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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’”

“Film is like a battleground,” quips the director Samuel Fuller in Godard’s ‘Pierrot le fou’. “There’s love, hate, action, violence, death… in one word: emotion.” We get emotion – as well as a dose of love, hate and death – in ‘The Tree’, whose two characters – siblings James (Joel Morris) and Yasmin (Hayley Thomas)Continue reading “In Review: ‘The Tree’ by Oliver Blair”

“It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances,” quipped Oscar Wilde. This adage is certainly borne out in writer-director Adrian Todd Zuniga’s thought-provoking and memorable film, ‘Hold Me, Don’t Touch Me.’ It is a winter evening in London. Aidy, a Black British woman (Anniwaa Buachie), has not turned up to a griefContinue reading “In Review: ‘Hold Me, Don’t Touch Me’ by Adrian Todd Zuniga”

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’”

Experimental New York cinema might bring to mind Andy Warhol, Jonas Mekas or Maya Deren but whatever your fancy it has the power to stimulate and draw out admiration, contemplation and so much more in the viewer. It diversely tests and breaks traditional aspects of filmmaking thus allowing the director to break free from narrativeContinue reading “In Review: ‘Stabat Mater’ & ‘Couscous’ by Marina Sagona”

The often-repeated adage – “it’s not what you know but who you know” is perhaps irksome, but the case of director Alan Cross shows that being in the know and knowing the right people can be the golden combo. Cross possesses a motley and enviable background as a member of a successful band from theContinue reading “Interview with Alan Cross, Director of ‘For The Love Of Noise’”

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’”

‘UNDER A PAGAN SKY’ is a documentary that takes a spellbinding look at contemporary druidry and witchcraft in Australia. It shines light on a world you may not know existed and will invite you to contemplate nothing less than the eternal mysteries of sex, life and death. In fine documentary tradition, you will learn lotsContinue reading “In Review: ‘UNDER A PAGAN SKY’ by Helen Browning”

Appearances can be deceptive and ‘QUEER BLOOD’ is a striking example of a film where nothing is quite as it seems. An indie neo-noir set in North Hollywood, this drama features characters whose wants and desires are hidden by their own internal struggles and locations so authentically brought to life and meticulously put together youContinue reading “In Review: ‘Queer Blood’ by Alexander Roman”

* * * ‘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’”

Alex Webb’s latest work, ‘KEITH’, presents a mycology-infused film about how a man named Keith Eldred and his wife, Margot, came to acquire a declassified site in Norfolk from the Ministry of Defence in 1966. Shot against the secluded backdrop of RAF Barnham 94 MU, the film skilfully merges an array of visual styles thatContinue reading “In Review: ‘KEITH’ by AF Webb”

* * * 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’”

A short horror where an inexplicable disease becomes a metaphor for the trauma of dealing with the suffering of loved ones. From the moment ‘MATER MORTIS’ opens on your screen, your senses are stung by themes of familial trauma and you do not have to travel far to see the personal connection to this film.Continue reading “In Review: ‘Mater Mortis’ by Rishi Gandhi”

* * * ‘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’”

Brighton Rocks Film Festival 2019’s Best Music Video Winner Returns . . . Unapologetic sexual lease-of-life and gay icon JD Kelleher stars in and directs the music video for his new single release Give Me Light. The music video is a captivating cinematic piece with wide-angle shots of an Irish coastal landscape against the soft light ofContinue reading “In Review: ‘Give Me Light’ by JD Kelleher”