Festival jury
Dustin Curtis Murphy
FESTIVAL FOUNDER & FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
Dustin is a multi-disciplined award-winning shorts, commercials, and narrative feature filmmaker creating work at the crossroads of social impact and commercial crowd-pleasers. His work focuses on character driven narratives with relevant social themes, tightly structured plots, and blended genre. Loves a good twist. His debut feature COYOTE, a dystopian sci-fi starring Therica Wilson-Read (Netflix’s The Witcher) and BIFA Winner Ruhtxjiaïh Bèllènéa (The Last Tree), premiered at the Phoenix Film Festival this year and is set for a North American streaming release this summer with a UK premier coming soon.
Career highlights include:
SAMARITAN - Winner: Best International Short at Sedona Film Festival, Winner: Grand Prize at The Weather Channel’s #EarthFilmChallenge, Semi-Finalist at Academy Award Qualifying Rhode Island International Film Festival, plus Official Selections at other BAFTA/BIFA qualifiers.
FILTHY ANIMALS - Shortlisted for Raindance’s #OneMinuteTwist Competition.
NORA - Premiered at BFI IMAX as the centrepiece of TEDxNHS and won 19 awards, including 2 for best director.
REPOSSESSED - Best Student Short at Shriekfest, Hollywood
Born and raised in LA, Murphy has been living in the UK since 2017. | www.dcmfilmmaker.com
Julian Alexander
JURY
Julian Alexander is a filmmaker from Las Cruces, New Mexico. A graduate of New Mexico State University’s Creative Media Institute, Julian continued his studies at the Northern Film School in Leeds, UK where he received his MFA producing and directing numerous film projects, including the Royal Student Television Award nominated short, ‘Léo’ and Beat Blue starring Lana Young (A Jazzman’s Blues, Southpaw)
Julian has previously taught film production at universities in New Mexico and Texas. He has a passion for new media and alternative storytelling methods. Julian has written, directed, and starred in a phone-based web series titled ‘Bad JuJu’ and his most recent production Layla, At Last, funded by the Sharjah Art Foundation. When he is not leading a film set, Julian is leading a classroom as the Lecturer of Film Production at the University of East London.
GILLIAN HARKER
PROGRAMMER
Gillian is an award-winning writer and director. She has been selected by Shiny Network as one of the ‘best new directing talents worldwide’ and is a member of Directors UK. Her latest short film, Tackling, premiered at BAFTA-qualifying Aesthetica in 2022. Her debut short film, ‘Cross', starring Ryan Hayes (CARNIVAL ROW, HBO) won multiple awards including Best Male Actor at BIFA qualifying Little Wing Film Festival 2019 and the Audience Award at the 20th Keswick Film Festival 2020. ‘Jinx’ and 'Day 60' were selected to screen at the 2020 and 2021 Straight 8 competition by a panel of judges including Academy Award winners Asif Kapadia and Robbie Ryan. Her 2021 film ‘Feast’ has played at multiple UK film festivals including BIFA qualifying Little Wing and Kino's: The People's Festival. Feast was nominated for Best English Short Film at The British Short Film Awards 2021.
Ben S. Hyland
PROGRAMMER
Ben S. Hyland is a BAFTA Rocliffe winning comedy writer/director. Ben won the 2023 BAFTA Rocliffe Comedy feature competition with his script, JUMPERS. Ben's most recent short, BLEEP, stars Rebecca Shorrocks, Paul F. Taylor and Toby Williams. It premiered at Frightfest and has gone on to screen at Aesthetica, Cleveland, LSFF to name a few. His film TALK RADIO stars the hilarious Julia Deakin, Pearce Quigley and Tim Key and has screened at multiple BAFTA and OSCAR qualifying festivals such as Show Me Shorts, Encounters, Aesthetica and LSFF before finding a home on YouTube channel, Omeleto. Ben has an online sitcom called ANGRY QUIZ GUY that stars Nick Helm, Rachel Stubbings and Amit Shah. His film QUIET CARRIAGE starring Amit Shah and Emma Sidi has played at BAFTA and OSCAR qualifying festivals such as LOCO, Aesthetica, Aspen, Rhode Island, LA Shorts, Norwich, Encounters and LSFF before finding a home online on SHORT-OF-THE-WEEK.
Other notable achievements include: long listed for Netflix Breakout 2022. shortlisted for Channel 4 #4Stories 2022. finalist in the ENTER THE PITCH 2019. CHARITY FILM OF THE YEAR AWARDS with ROLE MODELS 2019 Winning the LaCie #PushPlay European filmmaking competition with ’88’ 2018 shortlisted (top 20) for the JAMESON’S FIRST SHOT from 2722 entries 2017. Ben is a member of DIRECTORS UK.
James Mansell
PROGRAMMER
An award-winning director, writer and producer, James’ career has spanned film, television, music videos and branded content. His short horror film UNDER THE BED starring Kevin Ashley (Holby City) screened at festivals including Crystal Palace Int. Film Festival and Discover Film Awards, and is available to stream on Samsung TV Plus. James wrote and directed the short film THE MAN IN THE LIVING ROOM starring Jamie Shelton (Emmerdale) and Keicha Greenidge (Waterloo Road). It’s currently available on the streaming platform Filmzie and video entertainment platform Viddsee. He directed music videos with UK metal band Evile for Hell Unleashed and Gore (ft. Brian Posehn) from the album Hell Unleashed, released via Napalm Records. James has worked for international brands including Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan, HSBC, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Levi’s and Shell. He contributed to the web series BBC Ideas: Thinkers from the past on our world today which won a People’s Choice Award at the Creativepool Annual 2020 Awards and the Public Service & Activism Award at the Webby Awards in 2019. James began his career in UK television as a camera assistant and camera operator, assistant director and location assistant for Channel 4, BBC, MTV and Sky among others.
Liz mcmullen
PROGRAMMER
Liz is a Canadian actress, voice over artist, writer and producer. She moved to the UK to train at LAMDA and has been in London ever since. Her work includes an international tour of her one woman show Stupid Cupid, Shakespear sperfoamces in Cambriage and Stratford, writing and starring in the short film Teeth which priemered at the Raindance film festival. Film highlights include the western Never Grow Old starring John Cusack and Emile Hirsch and the recent interactive movie The Complex. Her voice over work includes Playboy Fragrances, Hello Fresh, Love Honey, and has voiced commercials for BBC and E4. She has produced theatre, short films and is currently co-hosting the radio show Screen to Screen on Soho radio- interviewing film industry professionals and reviewing films. | www.lizmcmullen.com
OLIVA ACCARDO
JURY for the Best Low Budget Short category
Olivia is an Oregon-based filmmaker. Her most recent short documentary Finding Beast won the jury award for Best Doc at Kino Film Festival in 2021. Olivia's work borders on diaristic and is generally some kinda autobiographical. She has made three films where a dead cat is a big plot point. Her work has premiered at Seattle International, Hollyshorts, Rhode Island International and many more. She's received funding from Future of Film is Female, and The Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund. Her most recent feature screenplay was selected for Lighthouse International Film Festival's Writer's Retreat 2022. She is funny and nice, and slightly above average height.
GILES ALDERSON
JURY for the Best Sponsored Short category
Giles Alderson has been making films for 14 years. He recently produced Three Day Millionaire starring Colm Meaney which after a successful UK cinema run was Top 5 on Netflix UK and is releasing around the world in early 2023. He Directed, produced and wrote the award winning The Dare for Millennium Films (Hellboy), World of Darkness for WhiteWolf and Arthur and Merlin: Knights of Camelot for Signature Ent (Final Score) and Picture Perfect (Robin Hood) as well as producing A Serial Killers Guide to Life (all are available to watch on Sky Store/Prime now). His latest directed live-action feature The Stranger in our Bed, the thriller based on the best-selling novel of the same name starring Samantha Bond (Downton Abbey), Ben Lloyd Hughes (Sanditon) and Emily Berrington (Humans) for Buffalo Dragon Productions has just been released on Showtime in the USA and released in the UK in September 2022. He directed the WWII feature film Wolves of War for Signature Entertainment and Picture Perfect starring Ed Westwick (Gossip Girl), Matt Willis (Allies) and Rupert Graves (Sherlock) is available now on Prime, Sky Movies and Hulu. He also produced the dark sci fi feature Repeat starring Charlotte Ritchie (Ghosts, You), Tom England (Cosmos) and Nina Wadia (Aladin) and the dark found footage horror feature film Followers for Parkhouse Pictures (Anna & the Apocalypse) starring Harry Jarvis (Free Dance) Nina Wadia (Bend it like Beckham) & Loreece Harrison (Black Mirror) both released in Nov 2021 He runs and hosts the popular podcast The Filmmakers Podcast. His work can be seen at www.gilesalderson.com
BEN ASHTON
JURY for the Best Performance in a Drama and Best Performance in a Comedy categories
Ben has been a professional actor since graduating from the Three Year BA (Hons) Acting course at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in July 2008. He trained in all forms of theatre ranging from Classical Theatre to Contemporary Theatre, Screen, Radio & Stage Combat. Ben graduated with the Patricia Routledge Award and Spoltight Prize Nominee 2008 and has gone on to perform professionally on stage and screen for many companies including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Guildford Shakespeare Company, The Watermill Theatre, Reading Between the Lines, Creation Theatre, BBC Television, BBC Radio 4, Corporeal Productions, 14167 Films. Ben’s debut short film, “Send in the Clowns” was selected at numerous festivals and won the grand prize at the 2021 Kino London Short Film Festival. Ben will soon be seen as The Priest, in the upcoming feature, “Queen of the Redwood Mountains” from 14167 Films.
CLARE COONEY
JURY for the Best Director and Best First Time Filmmaker categories
Clare Cooney is a filmmaker and SAG actor currently living in Los Angeles, trained in Chicago. She recently made her feature directorial debut with the horror-comedy Departing Seniors. Previously she wrote, directed, edited, and starred in RUNNER, a short film that played at 15 film festivals, winning 6 awards and garnering Cooney a “Filmmaker to Watch” nomination from the Oscar-Qualifying Atlanta Film Festival. The latest short films she directed/edited, AFTER (A LOVE STORY) and PICK UP, both played at Oscar-Qualifying festivals. As a director she is known for grounded, character-driven stories filled with tension through naturalism. She made Newcity Magazine's Film 50 list in 2020 and 2019 for being “one of 50 individuals who shaped Chicago's film scene.” Acting credits include a recent guest star on NBC's CHICAGO MED, a recurring role on CW’s 4400, lead roles in numerous independent features, and a supporting role in Steve McQueen’s WIDOWS. Cooney is also a senior programmer at the presitigious short film channel Omeleto, she is a School at Steppenwolf graduate, & she is repped by DDO Artists Agency and Activist Artists Management.
NATHAN CROOKER
JURY for the Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best First Time Filmmaker categories
Crooker is a fresh yet commanding face in the world of horror, entering with a BANG with his short, PLAYBACK that went viral in just one day. The film was also accepted into over eighty film festivals worldwide and won several Best Film awards. Later, he would only accumulate more acclaim for his second short film, MIDNIGHT DELIVERY, and his latest film, #NOFILTER starring Kelly Lamor Wilson and Misha Osherovich from Blumhouses's FREAKY. #NOFILTER has won 34 awards to date, including Best Horror Short at the Screamfest Film Festival, Grimmfest, and Abertoir Film Festival, Best Screenplay at South Africa Horror Fest, and Best Cinematography at Nightmares Film Festival. Crooker is also an accomplished producer in the horror space. In 2021, he created, produced, and sold the horror anthology ISOLATION, helming some of the genre's most innovative directors. He also produced the horror feature UNTIL SOMEONE GETS HURT, starring Michael Welch from TWILIGHT. He first gained recognition in the film industry as a Director of Photography on various documentaries including the critically acclaimed HOLY WARS directed by Smuggler Films’ Stephen Marshall. Filmed in the heart of the Middle East and Southeast Asia, HOLY WARS allowed Nathan to marry his passion for film, impactful human stories and adventure-driven travel. He recently sold his TV show to Warner Brothers and is currently in production on his debut feature PLAY WITH ME. Crooker lives between NYC and LA and is currently in development on several original features.
Tomasz Frymorgen
JURY for the Best Director category
Tomasz Frymorgen is a writer and director working across drama and comedy. His most recent short, Thank You So Much, played at a range of festivals, including The Kino London Short Film Festival where it won Best Comedy and Best Performance in a Comedy (Graham Dickson). Tomasz was a participant in Screen Yorkshire's Flex Programme 2021-2022, where he developed a drama series with co-writer Mo Ahmed. He is currently prepping for his next short, which is due to shoot in Poland in late 2023.
TOM GANLEY
JURY for the Best Low Budget Short & Best First Time Filmmaker categories
Tom is a passionate Writer & Director and creator of the multi award winning 2021 film 'Embers'. Inspired deeply by the likes of Richard Linklater, Spike Jonze and Joachim Trier, Tom's work often has a sentimental, emotional core which draws out human, authentic scriptwriting and powerful performances. After having such a fantastic experience at last year's Kino Short Film Festival, Tom is honoured to be asked back to judge this year's awards.
Rolfe Kent
JURY for Best Score category
Rolfe Kent is a British/American composer who has scored over 50 films including 'Stan and Ollie', 'Mean Girls', 'About Schmidt', 'Up in the Air', and was Golden Globe nominated for 'Sideways' and Emmy nominated for 'Dexter'. He composes his own music, and plays (badly) on many of his scores.
Vince Knight
JURY for the Best Cinematography
Vince Knight has worked internationally as a Director of Photography on productions spanning from feature films and commercials to fashion films and music videos. His latest film, nano-budget slasher Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey hit #1 at the US box office, with a worldwide theatrical release at over 5000 cinemas. With a number of awards from leading cinematography societies including the Guild of Television Camera Professionals and the Golden Eye International Festival of Cameramen, Vince's work has screened at over 30 film festivals worldwide including SCI-FI-LONDON, FrightFest, BFI London Film Festival and Raindance. His career has seen him work on projects alongside names such as Daisy Ridley (Star Wars), Kevin Smith (Clerks), Lewis Hamilton (F1 World Champion), Dean Cain (Superman), Vinnie Jones (Snatch), Luke Goss (Blade II), Winnie Harlow (Supermodel, ANTM), Stan Lee (Marvel), Danny Trejo (Machete), Gina Carano (Haywire, The Mandalorian), Walter Murch (Apocalypse Now), Steve Guttenberg (Police Academy), Lee Majors (The Six Million Dollar Man). With a background in car commercials and motorsports, Vince is the Managing Director of the International Motor Film Awards, the leading awarding body for the automotive film and television industry with a jury of Oscar, Emmy and BAFTA winning professionals. Vince is also a member of the jury for the Royal Navy Photographic Awards for the Ministry of Defence.
PETER LEWINGTON
JURY for Best Score category
Composer, Orchestrator & Multi-Instrumentalist. Peter has scored award-winning short films and worked on High End TV series and features as an additional orchestrator/score preparation. He recently composed music for the successful independent Horror Anthology ‘Video Shop Tales of Terror’ and was accepted into the inaugural year of BAFTA connect.
neil linpow
JURY for Best Screenplay category
Neil is a multi award winning British actor, writer and director. He was born in Bournemouth, England and is of Irish and Chinese descent. He is best known for his dramatic narrative work, writing and starring in the crime thrillers - Little Bone Lodge (premiered at Glasgow Frightfest), Lesson 7 (2020) and Time (2019).
Michael May
JURY for the Best Micro Budget Short and Best Performance in a Comedy categories
Michael May is a filmmaker and performer who began his career as an actor in theater and film while he was a teenager. His foray behind the camera began with producing the cult feature, KILLING ZELDA SPARKS, featuring Vincent Kartheiser and Colm Feore, which lead to a gig overseeing production on a slate of films for the finance company, Citrus Release, Ltd. Since then Michael has produced and directed commercials, documentaries, a feature film, and co-created the multimedia company Fun Size Horror. At Fun Size Horror Michael has produced dozens of short films and multiple anthology features. In 2019 a docu-series Michael created and hosts, AUTO/BIOGRAPHY, premiered on Motor Trend TV. The unique, hybrid True-Crime and Automotive show is the first 4K HDR series on the network.
patricia mccormack
JURY for the Best Low Budget Short, Best Sponsored Short, Best Director, Best Performance in a Drama, Best Performance in a Comedy, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Score, and Best First Time Filmmaker categories
Patricia is an Actor/ Director based in London. Her directorial debut has screened at 92 festivals internationally including BIFA, BAFTA and Canadian Screen Award qualifiers, collecting 23 awards in various categories including Best Narrative Short, Best Actress, Best First time Director + was a Semifinalist at Academy Award qualifying Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival 2021. “Myrtle” launched on Omeleto on 12th October ‘22, watch full film here http://omeleto.com/259038/ Her second short film “Anneka’s Problem” is currently in post production.
Craig McDonald-Kelly
JURY for the Best Micro Budget Short, Best Low Budget Short, Best Sponsored Short, Best Performance in a Drama, Best Performance in a Comedy, Best Screenplay, Best Original Score, & Best First Time Filmmaker categories
Craig is a Scottish born, New York trained actor currently living in London. He can regularly be seen on TV, Film & commercials throughout the UK & US. Craig is currently working Voice Over, doing the English dub for an upcoming high profile J-RPG As a writer/producer: 7 written and produced shorts and a mini series set for 2023 release. Craig is Head of films at streaming platform Klipist and Co-founder of prodiction company Deadline Films UK.
JAMES NEWMAN
JURY for the Best Micro Budget Short, Best Low Budget, Short Best Sponsored Short, Best Performance in a Drama and Best Performance in a Comedy categories
James Newman, is a Writer and Director hailing from Reading, Berkshire. With a passion for filmmaking that started at the tender age of 10, James has honed his craft over the years, developing a keen eye for storytelling and visual aesthetics. He began his professional journey as a runner in the bustling streets of Soho, where he cut his teeth on productions like Killing Eve, Mission Impossible, and Truth Seekers. It wasn't long before James earned his first writing credit on the hit micro short , The Chop. Since then, he's continued to make waves in the industry, collaborating with his brother to co-direct standout productions like Viskar I Vinden and Do Not Touch.
Paul O'Flanagan
JURY for the Best Micro Budget Short, Best Low Budget Short and Best Sponsored Short categories
Paul O'Flanagan is an award-winning director and one of the founding fathers of Boulder Media, having joined as it's first animator in 2000. In the years since, Paul has acted as animation director and director for many high-profile shows such as 'Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends', 'The Amazing World of Gumball', 'Danger Mouse' and My Little Pony for broadcasters such as Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, BBC and Disney. Paul has recently directed 20 episodes of 'Transformers:Botbots' which will debut on Netflix this year. Paul has made several short films throughout the years. His most recent, 'Memento Mori' is currently gathering prizes and dozens of festival appearances around the globe, and was recently long-listed for the Oscar's 'best animated short'. Last year, Paul was promoted to Creative Director of Boulder Media.
BETH PARK
JURY for Best Low Budget Short Category
Beth trained as an actor and worked for several years in theatre. She also works directing actors in video games including Baldur's Gate III. During the pandemic Beth wrote and directed her first short film, FISHWIFE.Not only was FISHWIFE nominated for several awards at the Kino London Short Film Festival it also played at renown genre festivals (Filmquest & SITGES), Academy Award qualifying festivals (Hollyshorts, Flickers Rhode Island, & Austin Film Festival), and BAFTA qualifying festivals (Underwire, Carmarthen Bay Film Festival, & Aesthetica). Recently, FISHWIFE premiered online with ALTER.
Angela Peters
JURY for the Best Performance in a Drama and Best Performance in a Comedy categories
Angela is a London based actress and voiceover artist who has appeared in award-winning feature films and short films screened at numerous international festivals, and in cinemas throughout the UK and Europe, as well as Netflix, Amazon and iTunes. Founder of the long-standing UK Actors Tweetup and TweetFest Film Festival, she has been interviewing casting directors, agents, award-winning directors, actors and producers for over a decade, and is an expert writer for Backstage. Angela has watched thousands of short films over the years and loves everything filmmaker related. Her passion is to help and inspire actors and filmmakers to do more of what they love.
Addy Raja
FESTIVAL FOUNDER & JURY for the Best Director, Best Sponsored Short, and Best First Time Filmmaker categories
Addy is film producer who in his spare time works as an NHS medical doctor. Combining his passion for storytelling and an innate desire to help others, he set up the UK’s first healthcare film production company, producing an array of award winning short films, feature documentaries, and numerous social impact projects. His first short, NORA, inspired by the NHS 70th Birthday, won dozens of international film awards and premiered at the prestigious BFI IMAX Theatre in London as part of a TED Talk. His more recent short, SAMARITAN, won Best International Short Film at Sedona International Film Festival, and was selected for the UK Climate Story Lab 2020, hosted by the BFI and Doc Society. Addy has now branched into mainstream feature films, having just produced his feature film, COYOTE, a dystopian sci fi thriller starring Therica Wilson-Reid, and his latest psychological thriller, THE LONELY MUSKETEER, starring Edward Hogg. Addy is on a mission to tell the stories global audiences need to hear and has been named as one of the UK’s top 100 diverse filmmakers.
keir siewert
JURY for the Best Director and Best Editing categories
Keir Siewert is a Scottish and American filmmaker who is one half of the creative partnership AK, with his wife Alix Austin. He is known for his work in the horror/genre world writing, directing and editing award winning shorts RETCH and DO NOT RESUSCITATE, as well as producing and editing Alix Austin’s short SUCKER. This is all under the couple's production company SWITCHBLADE CINEMA and they have also just co-directed their first feature, a body horror film called KILL YOUR LOVER. Keir also made a departure from the horror world with his short PORTRAIT about sexual cohesion within the photography world. The film won best editing, director and film at last year's KINO LONDON FESTIVAL and premiered online in March of 2023.
AILISH SYMONS
JURY for the Best Performance in a Drama and Best Performance in a Comedy categories
Ailish started out in TV and is now an award winning actress, producer and writer. In theatres such as The National, London, she has played leading roles both in the UK and Ireland, like Romeo and Juliet (Gaiety Theatre Dublin) and The Importance of Being Earnest (Lyric Theatre Belfast) to name a few. She has also worked with the BBC and Screen Ireland. Ailish writes for film and TV through her production company, LionBear Films. Her short films have earned her awards and nominations across the globe including Raindance, London, The Chicago Irish Film Festival, Rome Prisma Awards and BAFTA qualifying and Canadian Screen Award festivals.