TIME UP Directors must call ‘cut’ sooner or filmgoers will drift off, warns leading UK cinema expertDIRECTORS should make shorter films if they want their work screened in cinemas, according to the head of one of the UK’s leading cinema and distribution companies. As Oscar season kicks off, we speak to top Scots director Ryan Hendrick about what happens when film-makers refuse to cut their work. THE last two films shot by director Ryan Hendrick came in around the 1h 40m mark — which he insists are a direct push-back against long “indulgent” flicks. Glasgow-born Ryan’s movie Mercy Falls, starring Outlander and Karen Pirie actress Lauren Lyle, was released in 2023 with a modest budget of £250,000. Ryan, 41, said: “Three-hour-plus films just feel like an overindulgence and I think audiences are bored of them.

Source: The Star January 24, 2026 09:55 UTC