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