Trauma and all of its terrifying friends raise their ugly heads in an exquisitely creepy psychological horror ‘The Uncanny’, by mother-daughter duo Marie Laurin and Clara Gabrielle. ‘The Uncanny’ marks the directorial debut by Clara, whose background lies in acting, as she shows off her skills behind the camera while adding a very personal toneContinue reading “In Conversation with Clara Gabrielle & Marie Laurin filmmakers behind ‘The Uncanny’”
Author Archives: Sarah Smith
Protected: In Review: ‘Waving’ by Rolfin Nyhus & Steven Brumwell
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Interview with Adam E. Stone, director of ‘Atmospheric Marginalia’
The film essay is a form which has been embraced by many of the greatest filmmakers over the years – Chris Marker, Agnes Varda, Jean-Luc Godard, to name a few. When filmmaker Adam E. Stone lost his father, he wanted to pay homage to and explore writings and unsolved mysteries left behind. Adam, a greatContinue reading “Interview with Adam E. Stone, director of ‘Atmospheric Marginalia’”
Interview with Em J. Gilbertson, director of ‘Requiem’
Forbidden love, systemic prejudice and senseless suffering are three themes deftly explored by NFTS graduate Director Em J. Gilbertson’s clever and nuanced depiction of a time where the imbalance of gender roles and expectations on women were patently absurd. ‘Requiem’ is set against the backdrop of the violent witch trials of the 1600s and centresContinue reading “Interview with Em J. Gilbertson, director of ‘Requiem’”
Interview with Julia Shlenskaya, director of ‘Once Upon a February’
Today marks one year since the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine. A year in which the world seemed to take a giant leap backwards, with the upheaval causing trauma and tragedy for millions of lives. ‘Once Upon a February’ by Russian filmmaker Julia Shlenskaya is an intensely personal project that makes a brave attempt to comeContinue reading “Interview with Julia Shlenskaya, director of ‘Once Upon a February’”
Interview with Mick Child & Dane Foxx, director and narrator of ‘This Bee Movie, Our Future’
Filmmaker Mick Child, founder of Forge Photography & Film Production, first graced our screens at Brighton Rocks in 2022 with his live action short ‘Villa’. He is back with a thought-provoking micro movie, ‘This Bee Movie, Our Future’, focusing on the increasing strains on our climate. Mick has been tinkering with photography since the ageContinue reading “Interview with Mick Child & Dane Foxx, director and narrator of ‘This Bee Movie, Our Future’”
Interview with Matteo Di Gioia, director of ‘Italian Boi’
Generative AI in all of its weird and wonderful forms is set to bring about a huge revolution in filmmaking. Whether ultimately this is for better or worse, whilst this technology is continuously evolving, now is the time to be embracing the advances and playing with the various forms. This is exactly what artist andContinue reading “Interview with Matteo Di Gioia, director of ‘Italian Boi’”
In Review: ‘Spellbound’, by Robin Rippmann
Creaky floorboards, whispers in the walls and shadowy apparitions are all harbingers of an enticing horror film and are deftly incorporated into the very opening scenes of director Robin Rippman’s ‘Spellbound’, assuring the audience that they will be delighted by what follows. Spellbound’s sound design and score are striking from the very outset. We openContinue reading “In Review: ‘Spellbound’, by Robin Rippmann”
Interview with Jonathan Geach, director of ‘Glub Glub’
Fish might not be the most obvious subject matter for a film, unless of course you are David Attenborough. However, when Falmouth University student Jonathan Geach was tasked with making a short film he put fish the at centre stage in his experimental short ‘Glub Glub’. The film uses his oddly masked men to inviteContinue reading “Interview with Jonathan Geach, director of ‘Glub Glub’”
Interview with Kristian Coburn, director of ‘Just Add Water: Stories From The Sea’
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’”
Interview with Richard Rowntree, writer and director of ‘Mask of the Devil’
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’”
Interview with Jay Shurey & Dagmar Scheibenreif of ‘Betrayed’
‘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’”
In Conversation with Adam Donen Writer, Director and Producer of ‘Alice, Through the Looking: À la recherche d’un lapin perdu’
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 recherche d’un lapin perdu’”
Interview with Clare Macdonald, Director of ‘The Mountain’
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’”
Interview with Daniel Thomas Freeman, Writer, Director and Producer of ‘The Day After’
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’”
Interview with Keith Sargent, Writer, Director & Producer of ‘Today I Wrote Nothing’
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’”
Interview with Luke Martin and James Alexander Allen of ‘Edge of Insanity’
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’”
Interview with Darcy Vanhinsbergh & Alex Lawton of ‘Cold Water’
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’”
In Review: ‘The Tree’ by Oliver Blair
“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”
In Review: ‘Hold Me, Don’t Touch Me’ by Adrian Todd Zuniga
“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”
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