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