“They’re not on drugs–we had people going round before the take with a basket of herbal cigarettes and chewing gum,” says Elaine Constantine regarding the fuel of choice of the protagonists in her Directors’ Cuts submission, a short that delves behind the filmmaker’s 17-years-in-the-making labor of love, Northern Soul. Inspired by Constantine’s first exposure to the underground dance scene in the Lancashire halls where she would “sit on the side and watch the dancers, go home and practice in my bedroom in front of the mirror,” the film beautifully captures the flare-sweeping energetic movements soundtracked by the black soul sounds of 1960s and 1970s America. The period authenticity of the picture, helped by Constantine’s acceptance by and friendships with members of the notoriously protective northern soul subculture, hasn’t gone unnoticed: the passion project has been nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award, and talk of an American distribution deal coincides with the release of the director’s star-studded 9 Kisses film series for The New York Times.

What was the first film to leave an impression on you?
Elaine Constantine: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which I watched at home as a child in Bury [northern England].

Highlight of the year? 
EC: The film getting a standing ovation at our London premiere, then the guests at the after-party walking straight past a bar full of free champagne to go and watch our young dancers on the floor.

Three songs on your New Year's Eve playlist? 
EC: Patti and the Emblems, “I'm Gonna Love You a Long, Long Time”; Johnny Sayles, “I Can’t Get Enough (of Your Love)”; Frankie Beverly and the Butlers, “If That's What You Wanted.”

Check back tomorrow for a Directors’ Cut from Jonas Lindström.