinue reading “Interview with Keith Sargent, Writer, Director & Producer of ‘Today I Wrote Nothing’”

Crime fascinates and repels us all at the same time, and detective stories draw us into their dark and complex webs and the characters hidden within. When the chance arose to develop a sequel to a 2016 short ‘The Private Investigator’ by BRIFF alum Alex Lines, writer James Alexander Allen and director Luke Martin joinedContinue reading “Interview with Luke Martin and James Alexander Allen of ‘Edge of Insanity’”

Who amongst us cannot claim to have whiled away the hours watching others around us going about their daily lives? Darcy Vanhinsbergh, whose background lays predominately in front of the camera, used the forced moments of contemplation driven by the pandemic to consider the people he has been observing, their intricate social dynamics and whatContinue reading “Interview with Darcy Vanhinsbergh & Alex Lawton of ‘Cold Water’”

A fascination with horror is often considered macabre and perhaps slightly misaligned, but by combining his passion for the genre with a diverse career and a well-chosen MA, Robert Dee brings us his visceral short ‘The Devil’s Harvest.’ The film offers a haunted dive into identity and childhood trauma. Whilst exploring themes some might feelContinue reading “Interview with Robert Dee, Director of ‘The Devil’s Harvest’”

Inspiration can truly come from anywhere as shown by Mark C. Hewitt, a freelance playwright, poet and stage director, who launched into the writing of a surrealistic sequence of poems which he then decided to use for the basis of a series of stylised films all under 90 seconds. With the overarching title: ‘Les Coffrets’,Continue reading “Interview with Mark C. Hewitt, Director of ‘Les Coffrets: Boobs’”

One of the wonderful things about our modern times is that more and more voices are being heard on issues that desperately need to be addressed. . Whilst there is a long way to go, in 2018 a group of determined South London students started a movement for #EducationNotExclusion by using the London Underground toContinue reading “Interview with Sarah Wishart, Director of ‘Excluded’”

We are at the dawn of a new year and January is heralding all its sparkling and freshly anticipated opportunities – but what if you knew that the only thing awaiting you was your final end? Barry J Gibb is an award-winning filmmaker with a beguiling background in molecular biology and neuroscience who has deftlyContinue reading “Interview with Barry J Gibb, Director of ‘The Gift’”

* * * ‘LESSONS’ won best LGBTQ+ drama at London Rocks 2021. Deservedly so. It begins with an awkward Dan and a nonchalant Tommy the morning after a one-night stand. Tommy picks up on Dan’s nerves, wondering if he hasn’t properly come out. “Are you a virgin?” he asks, half in gest. But after someContinue reading “Interview with Sam Seccombe, Director of ‘LESSONS’”

* * * Stories close to our hearts, whatever emotions they evoke, can be the hardest to tell. An entire industry relies on people talking about their feelings and exploring various traumas in their lives, but what if there was a different channel for these explorations? No-one can claim to have the magic formula butContinue reading “Interview with Rishi Gandhi, Director of ‘Mater Mortis’”

* * * ‘Easy Said Up High’ is a short drama filmed across three nations during the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2021-22. Directors Janin Stenzel and Lena Stamm also act in the film, which follows the story of best friends Celia and Helen as they maintain a friendship over Zoom, battling all of the things thatContinue reading “Interview with Janin Stenzel and Lena Stamm, Directors of ‘Easy Said Up High’”

* * * Actors and TV Presenters Maggie and Marie Cornwell are both fourteen and in Year 10 at school. Their most recent acting roles are Anna and Bella in the short film, ‘Court Number 5,’ by their award-winning film director-father, Mickey Cornwell. Our interview takes place over zoom with a Christmas tree in theContinue reading “Interview with Mickey Cornwell, director of ‘Court Number 5,’ and lead actors Maggie and Marie Cornwell”

* * * You have a particular idea you want to develop, you want to work with someone who you have known for years and you happen to be attending a trade show in a certain city where everybody knows “what happens here, only happens here”. It is truly a delight to talk to a creatorContinue reading “Interview with Micah Dahl, Director of ‘Clarence’”

* * * As I’m sure the majority of our readers may know, the world of short films is not one where you are going to make a quick buck. Nor are you likely to find a widespread audience, but this means that a filmmaker’s true intention and flair is allowed to flourish. Here atContinue reading “Interview with Alexander Roman, Director of ‘Queer Blood’”

* * * ‘Black Fish’ is the most genre-defying, evocative and charming film of this year’s LRIFF selections. It is part documentary, music video, experimental film, sci-fi, adventure, drama, and work of poetic realism. It is shot on an aesthetic 16mm black and white. We caught up with its creators Giulio Melani and Nicola GurrieriContinue reading “Interview with Giulio Melani and Nicola Gurrieri, creators of ‘Black Fish’”