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