During the 2005 French riots, four young students from the banlieu on the outskirts of Paris hear about an old urban legend: that of Paupaul, the rapist of the woods, who would attack young people from poor neighborhoods to keep them away from rich ones. As the All Saints’ Day vacations loom, they set themselves a challenge: to go through the woods to check out the existence of the legend. Why did you choose to set the story during the 2005 riots? It wasn’t so much a choice as a desire to (...) Continue Reading »

Filmmaker Steven Fraser lives with prosopagnosia, otherwise known as ‘face blindness’, which means he can’t remember or recognize faces. In this film he uses animation to convey what this means to him. How did you get to know prosopagnosia? Several years ago, I was going through the diagnosis process for autism. At this time, I was speaking to different doctors and specialists who asked my many questions on how I interact with people. During this time, they realised it was a possibility (...) Continue Reading »

Shana is looking for a job, she needs cash to leave France and her wrong crowd. But the past she’s looking to forget is never far. Besides, does she really want to put it behind her? What gave you the urge to tell Shana’s story? Are some of the characters drawn from examples or experiences you have had in real life? I’ve wanted to tell Shana’s story since meeting the actress who plays her, Eva Huaut. I’ve known her since childhood and I’d lost touch with her for 7 years. When we met again, she (...) Continue Reading »

In Natal, on the Brazilian coast, the country is preparing to launch its first manned space rocket into space. A couple lives with children near the space center, she is a cleaner and he is a mechanic, but she dreams of other horizons. Have you ever dreamt of flying or going into space? I’ve personally never wanted to go to space. Perhaps I’m a bit curious. What attracts me to space is its immensity and infiniteness. In Sidéral, space appears as the real possibility of a spatio-temporal (...) Continue Reading »

After a bus accident in the middle of nowhere, Lupa decides to tag along with another passenger, Alban, who is determined to reach the nearest village on foot. Crossing through fields and rivers, they slowly go off-course in a strange forest. Where did you get the idea for this rather supernatural adventure? This project has been in development for a very long time. It arose from life experience and my feminist and ecological convictions. A few years ago, I found myself stuck in a train (...) Continue Reading »

Khadiga, a young mother of 18 lives alone with her baby after her husband left for work in a remote city; in an ordinary day she makes her way through the hustle of Cairo streets to do some visits where she feels uncomfortable with the surroundings. Is Khadiga based on someone you know? What motivated you to tell her story? Khadiga is a character we all know, and she exists in all societies in different forms and ways. What prompted me to tell this story is that it is a story that I’d (...) Continue Reading »

With dozens of translations of Sappho’s words recorded by queer women from all over the world, we celebrate the fragment’s poignant reflection on memory and legacy. With animation reflecting the evolution of art movements, we pay tribute to queer woman through the ages—though we may never know their names, we celebrate their lives. The Sappho Project won the Audience Award at the latest edition of Emerging Filmmakers Night. We caught up with director Sari Katharyn. Who is Sappho? What was it (...) Continue Reading »

We jumped straight into this week’s picks: Dave Chappelle’s Netflix show The Closer - we discuss the various contentious issues that had been raised, the concept of punching down - or up - , taking offence, who holds power and critiques of whiteness. Passing - Does Rebecca Hall’s adaptation live up to the book? We discuss casting choices, the American specificity of the phenomenon of passing and the director’s perspective on it. Support us: ko-fi.com/mydy Subscribe for offers at: (...) Continue Reading »

Every year, the Leeds International Film Festival offers a carefully curated, diverse and exhaustive programme of feature films, retrospectives, shorts, music videos and more. Three members of the team were there. One of us was also part of the Jury for British and Yorkshire shorts! Here are some highlights away from the main feature competition programme. Alien on Stage by Lucy Harvey and Danielle Kummer A very amateur dramatics group of Dorset Bus Drivers spent a year creating a serious (...) Continue Reading »

Salt Water Town was part of the British and Yorkshire shorts selection at the Leeds International Film Festival. It stood out for its impressive cinematography, troubling plot and standout performances by Owen Teale and Tom Glynn-Carney. Liam helps run a failing caravan park in a Welsh coastal town with his father Glenn, who clings to the belief that prosperity will soon return. When an insurance inspector reveals the land they own is worthless as a result of rising sea levels, Liam must (...) Continue Reading »