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
Cherie Federico
Festival Director / Advertising & Fashion Programmer
Megan Hobson
Media Sales & Partnerships Manager
Dale Donley
Festival Director / Animation, Drama & Family Friendly Programmer
Anna Gallon
Operations Coordinator
Phoebe Cawley
Marketing Coordinator
Eleanor Sutherland
Creative Producer
Emma Jacob
Content Creator
Fruzsina Vida
Projects Administrator
Programming Team
Mikey Murray
Thriller Programmer
Dale Donley
Festival Director / Animation, Drama & Family Friendly Programmer
John Rose-Adams
VR & Immersive Experiences Programmer
Jack Denham
Games Programmer
Abi Mitchell
Drama Shorts Programmer
Cherie Federico
Festival Director / Advertising & Fashion Programmer
Des Gayle
Games Programmer
Natalie Gee
Drama Shorts Programmer
Shaneila Saeed
Games Programmer
Forms of Circulation
Artists' Film & Experimental Programmers
Tosin Alapafuja
Drama Shorts Programmer
Alice Butterfield
Narrative Features Programmer
Angel Cohn Castle
Dance Programmer
Rob Speranza
Drama Shorts Programmer
Rachel Pronger
Documentary Features Programmer
Heather McIntosh
Documentary Shorts Programmer
Martha Cattell
Music Video Programmer
Tom Knights
Games Programmer
Matthew Spokes
Games Programmer
Ana-Despina Tudor
VR & Immersive Experiences Programmer
MarBelle
Comedy Programmer / Directors Notes
Jury
Noirin Carmody
Games Juror / Founder & Executive Producer
Nephertiti Oboshie Schandorf
Artists' Film, Experimental & Dance Juror
Will Becher
Animation Juror / Aardman
Julie La’Bassiere
Advertising, Music Video & Fashion Juror
Tom Knights
Game Juror / Senior Narrative Designer at Ubisoft Reflections
Paul Cheung
Advertising, Music Video & Fashion Juror
Meera Kumar
Podcast Juror
Glenn Holberton
Animation Juror / Loose Moose Productions
Simon Nelson
Drama Juror / BBC
Mick Audsley
Drama Juror / Editor
Jack Wentworth-Weedon
Games Juror / National Science and Media Museum
Sarah von Fersen
Family Friendly Juror / Jellyfish Pictures
Steve Melia
Documentary Features Juror / Video Production Manager Audible
Susi Wilkinson
VR & Immersive Experiences Juror
Alice Bloomfield
Animation Juror / Ridley Scott Associates Films
Bec Evans
Comedy Juror
Isabelle Croissant
Narrative Features Juror / Artist Development Programme Manager
Myles McLeod
Family Friendly Juror / BAFTA Award Winning Writer
Daisy Francis
Thriller Juror
Caroline Cooper Charles
Narrative Features Juror / Screen Yorkshire
Lola Oliyide
Narrative Features Juror / Head of Development Neal Street Productions
Ben Smithard
Narrative Features Juror / Cinematographer
Alia Sheikh
VR & Immersive Experiences Juror / BBC
Roy Jox-Fredstie
Documentary Juror / Producer & Filmmaker
Annabel Grundy
Documentary Features Juror / Sheffield Doc/Fest
Bex Cassie
Fashion Juror / London College of Fashion
Anna Price
Documentary Features Juror
Alex Zepherin
Animation Juror / Don Dada Studio
Christine Morrow
Artists' Film, Experimental & Dance Juror / Talent Executive
Nancy Ryan
Comedy Juror / Ridley Scott Creative Group
Nick Brown
Thriller Juror / Neal Street Productions
Paul Sng
Documentary Features Juror / Director
Adipat Virdi
VR & Immersive Experiences Juror
Tiago Faria
Thriller Juror / BlueBolt
Patrick Craig
Comedy Juror / Blink Productions
Aubrey Clarke
Family Friendly Juror / BBC Children
Advisory Board
Jess Loveland
Head of New Writing / BBC
Dionne Farrell
Development Executive / BBC Films
Julian Foddy
VFX Supervisor / Industrial Light & Magic / Drama Juror
Nyree Jillings
BFI
Max Park
Development and Production Executive / Film4
Daryll Smalley
City of York Council
Steve Jelley
Hammerhead VR
Martin Roker
Black Dog Films
Richard Knight
Screen Yorkshire
MarBelle
Comedy Programmer / Directors Notes
