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