The YDA 2023 Focus

Taking a deep dive with 2023's Gold winners, we unearth the stories that birthed their films, dissect their production strategies, and celebrate the significance of earning a Young Director Award.

Talent

Victoria Singh-Thompson on their Lolita inspired YDA winning short

Director Victoria Singh-Thompson chats to Izzy Ashton about their film 14 in February which scooped a YDA Gold in the Short Film (Up to 10 minutes) category.

Talent

Rosanna Peng bowls a perfect game against the YDA competition

Canadian director Rosanna Peng picked up a Gold in the YDA Dreampitch: Short Film category with her pitch for Bowling Bao. Here, she chats to Izzy Ashton about bowling teams from the 1980's, women taking up space in male-dominated arenas, and future projects.

Talent

Naghmeh Pour's YDA-winning cry for freedom

Copenhagen-based Iranian director Naghmeh Pour won a Gold Screen in Online Branded Film for Iran-e Man, a collaboration between new–land, the WomanLifeFreedom project and fashion brand Pairi Daeza. Here she discusses her journey as a director and the bravery and beauty in her poetic film’s expression of struggle.

Talent

Jan Vrhovnik on turning back the clock for a YDA win

With Edi, Jan Vrhovnik's glorious tribute to his childhood hero, the filmmaker drew upon his cinematography prowess to refine his directorial style. Here, he talks to shots about finding his own POV when telling stories.

Talent

YDA winner Sinan Sevinç on weaving powerful parallel narratives

Sinan Sevinç's heart-rending short film Split Second scooped up a staggering five YDA wins this year, taking home the Special Jury Prize, three Gold and one Silver awards. He talks to Izzy Ashton about the technicalities of telling three stories in one film, and the attention to detail required on set to accurately represent historical events.

Talent

YDA winner Vincent Rene-Lortie talks away the dark

Director Vincent Rene-Lortie picked up a Gold in the YDA Charity Commercial category with Talk Away The Dark. Here, he chats to Izzy Ashton about the difficult shoot, solving lighting issues, and international casting calls...

Talent

Aziz Zoromba's instinctual storytelling

After his short film, Simo, picked up Gold in the Short Film (10 minutes or above) category at this year's Young Director Award, director Aziz Zoromba reveals the inspiration behind it, and why the most important lesson he's learned is to trust his instinct.

Talent

YDA winner Lucas Parra on match cuts and memorable moments

Bagging a gold in the Film School (up to 10 minutes) category, Lucas Parra’s spot for the Catalonian School of Cinema and Audio, This is ESCAC, was inspired by some of cinema’s most famous frames including falling men, knives and petals.

Talent

Jing Ai Ng tells us how a passion for the Delta Chinese community led to a YDA

Winning Gold in the Passion Project category, Jing Ai Ng's Asian American folk story Delta is rooted in observations around heritage. Here, she tells shots how instinct, influence and Instagram helped form the film.

Talent

How Lisette Donkersloot's female-focussed thriller became a YDA winner

Caviar director Lisette Donkersloot talks to Izzy Ashton about the complex themes, characters, and casting in her dark series, SiHAME, which won a Gold at this year's Young Director Award in the Best Original Series category.

Talent

YDA winner Linda-Schiwa Klinkhammer on patriarchy and perspective

Director Linda-Schiwa Klinkhammer picked up a Gold in the YDA Dreampitch: Changing the World Frame by Frame category with her pitch for I Think I Hate My Father. Here, she chats to Izzy Ashton about creating multidimensional characters, exploring family dynamics, and examining cultural differences.

Talent

How the wild west and a wunderkind boy actor helped Nick Alexander win a YDA

Nick Alexander talks to Izzy Ashton about his route into directing – via a stint in the military and some bad acting – and how his film Bandits, which won a YDA Gold Screen in the Film School category this year, is in many ways a love letter to his mum.

Talent

Neil Ferron fishes on dark shores for his YDA win

After picking up a Gold Screen in the Film School (10 minutes and over) category for his comedy short film Fishmonger, director Neil Ferron tells Izzy Ashton the tale of the lonely and pathetic, Christie O’Mallaghan.

Talent

YDA winner Steve Won on being a director who can change direction

After picking up a Gold Screen in the Changing the World Frame by Frame category for his Kaizen-produced short, ROOTS OF MY RHYTHM - The dance journey of Majid Kessab, Steve Won tells Izzy Ashton about feeling the filmmaking flow and following new narrative paths.

Talent

Tara O'Callaghan gets sex-positive for the YDA

Director Tara O'Callaghan speaks with Izzy Ashton about her impactful YDA Special Jury Prize-winning film Call Me Mommy, which deals with online sex work in a candid and intimate way.

Talent

​Florian Reittner​​'s helping hand

Director Florian Reittner picked up a Gold Screen in the Super Short category at this year's Young Director Award. Here, he explains how the absurdity of life aligned with the sadness of a funeral inspired him, and why the subject of a film should not determine its mood.

Talent

Emma Branderhorst on a second year of YDA wins

Continuing our round-up of YDA Golds, Emma Branderhorst reflects on following up last year's victorious short Spotless with a playful look at mother/daughter relationships in Ma Mere et Moi.

Talent

YDA winner Mia Mullarky talks human nature and neurodiverse casting

After working as a behavioural psychologist in her early twenties, Mia Mullarkey discovered an interest in exploring the human experience through film. Here, she talks to Izzy Ashton about her Gold YDA-winning film Safe As Houses and discusses working with a neurodiverse cast.

Talent

YDA winner Jackie Lee raises a glass to British pub culture

Piano Ln director Jackie Lee's spot for Mahou won Gold in the Commercial category at this year's Young Director Award. He talks to Izzy Ashton about the alchemy of pub culture, authentic casting, and the complexities of shooting in a working kitchen.

Talent

Eugenia Hamilton's YDA mouthpiece

Using a nefarious nightclub spiker's mouth as a lens, Eugenia Hamilton's impactful Malevolence tells a personal tale of anger towards an ongoing issue. Here, she talks inspiration from Allison Katz, the power of therapeutic expression, and the importance of sound as a storytelling device.

Talent

​Arne Hain gets animated about his YDA win

Director or animator? That was the decision for Arne Hain. In the end, he realised he could do both and, here, this year's YDA Gold Screen winner in the Animation category talks to Izzy Ashton about his film, The Last Bar, his love for stop-motion and the labour that goes into making it.

Talent

YDA winner Erik Sémashkin on nature and war

In the first of our series of interviews with this year's shots-supported Young Director Award-winners, Ukrainian national Erik Sémashkin, who picked up Gold in the Changing the World Frame by Frame category, talks to Izzy Ashton about how his winning short parallels the war in his home country, and why filming with animals is relaxing.