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