News

A massive thank you to everyone who joined us last night at the inaugural WeAreDN Awards. It was such a treat to meet everyone in person and celebrate the filmmakers behind the incredible work we have the honour of curating here at Directors Notes each and every day.

Congratulations To Our Winners Drama: Outdoors by John Mark Fitzpatrick Buckle Up: Baby Boy by Greg Hall Comedy: Norma by Emily Munster Animation: Other Half by Lina Kalcheva Documentary: Look for the Diamonds by James Slater Music Video: Doolally by Hugh Mulhern Student: Silvering by Eilidh Nicoll British: Outdoors by John Mark Fitzpatrick

Keep an eye on Directors Notes as there will be much more of this to come in the future…...

Directors Notes is delighted to present the inaugural edition of the WeAreDn Awards, a celebration of the best films from Dn’s 2023 official submissions. Taking place from 6:30pm on the 25th of April at Whirled Cinema London, the Dn team have selected 22 films over 8 categories – Drama, Comedy, Music, Documentary, Animation, Buckle Up, British & Student – for our industry jury members to vote on. We welcome all nominees, cast, crew, friends and film lovers to join us as we screen the winning films and present the WeAreDn Awards followed by celebratory networking drinks.

Our Jury

Ella Glendining is a BAFTA-nominated writer and director. Is There Anybody Out There? premiered at Sundance 2023, and has won the Silver Horn for the director of a film on social issues at Krakow Film Festival 2023, the prestigious Fipresci International Film Critics Prize, and the Bring the Change award at Biografilm Festival 2023. In 2024 Ella was nominated for...

There is nothing extraordinary about Norma. A sweet-natured and caring elderly lady, she bears a crown of hair curlers on her head and the weight of decades of marriage on her shoulders. But today is Norma’s birthday and she has finally had enough of her daughter’s constant complaints and her husband’s barely concealed resentment. Written and directed by Emily Munster during lockdown No.1, Norma is a character study of a woman trapped in her house and in the memories of her long-lost youth, giving the nine-minute darkly funny short huge emotional heft and crowd appeal. Grounded by a winning central performance by Susie Blake, the film showcases the importance of dreaming and seeking happiness at every stage in life, without ever slipping into saccharine or self-pitying waters. We are celebrating the online premiere of Norma with cake and plenty of insights from Munster – from the reasons behind...