We asked previously shortlisted & winning directors to help create the shortlist, and to give feedback on their favourite entry

Brittney Canda
I loved For the Love of Grass! I thought it was beautifully shot and I loved that it spotlighted under-recognized role of groundskeepers.

Claire Norowzian

Denisha Anderson
My personal fave was "The Pie Den", it is warm, snappy, and inspired. It's a current topic as the British staple is dying out and with a film like this it's surely to survive. It's a proper gaffer chasing his dreams and I love it.

Derek Dice Nguyen
SPOE's crisp, fun direction strongly complements its quirky, surreal idea.

Jamal Wade
The Shrooms piece was great in its pacing and cool mixed medium animation/CGI.

Jola Kudela
The scene I liked the most was the acting sequence presented in the form of a music video by Timi Akindele-Ajani for Samm Henshaw's Fade. The idea of carrying out a master shot in one take, where the drama unfolds subtly, was very well done. However, I don't fully understand the therapist's back-and-forth movement at the end of the film. I don't understand the choice of such a marginal presence at the edge of the frame.

Nick Flugge
Chinese Man stood head and shoulders above the rest in terms of pacing, world-building and creating a unique and unsettling tone. Like all my favourite music videos it felt there was a bigger world at play.

Rory Bentley
A SHOT IN THE FOOT was visually refreshing and reminiscent of a Leos Carax universe. THIS WAY UP was an honest and charming insight in to the life of a potter.

Sayna Fardaraghi
In such a short amount of time Morgan Eglin's "This Way Up" painted a beautiful picture of an artists world in a fresh way. Capturing not only the process of an artist, but their own personality and little quirks that leave a finger-print on the art. It completely breaks apart from the norm of documentaries, and unveils another layer of personality. I loved how spontaneous it feels, and all elements in the film were dancing and collaborating with each other, in the same vein as the film's jazz soundtrack. J'adore!!!