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
Alice Butterfield
Narrative Features Programmer
Megan Hobson
Media Sales & Partnerships Manager
Anna Gallon
Operations Coordinator
Eleanor Sutherland
Creative Producer
Cherie Federico
Festival Director / Advertising & Fashion Programmer
Phoebe Cawley
Marketing Coordinator
Dale Donley
Festival Director / Animation, Drama & Family Friendly Programmer
Fruzsina Vida
Projects Administrator
Emma Jacob
Content Creator
Programming Team
Matt Coward-Gibbs
Games Programmer
Cherie Federico
Festival Director / Advertising & Fashion Programmer
Dan Norman
VR & Immersive Experiences Programmer
Mikey Murray
Thriller Programmer
Alice Butterfield
Narrative Features Programmer
John Rose-Adams
VR & Immersive Experiences Programmer
Jack Denham
Games Programmer
Natalie Gee
Drama Shorts Programmer
Martha Cattell
Music Video Programmer
Rob Speranza
Drama Shorts Programmer
Rachel Pronger
Documentary Features Programmer
Dale Donley
Festival Director / Animation, Drama & Family Friendly Programmer
Abi Mitchell
Drama Shorts Programmer
Angel Cohn Castle
Dance Programmer
Des Gayle
Games Programmer
Forms of Circulation
Artists' Film & Experimental Programmers
Heather McIntosh
Documentary Shorts Programmer
Ana-Despina Tudor
VR & Immersive Experiences Programmer
Tosin Alapafuja
Drama Shorts Programmer
Matthew Spokes
Games Programmer
Holly Newson
Podcasting Programmer
MarBelle
Comedy Programmer / Directors Notes
Jury
Remy Downey
Family Friendly Juror / ITV
Christine Morrow
Advertising, Music Video and Fashion Juror / Talent Executive
Nick Brown
Thriller Juror / Neal Street Productions
Danyele Seignoret
Drama Juror / Channel 4
Glenn Holberton
Animation Juror / Mackinnon and Saunders
Katherine Bidwell
Games Juror / State of Play Games
Simon Nelson
Drama Juror / BBC
Tiago Faria
Thriller Juror / BlueBolt
Anna Price
Documentary Features Juror
Aubrey Clarke
Family Friendly Juror / BBC Children
Lola Oliyide
Narrative Features Juror / Head of Development Neal Street Productions
Patrick Craig
Comedy Juror / Blink Productions
Alia Sheikh
VR & Immersive Experiences Juror / Freelance Immersive Experiences Consultant
Alex Zepherin
Animation Juror / Don Dada Studio
Johnathan Brigden
Advertising, Music Video & Fashion Juror
Will Becher
Animation Juror / Aardman
Muki Kulhan
VR and Immersive Juror
Susi Wilkinson
VR & Immersive Experiences Juror
Maike Fiene
Family Friendly Juror / Framestore
Lindsay Crouse
Documentary Juror / New York Times Op-Docs
Nephertiti Oboshie Schandorf
Artists' Film, Experimental & Dance Juror / Wellcome Collection
Emily Whalley
Podcasts Juror / Chalk & Blade
Tom Bedford
Games Juror / à la mode games
Paul Cheung
Advertising, Music Video & Fashion Juror
Roy Jox-Fredstie
Documentary Juror / Producer & Filmmaker
Mick Audsley
Drama Juror / Editor
Tom Knights
Games Juror
Meera Kumar
Podcast Juror
Ben Smithard
Narrative Features Juror / Cinematographer
Steve Melia
Documentary Features Juror / Video Production Manager Audible
Bec Evans
Comedy Juror
Dom Johnson
Podcasts Juror
Advisory Board
Dionne Farrell
Development Executive / BBC Films
Jess Loveland
Head of New Writing / BBC
Richard Knight
Screen Yorkshire
Sadie Clayton
Artist & Designer
Max Park
Development and Production Executive / Film4
Nyree Jillings
BFI
Julian Foddy
VFX Supervisor / Industrial Light & Magic / Drama Juror
Daryll Smalley
City of York Council
Martin Roker
Black Dog Films
Steve Jelley
Hammerhead VR