Meet the Team .
Meet the industry professionals behind the 2024 festival. Our inspiring team has years of experience in programming, commissioning, publishing, production, curation and direction.
Aesthetica Team
Anna Gallon
Operations Coordinator
Megan Hobson
Media Sales & Partnerships Manager
Eleanor Sutherland
Creative Producer
Cherie Federico
Festival Director / Advertising & Fashion Programmer
Dale Donley
Festival Director / Animation, Drama & Family Friendly Programmer
Emma Jacob
Content Creator
Fruzsina Vida
Projects Administrator
Phoebe Cawley
Marketing Coordinator
Programming Team
Natalie Gee
Drama Shorts Programmer
Ana-Despina Tudor
VR & Immersive Experiences Programmer
Alice Butterfield
Narrative Features Programmer
Tom Knights
Games Programmer
Rachel Pronger
Documentary Features Programmer
Cherie Federico
Festival Director / Advertising & Fashion Programmer
Shaneila Saeed
Games Programmer
Angel Cohn Castle
Dance Programmer
Matthew Spokes
Games Programmer
Jack Denham
Games Programmer
Dale Donley
Festival Director / Animation, Drama & Family Friendly Programmer
MarBelle
Comedy Programmer / Directors Notes
Rob Speranza
Drama Shorts Programmer
Forms of Circulation
Artists' Film & Experimental Programmers
Martha Cattell
Music Video Programmer
Mikey Murray
Thriller Programmer
Tosin Alapafuja
Drama Shorts Programmer
Heather McIntosh
Documentary Shorts Programmer
Abi Mitchell
Drama Shorts Programmer
Des Gayle
Games Programmer
John Rose-Adams
VR & Immersive Experiences Programmer
Jury
Ben Smithard
Narrative Features Juror / Cinematographer
Aubrey Clarke
Family Friendly Juror / BBC Children
Nephertiti Oboshie Schandorf
Artists' Film, Experimental & Dance Juror
Alex Zepherin
Animation Juror / Don Dada Studio
Mick Audsley
Drama Juror / Editor
Bec Evans
Comedy Juror
Glenn Holberton
Animation Juror / Loose Moose Productions
Roy Jox-Fredstie
Documentary Juror / Producer & Filmmaker
Patrick Craig
Comedy Juror / Blink Productions
Christine Morrow
Artists' Film, Experimental & Dance Juror / Talent Executive
Tom Knights
Game Juror / Senior Narrative Designer at Ubisoft Reflections
Alia Sheikh
VR & Immersive Experiences Juror / BBC
Paul Sng
Documentary Features Juror / Director
Daisy Francis
Thriller Juror
Jessica Alfert
Artists' Film, Experimental & Dance Juror / ITV
Paul Cheung
Advertising, Music Video & Fashion Juror
Tom Bedford
Games Juror / à la mode games
Nick Brown
Thriller Juror / Neal Street Productions
Steve Melia
Documentary Features Juror / Video Production Manager Audible
Tiago Faria
Thriller Juror / BlueBolt
Adipat Virdi
VR & Immersive Experiences Juror
Julie La’Bassiere
Advertising, Music Video & Fashion Juror
Susi Wilkinson
VR & Immersive Experiences Juror
Meera Kumar
Podcast Juror
Lola Oliyide
Narrative Features Juror / Head of Development Neal Street Productions
Anna Price
Documentary Features Juror
Jack Wentworth-Weedon
Games Juror / National Science and Media Museum
Simon Nelson
Drama Juror / BBC
Will Becher
Animation Juror / Aardman
Advisory Board
Sadie Clayton
Artist & Designer
Dionne Farrell
Development Executive / BBC Films
Richard Knight
Screen Yorkshire
Max Park
Development and Production Executive / Film4
Steve Jelley
Hammerhead VR
Daryll Smalley
City of York Council
Martin Roker
Black Dog Films
Julian Foddy
VFX Supervisor / Industrial Light & Magic / Drama Juror
Nyree Jillings
BFI
Jess Loveland
Head of New Writing / BBC