Adrián García Bogliano
For nearly two decades, Adrián García Bogliano has been an innovative force in Latin American horror cinema. Starting his directing career at just 19 years old, his filmography spans horror, thriller, and fantasy films that blend classic elements with a modern, unsettling sensibility. His most notable works, including Here Comes the Devil (2012), Late Phases (2014), and Scherzo Diabolico, have earned acclaim at prestigious festivals like Toronto, Tribeca, Fantastic Fest, Raindance and SXSW. Beyond feature films, he has successfully directed series for streaming platforms like Netflix and Vix+.
His commercial appeal is reflected in box office successes like Come Play With Me (2021) and La Exorcista (2022), which both ranked in Mexico’s top 10. Having worked across Argentina, Costa Rica, the US, Mexico, Sweden, and Colombia, his international reach is clear. His latest film, Talking to a Stranger, was the only Latin American film selected at Competition at the Rotterdam Film Festival 2026.
Adriana Paz
Bio coming soon.
Aimée-Ffion Edwards
Aimée-Ffion Edwards is a highly accomplished and versatile Welsh actress who has secured herself as one to watch in the industry with a series of exciting projects across film and television.
Aimée-Ffion can most recently be seen taking a leading role in four-part true crime ITV drama Believe Me, based on the real-life case of one of Britain’s most prolific sex attackers, John Worboys, widely known as the “black cab rapist”. The drama follows two women who fought against all odds to have their voices heard, while struggling against the failing system of The Met Police. Aimée-Ffion stars alongside Daniel Mays portraying Worboys.
Later this year Aimée-Ffion will return as the formidable Shirley Dander in fan-favourite Slow Horses for S6. She plays a volatile but capable MI5 agent assigned to Slough House working alongside Gary Oldman (Jackson Lamb). This season her character takes on an increasingly central role within the Slough House team, with Shirley’s volatile energy and sharp comedic rivalry with River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) becoming ever more integral to the story.
Aimée-Ffion is widely known for her standout roles in cult classics such as Peaky Blinders, Netflix’s Luther, and Skins. Other television credits include, The Revenge Club (Paramount), Troy: Fall of a City (BBC/Netflix), the BAFTA-winning Detectorists (Channel X), War of the Worlds (AGC), Dreamland (Sky), Curfew (Sky), Loaded (Channel 4), Four Weddings and a Funeral (Hulu), Keeping Faith 2 (BBC), Law and Order, to name a few.
On the film side, Aimée-Ffion recently appeared in the Welsh biographical drama Mr Burton, which explores the early life of legendary actor Richard Burton, she played Cis Jenkins alongside Toby Jones and Lesley Manville. She also recently appeared in Noël Coward story Blithe Spirit alongside Isla Fisher and Dan Stevens.
Akua Gyamfi
Akua Gyamfi has over 30 years of experience in the entertainment industry, with a career spanning fashion, film, television, theatre, print and online media. In 2012 Akua founded The British Blacklist, a platform that celebrates the talents of British Black creatives across Screen, Stage, Literature and Sound. She also produces podcasts Your Aunties Could Never (popular culture), and TBB Talks (interviews with Black creatives from around the globe). Alongside writer/producer Leon Mayne, Akua is the co-creator/co-exec producer and host of podcast series The Circle speaking to Black & Asian professionals working in Film & Television, the pair also host a monthly film club at Shoreditch Electric. In 2019 Akua joined forces with Soul Film, and We Are Parable to launch the S.O.U.L. Film Festival, an annual event which showcases the best of Black filmmakers and content creators from the UK and the wider Diaspora. Akua is also a much sought after Q&A moderator having moderated for A.M.P.A.S, BAFTA, Netflix, Disney, BBC and more.
Ali Mashayekhi
Ali Mashayekhi has produced almost 100 films and television projects with dozens of festival wins and nominations. He made history by
producing The Last King, the first-ever Iranian adaptation of a Stephen King screenplay. He also produced two seasons of the international traveling food show Evolving Vegan, hosted by Mena Massoud, showcasing his skill in both scripted and unscripted formats.Among his most celebrated works are the multi award-winning short film Heirlooms (2025), the dystopian short film American Ingenuity (2026) starring Brian Cox and -the feature film The Killgrin (2025), starring Cristo Fernández.
Ali Mashayekhi is also the Executive Director of EDA Foundation, ambassador for the Orchid Project and the lead creative ambassador at INARA. All charities supporting important socially driven causes around the world.
Amedeo Claris
Amedeo Claris is a Swiss-born author, advisor and entrepreneur based in London. His career spans nearly three decades across financial markets, law, private equity and executive leadership, building and restructuring businesses from start-up to scale. He is the author of The Re-Alignment Era, a structural analysis of how effort and outcome have become disconnected across modern institutions, recognised for its use of storytelling to make complex structural arguments accessible and memorable. Claris has worked across technology, media, hospitality and professional services, and holds a long-standing interest in the economics of independent creative productions and what determines whether original work actually reaches the people it was made for. He is a long-standing member of the Institute of Directors.
Andrew Buchan
Bio coming soon.
Anthony Andrews
Anthony Andrews is the creative director and co-founder of We Are Parable, the multi-award winning film exhibition and distribution company, dedicated to providing audiences with opportunities to experience and respond to black cinema in cultural relevant, unique and memorable ways.
Since forming the company in 2013 alongside his wife Teanne, We Are Parable have worked with streamers, studios and cultural institutions, creating unforgettable moments around Black Cinema, from screening the world’s first public preview screening of BLACK PANTHER in 2018, to taking over an entire cinema for a special preview of WIZKID: LONG LIVE LAGOS in 2025.
We Are Parable have also created Momentum, a filmmaker development programme in partnership with Channel4 and Sony Pictures Television to support Black, British based creatives across mental health, mentoring and access to industry professionals. Now in its fourth year, it has supported over 180 filmmakers to date.
Since 2023, We are Parable have distributed films, beginning with Savanah Leaf’s BAFTA award winning EARTH MAMA, and continuing with Cannes competition title BANEL AND ADAMA (written and directed by Ramata-Toulaye Sy) as well as 2025’s DREAMERS, written and directed by Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor.
In 2023, We Are Parable were recipients of the Special Jury Award at the British Independent Film Awards for their contribution to the film and television industry.
Ashanti Omkar
Ashanti Omkar is a broadcaster and a film, TV and culture critic, seen and heard commentating on BBC TV, Sky News, ITV, Times Radio, Channel 4 and Channel 5. She’s a regular on BBC Radio across various stations including BBC London, BBC Wales, BBC Scotland and BBC 5 Live, and she presented her own eponymous radio show on BBC Sounds for seven years. She’s a full BAFTA member and a 4 time BAFTA juror. She’s also been on the jury for RTS, Series Mania, the Asian Academy Creative Awards and the Kerala International Film Festival. She has moderated on stage and online film and TV Q&As for Disney, Netflix, Prime, Universal and Women in Film and TV. Her words have appeared in Timeout, The Guardian, Metro, Total Film and the Independent.
Ashley Horne
Ash Horne is Co-Founder of the award-winning creative studio CantSee, a BAFTA-nominated Exec Producer, co-creator of ‘The Midnight Beast’ show (E4) and former Creative Director at the Academy Award®-winning Slick Films (known for ‘The Silent Child’).
His recent film credits include, ‘Pour Me’ (Blink Productions), directed by BAFTA-nominated Jesse Lewis-Reece and starring BIFA-winner Shaun Thomas (MUBI’s How to Have Sex, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms); the BAFTA-nominated and Vimeo Staff Pick ‘Marion’ (42 × Solab Pictures) by Joe Weiland and Finn Constantine, which premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival; and the Oscar-qualifying ‘The Second Time Around’ (42), directed by Jack Howard and starring Spielberg alumnus Caroline Goodall (Hook, Schindler’s List) and rising star Hannah Onslow (This City Is Ours, Empire of Light), which received a nomination for Best British Short at the 2025 Iris Prize and is now streaming on Film4/Channel 4.
Caroline Kennedy
Caroline Kennedy has been a journalist, TV presenter, radio producer, theatre director, humanitarian aid worker and best-selling author. She is also the mother of Elisar Cabrera, who worked for Raindance since its inception and after whom the annual Discovery Award has been named. Her recently published autobiography, “I’ll Be There – Vignettes of an Intrepid Traveller” won 2nd Prize in the 2024 Book Fest Awards in the categories of Travel, Adventure, Destinations and Self-Discovery
Charlotte Hope
Charlotte Hope first gained recognition for her recurring role as Myranda in HBO’s GAME OF THRONES. She went on to headline the Starz limited series THE SPANISH PRINCESS as Catherine of Aragon and recently appeared in THE PUZZLE LADY for Channel 5/PBS alongside Phyllis Logan. She is currently shooting EVIL DEAD: WRATH. Further credits include Netflix’s THE ENGLISH GAME, ITV’s BANCROFT, and films such as THE NUN, ALLIED and A UNITED KINGDOM. On stage, she originated the role of Zara in Rupert Goold’s production of ALBION at the Almeida Theatre in London and worked twice with Ed Harris and Amy Madigan in Scott Elliott’s productions of BURIED CHILD, in the west end and GOOD FOR OTTO, off Broadway.
Cherish Oteka
Cherish ‘Chez’ Oteka is a BAFTA-winning documentary filmmaker, passionate about telling universal stories through the lens of often-erased communities, with a focus on identity, social justice and representation.
Their BAFTA-winning film The Black Cop (2022) explored internalised racism through the story of a former police officer and was praised for its creative and intimate approach.
Chez has worked with leading platforms including BBC One, Tate, Stonewall, and The Guardian, and has been selected for coveted talent schemes such as BAFTA x BFI Flare’s Talent Lab, NETWORK at London Film Festival, The Grierson Trust’s Doc Lab, and the Arts Foundation Fellowship Award.
Early career accolades include UKTV’s Rising Star Award, Best Documentary at the Movie Screen and Video Awards and Vimeo’s Breakthrough Creator.
Chris Overton
Chris Overton is an Academy Award® winning director, a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and a founder of Slick Films. He began his career as an actor, working on various TV and film projects with directors such as Joel Schumacher and Roman Polanski. He also stars in the BAFTA Award-winning film ‘Pride,’ directed by Matthew Warchus.
Chris made his directorial debut with ‘The Silent Child,’ for which he received the Academy Award® for Best Live Action Short. His recent projects, including ‘Leader,’ ‘In Too Deep,’ and ‘Gladstone Girls’ – premiered at prestigious festivals worldwide such as Raindance, Tribeca and was recently honoured for his outstanding contribution to short film at HollyShorts.
He recently wrapped production on his feature documentary ‘Sticks & Shelter’ and has his debut feature drama, ‘Dust’ is currently in pre-production, with casting led by BAFTA winner, Des Hamilton.
Through his production company, Slick Films, which he co-owns with Rachel Shenton, Chris has supported filmmakers across 35 short films, screening internationally at prestigious Oscar® qualifying festivals, with worldwide distribution on platforms including Virgin and American Airlines, BBC One, Film4, Amazon Prime, HBO, and Disney+.
Chris has directed campaigns for brands such as Havas, FCB Inferno, Wunderman Thompson, and Beiersdorf. His UK commercial for the hugely successful Huawei Story Sign Christmas campaign won seven Lions at Cannes (four of which were Gold), eight One Show awards, three D&ADs, a Grand Prix at Eurobest, and a BAFTA nomination.
Christopher M. Anthony
Cherish ‘Chez’ Oteka is a BAFTA-winning documentary filmmaker, passionate about telling universal stories through the lens of often-erased communities, with a focus on identity, social justice and representation.
Their BAFTA-winning film The Black Cop (2022) explored internalised racism through the story of a former police officer and was praised for its creative and intimate approach.
Chez has worked with leading platforms including BBC One, Tate, Stonewall, and The Guardian, and has been selected for coveted talent schemes such as BAFTA x BFI Flare’s Talent Lab, NETWORK at London Film Festival, The Grierson Trust’s Doc Lab, and the Arts Foundation Fellowship Award.
Early career accolades include UKTV’s Rising Star Award, Best Documentary at the Movie Screen and Video Awards and Vimeo’s Breakthrough Creator.
Ciaran O’Brien
Ciaran is a London-based cinematographer who has been shooting long-form narrative, commercials and music promos for well over a decade. His distinctive style helped shape the British Youtube sketch comedy scene with his work amassing well over 200 million views, giving him a unique perspective on how to shoot for emerging and online platforms. He has since replicated this success in long form content, shooting for channels such as BB2, CBBC, All4, Dave and Sky. Ciaran’s work has received many awards, including recently a BAFTA for Best Short Form with the documentary ‘Hustle and Run’. Other accolades include a Bronze Cannes Lion, ‘Best Commercial Short Film’ at the British Short Film Awards and ‘Best UK Short’ at the International Film Gala.
Corin Taylor
Corin Taylor is Executive Producer and Head of Film at Blink Productions. A graduate of the London Film School, he began his career within the Blink family as Head of Production at Colonel Blimp, where he produced award-winning short films and music videos for artists including Tame Impala, Royal Blood, and Dua Lipa.
Since the merger of Blimp and Blink, Corin has produced internationally acclaimed commercials that have gone on to win recognition at the British Arrows, Cannes Lions, and Ciclope. Most recently, in 2025, he produced the one-take promo for Channel 4’s Educating Yorkshire, which won the coveted Commercial of the Year award at the British Arrows. He has collaborated with a range of emerging directors as well as established names including Dougal Wilson, David Wilson, and Pedro Martin-Calero.
In addition to his role as Executive Producer for commercials, Corin now oversees Blink’s long-form slate, which includes Uranians, written by Mauricio Zacharias (Passages, The Man I Love) and co-developed with First Gen Content. Blink’s debut feature, Peter Hujar’s Day, directed by Ira Sachs and starring Ben Whishaw and Rebecca Hall, premiered to critical acclaim at Sundance and Berlinale in 2025, and also screened at NYFF and LFF. The film received five Independent Spirit Award nominations, including Best Film.
Daren Smith
Daren Smith is the founder and CEO of Craftsman Films, a Utah-based independent film studio, and managing member of Producer Fund I, a $10 million Reg D 506(c) fund structured to finance ten independent films at sub-$5 million budgets. He has produced four profitable feature films with theatrical distribution and four seasons of the #1 rated television series on BYUtv.
Smith’s producing career is defined by a consistent record of films reaching theatrical audiences. His first feature, What Comes Around — directed by Amy Redford, written by Scott Organ, and starring Grace Van Dien, Summer Phoenix, Kyle Gallner, and Jesse Garcia — premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2022 and was acquired by IFC Films. He followed with Give Me Your Eyes, which debuted at #2 on Amazon Prime Latin America, and The Carpenter, produced on location in Cape Town, South Africa, at a $1.8 million budget. The Carpenter was released theatrically on over 400 screens in November 2024.
In 2023, Smith produced Faith of Angels on a $1 million budget during the WGA and SAG-AFTRA dual strike. The film was released theatrically on over 400 screens in September 2024 and is currently streaming on Angel Studios, where it reached #2 on the platform. Notably, Faith of Angels and The Carpenter were in theaters simultaneously in November 2024 — a rare accomplishment for any independent producer.
Smith’s next film, Brotherhood — A Cinematic Musical, begins principal photography in April 2026 for an October 2, 2026 theatrical release timed to Hispanic Heritage Month. The film features 17 original songs, an Emmy Award-winning lead in Mauricio Martínez, and a full Spanish-language soundtrack via a Theater Ears partnership for simultaneous bilingual release. The production is represented by CAA for domestic and international sales.
Prior to feature producing, Smith produced four seasons of Relative Race, the highest-rated original series on BYUtv. His earlier career includes work as a post-production sound editor and designer on projects for the BBC, ITV Global, CBS Sports, and more than a dozen Fortune 100 companies, as well as live sound engineering for acts including Neon Trees and Imagine Dragons.
Smith is a contributing columnist for IndieWire, where his series The Producer’s Path examines the structural economics of independent film. He is the author of BLOCKBUSTER: How Independent Creators Can Build Massively Profitable Businesses (2024). He resides in Utah.
David Ajala
David Ajala can currently be seen as a series regular in the 25th season of LAW AND ORDER.
David plays the role of Det. Vincent Reilly.
David recently took on one of the lead roles opposite Keira Knightly in THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 (cast alongside Guy Pearce, Hannah Waddingham and Kaya Scodelario), based on the bestselling novel by Ruth Ware. David also starred in another leading role in the BBC/MGM + series NINE BODIES IN A MEXICAN MORGUE alongside Siobhan McSweeney and Eric McCormack. The 6 part mystery series is written and created by Anthony Horowitz for BBC and MGM+ in the USA.
2025 also saw David star opposite Ewan McGregor in My Master Builder, directed by Michael Grandage at the Wyndham’s Theatre.
In 2024, David featured in BBC’s THE JETTY on iPlayer. He also has a stand out role in STARTREK DISCOVERY in which he plays lead regular Cleveland Booker.
He can also be seen as a regular in Syfy series NIGHTFLYERS as well as ABC’s BLACK BOXalongside Vanessa Redgrave. He also featured in FAST AND FURIOUS 6, alongside the late Paul Walker and Vin Diesel.
David appeared in the Andy & Lana Wachowski feature JUPITER ASCENDING and the indie film KILL COMMAND.
Additional notable credits include ONE DAY, starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess, THE DARK KNIGHT, starring Christian Bale, and David Mackenzies, STARRED UP.
Stage credits include ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI (Donmar), THE WITNESS (Royal Court), RUINED (Almeida) and DEATH AND THE KING’S HORSEMAN (NT).
Denise Gough
Irish actress Denise Gough’s plethora of work includes Duncan MacMillan’s award-winning play, People Places and Things, which earned her an Olivier Award and a Critics Circle Theatre Award for ‘Best Actress’. She also starred in Angels in America at the National Theatre where she won her second Olivier Award for ‘Best Supporting Actress’ before heading to Broadway with the production and also receiving a Tony Nomination. Denise’s film credits include Monday, directed by Argyris Papadimitropoulos’. She plays the lead role of ‘Chloe’ alongside Sebastian Stan; the film focuses on two self-destructive Americans living across Athens and the Greek Islands who plunge into a tsunami of romance. Other credits include The Other Lamb, Colette, starring alongside Keira Knightly, The Kid Who Would be King, musical comedy Juliet Naked, Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood, Ken Loach’s Jimmy’s Hall and the BAFTA nominated ’71 from director Yann Demange. Her television credits include Disney Plus series Andor created by Tony Gilroy where she plays Dedra Meero, Under the Banner of Heaven starring alongside Andrew Garfield and Daisy Edgar-Jones, Too Close playing lead character Connie alongside Emily Watson, for which she received a BAFTA nomination for Leading Actress, the title lead in Conor McPhersons’s BBC2 Thriller Paula, John Ridley’s Guerrilla (Sky Atlantic), Apple Tree Yard, series three of the hugely popular and BAFTA nominated BBC drama, The Fall starring Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan and Sky’s hit comedy Stella.
Eva Birthistle
Her first shorts screened at Raindance. Recent short film credits include the award winning “Aurora” now streaming internationally on SVOD. The score for Aurora was composed by Oleta Haffner through the inaugural Jonas Gwangwa Music Composition Initiative, a landmark collaboration between Mercury Studios, Globe, Decca Records, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Rita served as Jury Chair for BAFTA’s 75th, 76th & 77th British Short Film Awards, and founded “225 Film Club”, a dynamic and high quality short film festival created to champion female excellence in direction and to amplify underrepresented cinematic voices. The platform has become a vital space for bold filmmaking talent and creative community building.
Fiona Lamptey
Fiona Lamptey is a BAFTA-winning film and television producer and former Director of UK Film at Netflix, with more than twenty years of experience across Channel 4, Film4 and Netflix championing bold, culturally resonant storytelling. She is the founder of Fruit Tree Media, recognised with the BFI Vision Award for its commitment to cultivating original stories with filmmakers who bring unexpected perspectives to the screen. That commitment has resulted in creative collaborations with filmmakers including debbie tucker green, Remi Weekes, Akinola Davies Jr. and Nadia Latif. Earlier in her career Fiona spent four years in the commercial affairs department at Channel 4 working on docs, entertainment and live sports, before joining Film4 as a Production Executive for nine years, helping to oversee a diverse slate of films including Four Lions, Attack the Block and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. At Netflix she commissioned The Wonder (BAFTA nominated), Scoop (Emmy nominated) and The After (Academy Award nominated) and The Kitchen. She was a co-producer on Sitting in Limbo, winner of the BAFTA for Best Single Drama and is a passionate advocate for diversity, representation and an equitable future for all filmmakers across the UK screen industries.
Greg Gioia
Greg is originally from Los Angeles, and now lives in Austin, Texas. He’s an avid movie watcher who watches 100+ films in the theater every year. He hosts the podcast All the Movies, for which he is watching about 5,000 movies in chronological order, and co-hosts the Different Frames podcast, where he and co-host Antonio Luna discuss all manner of movies. He earns his living as a full-time DJ and turntablist. He has two young sons, Giacomo (9) and Carmine (7), both of whom love silent movies, entirely of their own accord and definitely not because of their father’s influence.
Guneet Monga Kapoor
Guneet Monga Kapoor is an Indian film producer, an Academy Award winner, and BAFTA nominee, and amongst the first producers from India to be invited to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Guneet is the founder of Sikhya Entertainment, a Mumbai-based production house. She has produced close to 30 feature films, including ground-breaking cinema such as The Lunchbox (2013), Monsoon Shootout (2013), Masaan (2015), and Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), all of which received critical acclaim at prestigious international festivals such as Cannes, TIFF, and Sundance. Guneet was one of the executive producers behind the documentary short film Period. End of Sentence, which won an Academy Award®️ in 2019. Guneet is a recipient of the prestigious French Honour “Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres”. In 2019, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation awarded her the prestigious Sloan Science and Film grant. Guneet is passionate about issues of representation and diversity in the film industry and has founded ‘Women in Film India’’, a cinema collective aimed at discovering, amplifying & distributing the work of Indian women working in films across the globe. Guneet became the first producer in India to win an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short, for Indian produced ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ (2023).
Most recently, her 2024 high-octane actioner ‘KILL’ marked a landmark deal with international production house Lionsgate acquiring theatrical release in North America and UK, a first for a mainstream Hindi-language film. Guneet also produced ‘Gyaarah Gyaarah’, 2024’s most popular Web Series (IMDB).
Hayder Hoozeer
Bio coming soon
Hazel Doupe
Screen International ‘Star of Tomorrow’ and 2026 Forbes ’30 Under 30 in European Entertainment’ Hazel is an award-winning actor who has garnered praise for her stunning portrayals of complex characters across film, television and on stage.
Hazel will next be seen starring in new eight-episode drama The Wanted Man on Apple TV+. From creator, writer and showrunner George Kay, the show charts the rise and fall of ‘Felix Carmichael’, the elusive and powerful head of notorious British crime syndicate ‘The Capital.’ Also featuring Thandiwe Newton, Fionn Whitehead, Gina McKee and Stephen Dillane, the series directed by Jakob Verbruggen, co- produced by New Pictures and Observatory Pictures and will be released later this year.
She starred as ‘Marian Price’, a former provisional Irish Publican Army volunteer, in FX’s award-winning limited series Say Nothing, based on the New York Times best-selling novel of the same name by Patrick Radden Keefe. All episodes of the nine-part, gripping drama series aired in November 2025 on Hulu in the US and Disney+ internationally. Critics have praised Hazel’s performance in the series, with The Washington Post calling her “an absolute revelation”, The Hollywood Reporter praising her as “excellent” and The Guardian calling her performance “a beautifully acted interrogation of the power of silence”. Hazel won the ‘Best Supporting Actress’ award at the 2025 Irish Film & Television Academy Awards for the role.
In 2024, Hazel starred as ‘Kathleen’ in Eva Birthistle’s award-winning debut feature Kathleen Is Here. The film premiered at the Raindance Film Festival before having its Irish premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh, where it won the Bringham Ray New Talent Award. Critics praised Hazel’s “arresting” performance, with Review Hub citing her performance as “delicate and brittle” and Screen Daily calling her a “charismatic up-and-comer”. Kathleen Is Here received seven nominations at the 2025 Irish Film & Television Academy Awards, Hazel’s second career nomination in the ‘Lead Actress in Film’ category. Earlier the same year,
Hazel starred in AMC’s fantasy drama Sanctuary: A Witches Tale, playing the lead teen role of ‘Harper Fen’. The Hollywood Reporter noted she “imbues her character with an adolescent brattiness that’s equal parts endearing and frustrating”. The series was renewed for a second season in April 2024.
In 2022, Hazel was nominated for both Best Actress in a Lead Role and The Rising Star Award, at the 2022 Irish Film & Television Academy Awards for Kate Dolan’s You are Not My Mother. Hazel leads the psychological horror as the quiet and introspective ‘Char’ with JOE.ie citing the film as “arguably the greatest Irish Horror movie ever made” and Screen Daily describing it as being “driven by first-rate performances… in particular, rising star Doupe”.
Hazel stared in the BAFTA nominated film Float Like a Butterfly in 2018, as aspiring boxer ‘Frances’ who dreams of being a champion like her idol Muhammad Ali. Hazel was hailed by Dublin Enquirer for her “star-making lead performance”. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and went on to win the FIPRESCI Discovery Prize.
Other notable credits include the critically acclaimed 2019 film Calm with Horses alongside Barry Keoghan, Cosmo Jarvis and Niamh Algar; “Cathy Dunne”, daughter of Kathy Bates’ ‘Eileen’ and Stephen Rea’s ‘Frank’ in the 2023 comedy-drama The Miracle Club, where she worked alongside Dame Maggie Smith and Laura Linney; and voiceover work in the leading dual roles of ‘Emma’ and ‘Melinda’ in Cartoon Networks’ Children's and Family Emmy Award winning series Unicorn.
In theatre, Hazel made her debut stage appearance starring in the 2024 production of Annie Baker’s Circle Mirror Transformation at the Gate Theatre in Dublin. The play is centred on Drama Classes at a Community Theatre in Vermont. Hazel plays ‘Lauren’, a reserved High School Junior who dreams of attending drama school. Critics have praised Hazel’s performance in the play, with The Irish Independent noting her “dazzling moments” and The Irish Times calling hers a “breakthrough performance”.
Jacob Anderson
Jacob Anderson is a British actor, who plays the lead role in AMC’s hit series Interview With The Vampire, based on Anne Rice’s novels, as the iconic Louis De Pointe Du Lac opposite Sam Reid’s Lestat, Series 3 of which is due to premiere in 2026. He also stars in Series 2 of The Sandman for Netflix directed by Jamie Childs. From 2013 – 2019 he stared as the warrior Grey Worm in HBO’s award winning fantasy series, Game of Thrones.
On the big screen he stars opposite Alice Lowe, Nick Frost and Aneurin Bernard in Timestalker, and as Sam in Bad Apples in 2025, a British feature in which he stars opposite Saoirse Ronan.
For the BBC Jacob worked alongside Jodie Whittaker in Dr Who, their third time together, the others being ITV”s Broadchurch with Olivia Colman and David Tennant, and Abi Morgan’s drama Royal Wedding set in the 1980s. Other TV work includes Episodes with Matt LeBlanc and Channel 4 comedy The Mimic. Film credits include Chatroom with Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Daniel Kaluuya and Overlord, produced by J.J Abrams and directed by Julius Avery.
Jacob is also a successful singer songwriter as his alias Raleigh Ritchie.
Jamie Donoughue
Jamie Donoughue is an Oscar®️nominated British director, writer and producer. His acclaimed film Shok received an Academy Award®️ nomination for Best Live Action Short Film at the 88th Academy Awards®️. Working across film and high-end television, his directing work includes projects for BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Netflix, Sky, AMC and Disney+. He is a voting member of the Academy.
Joanna Vanderham
Bio coming soon
John Probert
Bio coming soon
Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Jonathan Rhys Meyers is an Irish actor who has worked with internationally acclaimed directors including Ang Lee, Oliver Stone, Woody Allen, J.J. Abrams, Roger Spottiswoode, Pierre Morel, Julie Taymor, and Neil Jordan. He is best known for his Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe-winning performance in ELVIS and his three-time Golden Globe-nominated portrayal of King Henry VIII in THE TUDORS, for which he also received four IFTA nominations and one win.
Rhys Meyers’ television credits include Michael Hirst’s Vikings, Harald Zwart’s German/English-language historical drama THE 12TH MAN, the Emmy-nominated miniseries ROOTS directed by Bruce Beresford, and Amanda Sthers’ HOLY LANDS, in which he starred alongside James Caan and Rosanna Arquette.
His recent film work includes Michael Haussman EDGE OF THE WORLD—based on the true story of Sir James Brooke, whose exploits in 1840s Borneo inspired Joseph Conrad’s Lord Jim and Rudyard Kipling’s The Man Who Would Be King—as well as THE SURVIVALIST, opposite John Malkovich.
Rhys Meyers will next appear in EYES IN THE TREES, alongside Anthony Hopkins, set for release in 2026.
Julian Richards
After graduating The National Film School, Julian Richards was hired by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment to adapt the novel ‘Calling All Monsters’. Although the film never got made, it spurred him on to write and direct the first indigenous Welsh horror film DARKLANDS, which won the 1997 Melies D’Argent for Best European Fantasy Film and sparked a revival in British horror cinema that continues to this day. In 2002 Richards directed Frank Finlay, Kevin Whately, Douglas Henshall and Emily Woof in conspiracy thriller SILENT CRY, then used his fee to produce and direct the first British found footage feature THE LAST HORROR MOVIE, which was theatrically released in the US by Fangoria / Drafthouse and won several awards including the Melies D’Argent for Best European Fantasy Film and Best UK Feature at Raindance. In 2006 Richards directed coming-of-age thriller SUMMER SCARS which won two BAFTA Cymru awards and received a UK theatrical release through the ICA. In 2011 he directed his first Hollywood feature SHIVER, a crime thriller starring Danielle Harris, John Jarratt and Casper Van Dein. His international career continued to flourish when, in 2018, he took the helm on psychological horror DADDY’S GIRL starring Jemma Dallender and Costas Mandylor, and paranormal horror REBORN starring Barbara Crampton, Michael Pare, Chaz Bono and Peter Bogdanovich. In 2019 Richards joined Ruggero Deodata and Pollyanna Macintosh directing Christmas themed horror anthology DEATHCEMBER. Richards is also the founder and CEO of world sales agency Jinga Films which has a slate of over 150 curated horror titles including MUTE WITNESS, RABIES, A SERBIAN FILM, BIG BADS WOLVES, THE CANAL, HELLIONS and THE WELL. He is currently preparing to direct two new horror films in 2027, HOLLYWOOD KILLS and THE COLONY.
Karla Crome
Bio coming soon
Karni Arieli & Saul Freed
Bafta Nominated directing duo Karni and Saul, have been making mixed media films, commercials and music videos since 2004.
Karni is originally a photographer, and Saul, an animator. Together, they make what they call “Casual Fantasy” films, A merging of beautiful photography and film with high-end animation and fantasy elements.
In their art, visual pleasure and emotional narratives are key. As well as eco and meaningful topics.
Their first short film, Turning (BBC), was a Bafta Nominee for best short film. They are multi-award winners (British Animation Awards, Annecy Film Festival, Raindance, MVA and many more)
Their second short film, Flytopia (film 4), based on a Will Self short story, toured the festival circuit, winning awards and screening worldwide.
Their third short, WILD SUMMON, a BFI commission, eco fantasy film. Narrated by Marianne Faithfull.
Premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2023, where it was nominated for the Palmes d’Or. It was also nominated for a Bafta in 2024, screened as official selection at Annecy and Clermont Ferrand film festival and winning at the Raindance London Festival.
Its also an Oscar-shortlisted film.
Karni and Saul are currently writing two features and in dev with Bbc/plan b and bfi. Karni is also founder curator of the @eyemamaproject sharing motherhood truths in photography.
They are berlianle talent campus alumni.
They live in Bristol uk with their two sons, making meaningful films and content for the planet and our future. They hope.
Lara Pulver
Bio coming soon
Lee Knight
Lee Knight is a 2026 Academy Award–nominated writer, director, and actor working across stage and screen. His writing and directorial debut, A Friend of Dorothy—starring Miriam Margolyes and Stephen Fry—earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Short Film and is available on Disney+ and airlines worldwide. The film received international acclaim on the festival circuit, winning twenty three awards globally including Best Director at the HollyShorts Film Festival and the Cannes Short Film Festival, as well as the Directorial Debut Award at the Heartland International Film Festival, the Emerging Talent Award at the London Renaissance Film Festival, and multiple Audience Awards. He is currently developing the project into a feature film.
Following the film’s success, Knight was named to Attitude Magazine’s LGBTQ+ 2026 Trailblazers
List alongside Zack Polanski. He will also serve on the jury for three international film festivals this Year.
As an actor, Knight appeared as Rosencrantz opposite Ian McKellen in Hamlet on Amazon Prime Video, a role he also performed on stage during a nine-month repertory season alongside The Cherry Orchard. His recent television work includes Vigil (Series 2) on BBC iPlayer, The Stolen Girl (Disney+/ITV) and Talamasca (Netflix). Additional screen credits include Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Sherlock, The Last Letter from Your Lover, The Trial of Christine Keeler, and The North Water (ABC/BBC). He is also set to play Tuwim in the feature film The Iron Ribbon (2027).
On stage, his theatre credits include the West End production of Much Ado About Nothing alongside Catherine Tate and David Tennant, as well as Martin McDonagh’s A Very Very Very Dark
Matter opposite Jim Broadbent and Drama at Inish alongside Celia Imrie. He also led the critically acclaimed revival of Coming Clean, which transferred to the West End for three sold-out runs.
Alongside his creative work, Knight is a dedicated coach and mentor. He has served on audition panels for leading drama schools and has directed and taught at institutions including London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), Drama Centre London, Identity School of Acting, and Arts Educational Schools London (ArtsEd). Lee trained at Drama Centre London.
Max Marlow
Max Marlow is a British filmmaker and producer of the Oscar®️-nominated short film ‘A Friend of Dorothy’. The film, starring BAFTA winner Miriam Margolyes and Sir Stephen Fry, was released on Disney+ UK and Europe, and ran in theatres across the U.S. and Canada. He was recognised in 2025 as a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree in Entertainment.
At 27, he produced the Oscar ® ️-shortlisted short film ‘Good Boy’, starring Ben Whishaw and executive produced by Emma Thompson and Gia Coppola. The film was picked up for streaming by Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video.
Through his banner, A Marlow’s Production, he continues to develop and produce independent projects featuring industry veterans including acclaimed actress Caroline Goodall in ‘The Second Time Around’, which was broadcast on the UK’s Channel 4. Collectively, his projects have received millions of views across platforms, screened at major festivals globally, and earned regular coverage in leading entertainment publications.
Natasha Dack Ojumu
Natasha Dack Ojumu is a BAFTA-winning producer and co-founder of Tigerlily Productions (London) and Tigerlily Two (Glasgow). Her award-winning films and documentaries have premiered at A List festivals including Sundance, Berlinale, London and sold to streamers and broadcasters around the world.
Recent acclaimed feature documentaries include Spacewoman, Undercover: Exposing the Far Right, White Nanny Black Child, Kanaval: A People’s History of Haiti in Six Chapters, Blue Bag Life, The Lovers and the Despot, and ENO (shortlisted for the Best Documentary Oscar).
Natasha’s television work spans hard hitting current affairs films such as Working for Weinstein, and arts and music, including films about artist OIafur Eliasson, and musicians The Last Poets and Pauline Black.
A graduate of the Royal College of Art and Edinburgh University, she is a member of BAFTA and AMPAS, a mentor on BAFTA ELEVATE and lecturer at leading UK film schools.
Reza Diako
Bio coming soon
Rita Osei
Rita Osei is an award winning Writer/Director. She attended Camberwell College of Arts, graduating with a Joint Honours BA in Visual Arts, where she developed her first films and an instinct for emotionally charged, visual storytelling. Her debut feature film, “Bliss!” an entertaining rites-of-passage adventure, premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Her first shorts screened at Raindance. Recent short film credits include the award winning “Aurora” now streaming internationally on SVOD. The score for Aurora was composed by Oleta Haffner through the inaugural Jonas Gwangwa Music Composition Initiative, a landmark collaboration between Mercury Studios, Globe, Decca Records, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Rita served as Jury Chair for BAFTA’s 75th, 76th & 77th British Short Film Awards, and founded “225 Film Club”, a dynamic and high quality short film festival created to champion female excellence in direction and to amplify underrepresented cinematic voices. The platform has become a vital space for bold filmmaking talent and creative community building.
Rose Ayling-Ellis MBE
Bio coming soon
Shaun Thomas
Actor Shaun Thomas gained recognition for his role as Swifty in Clio Barnard’s film “The Selfish Giant,”. Shaun’s notable works include “Ali & Ava,” “How to Have Sex,” for which he won a BIFA for Best Supporting Actor & “The Choral”. He most recently starred in HBO’s “A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms”
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù is a BAFTA and BIFA nominated and Gotham award winning, London based actor and producer in film and television working on titles such as Black Rabbit, Slow Horses, His House, Gangs of London and My Father’s Shadow. His upcoming projects include Gareth Evans’ ‘A Colt is my Passport’ and ‘All The Sinners Bleed’ for Netflix next year. Ṣọpẹ́ served on the BAFTA Film Committee for two years under Anna Higgs as Chair and is delighted to be a returning juror at the Raindance Film Festival this year.
Tarquin Gotch
Tarquin Gotch has been in the entertainment business his whole working life – starting back stage in West End theatre, doing lights for London Contemporary Dance, (and a strip club in Soho), sound for Lindsay Kemp, second engineer in LA at the Village Recorder, a publisher for Pendulum Music, then becoming head of A&R for two major record labels (Arista and WEA) and signing hit acts (The Beat, The Stray Cats, Rowan Aitkinson, Elaine Paige, Stephen Duffy, Wang Chung, the Associates, Fela Kuti) managing more hit acts (The Dream Academy, Billy Mckenzie, XTC and Jimmy Nail,). Concurrently he was music supervising for John Hughes (and the Wonder Years) and Executive Producing the enormously successful Crocodile Shoes TV series and the accompanying multi platinum albums. He was then moved to Chicago to run John Hughes’ film production company and to Executive Produce all Johns films including the biggest comedy hit of all time (Home Alone) and Chris Columbus’s Only The Lonely.
In 2018, Tarquin music supervised My Generation, a documentary feature film for Simon Fuller on Michael Caine, which opened to rave reviews at the Venice film Festival and
Executive Produced, music supervised Killer Weekend, a low budget indie black comedy and Executive Produced two music biographies, one on Brian Johnson and another on Stewart Copeland.
William C. Martell
William C. Martell has written 20 films for American cable networks like HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, produced by 20th Century, Warners, Sony, and others. His most recent was a horror flick for a Streamer starring Judd Nelson, Ted Raimi, and Moon Bloodgood. His “Secrets Of Action Screenwriting” and Blue Books are recommended by Oscar winners and top Box Office screenwriters. He’s taught screenwriting at Austin, Raindance, and dozens of other film festivals. He’s transitioning to fiction with Mitch Robertson (screenwriter detective) and Jackson Bolt (Threat Management) series. He lives in Los Angeles in the shadow of Universal’s black tower.
Script Competition Jury
Denzil Monk
Denzil Monk is founding CEO at ecosophical production company Bosena. Certified as a B Corp in 2026, the award-winning ‘Cornish Powerhouse’ (Screen International’s Brit 50 ‘ones to watch’) most recently produced Mark Jenkin’s Venice Orizzonti title ROSE OF NEVADA (2025) starring George MacKay and Callum Turner.
Previous titles include Jim Hosking’s ‘absurd revisionist comedy’ EBONY AND IVORY (2024), Christopher Morris’s acclaimed eco-doc A YEAR IN A FIELD (2023) and Mark Jenkin’s BIFA-winning, Cannes Directors’ Fortnight title ENYS MEN (2022). Prior to this he was the Associate Producer on Mark Jenkin’s BAFTA winning breakout BAIT. Denzil is a Bard of Gorsedh Kernow, a commissioning EP at Screen Cornwall and is an active member of UN Climate Change global collective Entertainment and Culture for Climate Action (ECCA).
Gemma Pascual
Gemma Pascual is a Spanish development professional, script consultant and screenwriter with more than fifteen years of experience in the audiovisual industry. For over seven years, she worked as Head of Development – Feature Films at Filmax, overseeing projects from early development through to production and collaborating closely with writers, directors and producers. She currently works as a freelance development professional and screenwriter through her company, Script Ally, partnering up with filmmakers, production companies and public and private institutions. Alongside her development work, Gemma is an experienced mentor, lecturer and jury member, having collaborated with universities, organisations, funding bodies and festivals throughout Europe.
Harvey John
Harvey John is a London-based Screenwriter, Producer and the Founder of Developing Room Films & The Developing Room. As a screenwriter, his credits include the upcoming short film ‘To Catch a Siren’ (which was the Grand Prize Winner in the Shore Scripts 2024 Spring Short Film Fund, and executive produced by Emmy-winner Karina Michel), a limited series in development with Maypole Productions, and a feature film recently selected for the Torino Film Lab Next Feature 2026 development programme.
As an Executive Producer for Developing Room Films, his credits include the short film ‘The Truth About Space’ (made in association with BAFTA-winner Tobi Kyeremateng), which was selected for the prestigious HBO Short Film Award Showcase 2026, and Winner of Best UK Short at the BAFTA-qualifying Manchester Film Festival 2026, and ‘Dinner for Loners’ starring Kulvinder Ghir.
Harvey was also the Production Manager on the short film ‘Agnes’ which premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
Hayley McKenzie
Hayley McKenzie is the Founder and CEO of Script Angel, a leading global scripted development and screenwriter training organization. Script Angel partners with major screen organisations, including BBC, Channel 4, Content London and Raindance Film Festival, to design and deliver programmes to support the development of the next generation of creative talent.
Hayley McKenzie is also a Producer for screen and stage. She is the co-founder of tv production company Studio21 International alongside C21Media’s founder David Jenksinson. Firefly House Productions, which McKenzie founded in 2025, is a production company dedicated to developing a boutique slate of projects for stage, film and television.
Joann Kushner
BIFA-nominated producer Joann Kushner is an award-winning filmmaker working at the forefront of Screenlife and digital-native storytelling. Recognised with a BIFA Breakthrough Producer nomination and a BIMA Award for innovation in film technology, she is known for developing projects with emerging writers and directors. Her recent feature LifeHack, a critically acclaimed Screenlife heist thriller, premiered at SXSW and launched new creative talent through its bold use of digital storytelling.
She is currently developing her second feature, You Should Talk to Someone (working title), in collaboration with Image Nation Abu Dhabi and Film Clinic Cairo, alongside a slate of projects including TROLLS, a Screenlife techno-thriller exploring cyber activism, online espionage, and digital conspiracy culture.
Joseph Bushell
Joseph previously worked as a content producer in the commercial sector working with clients ranging from the USDA in the US to Youtuber Deji in the UK. He also originally worked on multiple shorts in both the camera and lighting departments before moving to the production side. His first producing debut was on the BFI-backed The Archive: Queer Nigerians, which went on to win the short film award at BFI London Film Festival, as well as the Best Documentary Short Film Award at Norwich Film Festival. The project was selected for a total of 7 Oscar qualifying festivals and was included in the BIFA Longlist for Best British Short Film.
Joseph’s debut feature film Dali was nominated for 4 awards at Raindance Film Festival 2025 including Best Feature and Best Debut Feature and also made it to the BFI Longlist.
In 2025 he traveled to Ukraine to shoot the short film DIRT backed by Roman Coppola’s Decentralized Pictures. The production faced many challenges while filming for several weeks at a time in an active conflict zone. Most recently, he has been on the judging panel for the Look Aside Film Fund for the last two years.
Justine Hart
Justine is co-director of The Script Factory where she has spent 25 years working with emerging writing talent and running training programmes for writers and script developers with partners in the UK and across the globe, including Screen Australia, BBC Writers, NFTS, BFI Network, BAFTA and Guesswork Television. Justine is currently also a Script Consultant for The Pitch Short Film Fund and a commissioned writer across film and TV.
Maxine Gordon
Maxine is a BAFTA-Nominated Television Producer renowned for her observational documentaries in the UK and USA, compiled several prolific music documentary series for Channel 4 and the BBC (The Hip Hop Years, Pump Up The Volume, Story of Jamaican Music).
Most recently, her collaboration on BFI Doc Society funded short documentary, The Archive: Queer Nigerians garnered critical acclaim; winning Best Short Film at the BFI London Film Festival, was nominated for Best Short Documentary at Raindance and won Best Short Documentary at Norwich Film Festival, Best Experimental Film at Urbanworld and Longlisted for BIFA.
Maxine spent time teaching film at the prestigious BRIT School (alumni Adele, Tom Holland), which has given her the unique access to up and coming filmmakers, writers, actors in the industry whose connection started in classrooms and has continued on sets.
Natalie Coffen
Bio coming soon…
Poppy O'Hagan
Poppy O’Hagan is a film producer based in London. In her independent work at her company Giant Films, Poppy has spent the last four years building relationships with both up-and-coming and more experienced filmmakers with a variety of narrative styles. Her ambition is to support indie filmmakers with a variety of narrative styles, with a focus on creating a framework to enable a more sustainable ecosystem of independent filmmaking in the UK through collaborating and learning from other countries and systems.
She is currently on the festival circuit with her debut feature, Richard Hawkins’ Think of England which had its world premiere in Official Competition at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and UK premiere at Glasgow Film Festival. She also premiered Matt Chandler’s award-winning short film Every Time I See A Yellow Car at BFI Flare 2026 and is continuing on the circuit, attending many BIFA, BAFTA and Oscar-qualifying festivals.
