Not everyone has a clear understanding of what they’re doing or why,
which is why it’s such a relief to come across someone who does.
Meet Mr. David M. Night Maire
His deliberate focus on distribution and targeted film festivals has earned the films he’s been involved with countless awards and accolades. But it’s not just his knack for selecting the right platforms that has put him in the spotlight—he also has a sharp eye for what audiences actually want to see. And for that, we salute him.
The films are fantastic—driven, well-paced, and never compromising on quality or narrative.
Excellent work!
Of course, it goes without saying that his greatest fear is facing himself. No surprise there—one can easily be blinded by one’s own splendor. (Tell me about it! Every morning…)
Dread Sanctum: How did you first get involved with the short film format?
Night Maire: At film school!
Dread Sanctum: What do you find attractive about the short film format?
Night Maire: The ability to create a world, tell a story, touch an audience can be just as powerful in a short as in a feature, and when done well, it can resonate that much more profoundly because of its brevity.
Dread Sanctum: Your films have received a massive number of awards and nominations. Why do you think that is? What sets your films apart from others? Have you discovered a secret formula for captivating storytelling in the short format, and if so, is it something you would like to share with aspiring filmmakers?
Night Maire: My specialty lies in short film distribution, with a specific focus on the film festival circuit. This is the topic I lecture on to undergraduate and graduate level university students, and I am also often hired to helm that final stage of production for filmmaker’s who find tackling the submission process overwhelming. While I have several tactics and ploys at my disposal, the gist of my approach is to target a project’s niches to stack the odds of selection in its favor, and to only every submit to festivals during their earlybird deadline to stretch the dollar.
Dread Sanctum: What is it about the genre field that you enjoy?
Night Maire: The escapism.
Dread Sanctum: Do you think the short film format has a future, or is it just a steppingstone to full-length feature films?
Night Maire: If full-length feature films have a future, so do short films. But even without features, short films have a future, as is self-evident, I find, when looking at modern trends in consumer watching habits. Social media platforms like Instagram, Youtube and TikTok have conditioned us to have shorter attention spans with their quicker videos, meaning younger audiences are finding it harder to sit through a two-hour movie and are instead seeking content that can stimulate them faster before moving onto the next one. There are also plethora of new streaming platforms that focus on the short form or include such films much more in their slates than they previously had. Even large companies are creating branded short films as extended commercials. Long live the short.
Dread Sanctum: What’s next in the pipeline? Can we expect more short films from you?
Night Maire: Absolutely. Can’t stop, won’t stop. There are two shorts I wrote, directed and produced that are on the pipeline : Victorian portrait of grief “Morning Vigil” featuring Primetime Emmy Awad Winner Blanche Baker, based on a Guy de Maupassant short story, which is being submitted to festivals and is awaiting a World Premiere, and cosmological steampunk sci-fi “Horologium” starring Anthony Ordonez, based on a Fredric Brown short story, which is undergoing VFX work as it pushes through post-production. There are also a number of short films I’m attached to as producer that are hitting the festival circuit, including but not limited to a dark musical comedy inspired by real events “Catalogue of Noses”, directed by Josie Andrews, written and starring Lauren Schaffel, as well as grounded dystopian sci-fi dark comedy “We Regret to Inform You” directed by Michelle Bossy, written and starring Zina Wilde.
Dread Sanctum: Imagine yourself as a valiant knight in shining armor on a pampered warhorse, ready to kick some serious butt. Right in front of you stands your greatest enemy, your greatest fear. What would that be?
Night Maire: Me, as a valiant knight in shining armor on a pampered warhorse, ready to kick some serious badonkadonk.
And Badonkadonk it is!
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