Meet the Team .
Meet the industry professionals behind this year’s festival. Our inspiring team has years of experience in programming, commissioning, publishing, production, curation and direction.
Aesthetica Team
Matt Glasby
Designer
Megan Price
Festival Assistant
Alice Butterfield
Technical Coordinator
Megan Hobson
Media Sales & Partnerships Manager
Cherie Federico
Festival Director / Advertising, Fashion & Music Video Programmer
Katherine Smira
Delegate & Filmmaker Accreditations; Group Bookings Manager
Chloe Elliott
Content Creator
Diana Bestwish Tetteh
Junior Content Creator
Fruzsina Vida
Editorial Assistant
Helen Osbond
Operations Manager
Eleanor Sutherland
Creative Producer
Dale Donley
Festival Director / Animation Programmer
Programming Team
Des Gayle
Games Programmer
Natalie Gee
Drama Programmer
MarBelle
Comedy & Drama Programmer / Directors Notes
Jack Denham
Games Programmer
Rico Johnson-Sinclair
Music Video Programmer
Kit Monkman
Artists’ Film Programmer
Tosin Alapafuja
Drama Programmer
Tom Knights
Games Programmer
Dale Donley
Festival Director / Animation Programmer
Lauren Clarke
Experimental Programmer
Adam Castle
Dance Programmer
Abi Mitchell
Drama Programmer
Rob Speranza
Drama Programmer
Sarah Wong
Narrative Features Programmer
Samantha Kingston
VR & Immersive Experiences Programmer
Cherie Federico
Festival Director / Advertising, Fashion & Music Video Programmer
Aduke King
Drama Programmer
Matthew Spokes
Games Programmer
Shaneila Saeed
Games Programmer
Rachel Pronger
Documentary Programmer
Bettina Bodi
Games Programmer
Charles Cecil
Games Programmer
Mikey Murray
Thriller Programmer
Jury
Sarah Perks
Artists' Film, Experimental & Dance Juror / Curator, Producer & Writer
Tom Jordan
Family Friendly Juror / Head of Studio at Karrot
Lola Oliyide
Narrative Features Juror / Head of Development Neal Street Productions
Steve Melia
Documentary Juror / Video Production Manager Audible
Michel Haddi
Advertising, Music Video & Fashion Juror / Photographer
Larry Achiampong
Artists' Film, Experimental & Dance Juror / Artist
Caroline Norris
Comedy Juror / Executive Producer
Marielle Reuser
Games Juror / 3D Environment Lecturer
Matthew Horsfall
Games Juror / Curator of Game Technologies at Science Museum Group
Matthew Herbert
Artists' Film, Experimental & Dance Juror / Musician and Producer
Nainita Desai
Comedy Juror / Award-Winning Composer
Ana-Despina Tudor
VR & 360 Juror / LCC
Sonja Klaus
Drama Juror / Film and Television Designer
Amy O’Hara
Comedy Juror / Development & Production Executive Film 4
Bobby Thandi
Games Juror / Founder & CEO of XR Games
Vicky Mather
Advertising, Music Video & Fashion Juror / UAL London College of Fashion
Don Boyd
Narrative Features Juror / Director & Producer
Sadie Clayton
Designer / Advertising, Music Video & Fashion Juror
Will Becher
Animation Juror / Animator & Director at Aardman Animations
Richard Melman
Doc Features Juror / Executive Producer & Managing Director at Spring Films
Patrick Moran
VR & 360 Juror / Co-Head of Barbican International Enterprises
Julian Foddy
VFX Supervisor / Industrial Light & Magic / Drama Juror
Mick Audsley
Narrative Features Juror / Editor
Nina Willment
VR & 360 Juror / Research Associate
Evgenia Golubeva
Animation Juror / Writer, Director and Character Designer
Kai-Lu Hsiung
Advertising, Music Video & Fashion Juror / Ridley Scott Associates Films
Kathryn Ferguson
Doc Features Juror / Writer & Director
Jessi Gutch
Doc Features Juror / Writer, Producer & Director
Anthony Andrews
Co-Founder and Creative Director / We Are Parable / Documentary Features Juror
Lindsay Poulton
Documentary Juror / Head of Documentaries The Guardian
Caroline Roberts-Cherry
Family Friendly Juror / Managing Director of Saffron Cherry Productions
Richard Nockles
VR & 360 Juror / Surround Vision
Simon Nelson
Comedy Juror / BBC
Mark Jenkin
Thriller Juror / Writer, Director, Producer
Myles McLeod
Family Friendly Juror / BAFTA Award Winning Writer
Holly Newson
Thriller Juror / Executive Producer and Presenter at Audible
Philip Hunt
Animation Juror / Creative Director & Partner of Studio AKA
Tom Knights
Thriller Juror / Senior Narrative Designer at Ubisoft Reflections
Advisory Board
Jess Loveland
Head of New Writing / BBC
Richard Knight
Screen Yorkshire
Steve Jelley
Hammerhead VR
Julian Foddy
VFX Supervisor / Industrial Light & Magic / Drama Juror
Max Park
Development and Production Executive / Film4
Nyree Jillings
BFI
Daryll Smalley
City of York Council
MarBelle
Comedy & Drama Programmer / Directors Notes
Sadie Clayton
Designer / Advertising, Music Video & Fashion Juror
