Frank Harriman - UK

Frank Harriman is an award-winning filmmaker, writer and educator. Currently dividing his time between developing his own creative projects and inspiring a new generation of young filmmakers to take their first steps into the industry, he uses the opportunity of judging at Beeston to recharge his own artistic batteries. As he says, “Watching the incredible talents on show can be such an inspirational experience, it’s easy to forget I’ve got a job to do.”

Adam Anwi - UK

Writer & Director Adam Awni is a London based Director who has a background in music promos and corporate videos. His recent short film “Bunny” is currently on the festival circuit having garnered 3 International awards and 8 nominations.

Tommy Draper - UK

Derbyshire born Tommy Draper is a writer of both short and feature films. Tommy has won many awards for his short films and was BAFTA long-listed for Stop/Eject. His zombie feature film debut, Wasteland, has been released on DVD in America, Germany and Japan. Currently he has 4 short films in post-production, most notably the fantasy short Songbird. He is writing several more shorts and features, with the aim of them going into production next year.

Gino Van Hecke - Belgium

Gino founded Zeno Pictures (Belgium) in 2006 to buy, release and distribute (almost) forgotten cult films, and other unique pictures and worldwide (cult) hits. “Already as a child, I was a big movie fan. Later, I attended film school in Brussels and graduated as an editor in 1993. Just like director Quentin Tarantino, I started working in a video store, which I swapped after 7 years for a job at the biggest rental organization in Belgium. I attended the Cannes Film Festival for the first time in 2004, quickly followed by the American Film Market in Los Angeles, the European Film Market in Berlin and the Hong Kong Film Market. In 2006, I released my first film in the Benelux, The Tiger Blade, which led to me starting my own company, Zeno Pictures.” In September 2017 Gino received Buyer of the Year for the region of Benelux Award at Indywood Film Market.

Francesca Levi - UK

Francesca Ruth Levi is a filmmaker that specialises in live cinema and site specific pieces. Her short films have been screened all over the world and she has had the pleasure to work on a number of exciting projects including Live Cinema's project 'The Unfilmables' creating live music cinema with composer Mica Levi and alongside Caberet Voltaire, Wrangler and filmmaker Tasha Tung. Francesca also runs a film festival called Everyday Arias ( www.everydayarias.com ) which is dedicated to short films that utilise opera within everyday life, the festival also embraces submissions from world theatre traditions such as Kathakali, Kabuki, Chinese opera etc. Francesca is super excited to be seeing some of the wonderful films selected for the festival

Thomas Grascouer - France

Thomas Grascœur is a French award-winning director and actor. As an actor, he often appears on French Television (Flic tout simplement, by Yves Rénier, with Mathilde Seigner and Philippe Torreton, Alice Nevers, Clem, Nos Chers Voisins, Plus belle la vie...). He's also acting on stage in Paris both in classical and modern plays. As a director, his two last films have been selected in more than 60 festivals and won more than 20 awards, including the Audience Award at the Beeston Film Festival. His first one, A Parisian Bourgeois takes a break, a modern adaptation from a short story by the French writer Guy de Maupassant, is regularly broadcasted on OCS (Orange Cinema Series, the French channel of HBO).

Melissa Skirboll - USA

Melissa Skirboll is an award-winning director, writer, actor and producer. Her short film MY DINNER WITH SCHWARTZEY made its UK premiere at Beeston Film Festival in 2019 and she is thrilled to be participating in the 2020 festival as a judge. SHWARTZEY was a finalist in the Bermuda Short Film Festival, and has since been awarded “Best Dramedy: at the Manhattan Film Festival. It continues to play at festivals around the world. With over 10 years of directing for theatre, Melissa turned her eye to film in 2016 with “Show & Tell Tango”. “Tango” premiered at the at the Västerås Film Festival in Sweden in September 2017. An official selection in 20 festivals worldwide, “Tango” has garnered 3 wins and 6 nominations for directing, acting, writing and short film.

Billie Vee - Greece

Billie is a London based actress and screenwriter of Greek origin. Having worked extensively in Greek and Cypriot television and theatre, she moved to London, where she has performed in theatre, including Pleasance Theatre London, Southwark Playhouse, Old Red Lion, Upstairs at the Gatehouse, New Diorama Theatre as well as in independent films, commercials and recently in webseries and a TV pilot. She is also a screenwriter, with five short films under her belt so far. Her last award-winning short film ‘Testing Greta' has been officially selected for festivals across the UK, US and Europe, including the BAFTA qualifying Aesthetica Film Festival and British Urban Film Festival. Billie is in preparation of a feature film which she's written and will also be acting in.

Marina Anna Eich - Germany

Born in 1976 in Germany, Marina Anna Eich worked in the film industry for over 25 years as producer, actress and distributor. She was a jury member in more than 15 international Film Festivals such as Sitges, Fantasporto, Brussels, Molins de Rei, Ourense, Oman, Sweden, Germany, India. With MARILU PICTURES she now created her own distribution company distributing independent movies in Spain. Besides Marina Anna Eich is also a part of the Film Festival organization team for CURTAS Festival do Imaxinario, Vilagarcia de Arousa, one of the oldest and biggest fantasy film festivals in Spain.

Lauren Pizzicaroli - UK

Lauren Pizzicaroli is a Canadian writer now based in the UK. Lauren earned an advanced diploma in Sport and Recreation Management in Canada, then decided to travel to Ireland where she earned a BA (Honors) in Management Practice. After a lifelong dream of wanting to become a writer, she moved to England in 2019 and graduated with a BA (Honors) in Creative Writing and Screenwriting. Lauren writes prose, poetry, and screenplays, and has extensive knowledge in script editing and mentoring. Lauren works as a project manager alongside Dr. Rebekah Louisa Smith, the Award Winning Film Festival Strategist & Founder of The Film Festival Doctor.

Anna Wallace - UK

Buckinghamshire born Anna Wallace is a final-year English student and the Head of Writing for the University of Nottingham's Film Making Society. As a member of its committee she runs regular screenwriting workshops for members and helps to foster the University's burgeoning film and writing talents. The writer and co-producer of '22:36', a student-made short currently in the final stages of post-production, Anna is a life-long film and television junkie, and aspires to be a full-time screenwriter.

Dr Sharon Coleclough - UK

Dr. Sharon Coleclough completed her PhD in Cinematic Performance at the University of Salford in 2014. A Senior Lecturer in Film Production and Sound Design at Staffordshire University, her work combines the theory and practice of moving image production, and the ways in which meaning is created through the technical application of craft. Recent publications consider the relationship sound and the city focussing upon Berlin, with another article exploring the relationship of BAME actors to lighting and camera, with an inspiring lecture series commission from Learning on Screen on the same subject. Sharon works internationally on the collaborative digital project, “The Laptop Tour” which considers the ways performance can be realised through the use of technology. Sharon has worked in both the UK and USA on varied moving image projects and continues to maintain those links whilst also working in education.

Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe MBE - UK

Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe MBE is the founder and Chairman of the British Urban Film Festival and was invited to become a BAFTA voting member in December 2020. He has also sat on voting juries at ASFF, Caribbean Tales International Film Festival/TIFF, North East International Film Festival and Triforce Monologue Slam Luton. In December 2019 it was announced in the 2020 New Year’s honours list that he was to be awarded with an MBE for services to the Black and Minority Ethnic film industry. He received his medal from HRH Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace in March 2020. Emmanuel founded the British Urban Film Festival in July 2005 to showcase urban independent cinema in the absence of any such state-sponsored activity in the UK (at the time). In October 2020, the festival was granted with BAFTA qualifying status for British Short Films.

Tom Nettleship - UK

Tom Nettleship co-founded music and post-production sound company Two Twenty Two whose work has been featured in the New York Times, the United Nations General Assembly, performed live at the Royal Albert Hall, and has won a Royal Television Society East award for short documentary ‘Nial Adams’. Feature film scores in recent years include award-winning US drama ‘Ask For Jane’ starring Sarah Steele (The Good Wife) and Alison Wright (The Americans), Rohingya documentary ‘Shanti Khana’, which was narrated by Ashley Judd, British comedy heist film ‘The Pay Day’ starring Simon Callow, which had a US theatrical release in November 2022, and Home By 8.30 (nominated for Best Score at Beeston Film Festival). Tom is a strong advocate for equality, diversity in storytelling and setting about making change within the film industry. He’s a supportive member of the Alliance for Women Film Composers and is very passionate about UK independent cinema.

Neda Khanifar - Iran

Neda Khanifar is an Iranian and award-winning filmmaker. Her First Film Hard Shadow participated in more than 30 festivals including Beeston Film Festival and Mill Valley Film Festival. After that she made 2 other short films and continued exploring the great world of cinema! Now as a new member of Beeston Film Festival’s Jury, she has the chance to watch creative films from great artists around world.

Abbie Hills - UK

Abbie Hills is a Talent Agent, Writer and Producer [The Dazey Hills Company] with experience on both sides of the camera. Abbie is also a trained Access Coordinator, facilitating the needs of D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent talent on both sides of the camera. After starting her own company at the age of 23, Abbie is passionate about new Talent in the film industry.

Arvin Belarmino - Philippines

Arvin's Director credits include Nakaw (Steal)' won Best Fiction Film in the 3rd Minikino Film Festival in Jakarta, Indonesia. It was part of the 2018 Brussels Short Film Festival in Belgium and the 2017 Asiana International Short Film Festival in Seoul Korea as a competition film. In 2020, his short film 'Tarang (Life's Pedal)' won Best Film at the 36th Interfilm Berlin Short Film Festival. In 2022, the Cinefondation Residency in Paris, France chose Belarmino as one of the top 6 filmmakers for his feature film project Ria, which won the CNC Pitch Award. The residency is programmed by Festival de Cannes. In the same year, the filmmaker was a participant at the 10th edition of the Locarno Filmmakers Academy which formed part of the 75th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland. In 2023, Ria was selected at the La Fabrique Cinema in Cannes and also for the Sorfond Pitching Forum in Norway.

Jermaine Liburd - UK

Known for The Virtues (2019), This Is England '90 (2015), Rig 45 (2018), Peter Rabbit (2018). Jermaine is an actor from St Ann's, Nottingham. One of his first major TV credits was to feature in legendary Shane Meadows' BAFTA winning TV series THIS IS ENGLAND '90, playing the pivotal role of Rudy - Milky's uncle. This shortly followed with him featuring alongside Tom Cruise in MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION. Meadows vowed to work with him again, and soon cast him in the powerful BAFTA nominated drama THE VIRTUES, playing the role of David. Jermaine currently stars in season two of Channel 4's Scandinavian thriller RIG 45.

Cat White - UK

Cat is an award-winning actor, author, filmmaker, activist and founder/CEO of Kusini Productions. She has been honoured as a member of the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, long-listed for AllBright’s ‘Innovative Trailblazer Award’, heralded as one of 'Five Activists Who Should Be On Your Radar ’by the Trouble Club (previous speakers including Gloria Steneim and Margaret Atwood), is a BAFTA connect member and We Are Parable/Channel 4 Momentum alumni. She is a proud ambassador for PAPYRUS, the UK's national charity for young suicide prevention, mentor on The Page One Project and East-Midlander born and bred!

Ashraf Shishir - Bangladesh

Md Ashraful Alam, known as Ashraf Shishir, is a renowned filmmaker, scriptwriter, and human rights advocate. He has served as a jury member at over 35 international film festivals, including the 52nd International Emmy® Awards. Shishir's debut feature film, 'The Innocenc' (Amra Ekta Cinema Banabo), holds the world record for the longest fiction feature film (21+ hours), showcasing his innovative storytelling. Beyond filmmaking, Shishir is a dedicated human rights advocate, creating impactful multimedia content on social issues. IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6959128/

Mikias Mulugeta - Ethiopia

Writer, Director, and African Creative networks coordinator for the Focus on Ability Short film Festival. Mikias also manages a diverse range of content, including managing over 200 short films on disability. His ultimate goal is transforming Africa into a vibrant hub of international festivals and cultural exchange, fostering greater appreciation and understanding worldwide.

Teymour Tehrani - Germany

Teymour Tehrani is a German-Iranian filmmaker who works as a screenplay writer, director and producer in Berlin. A graduate of Derby University with a BA, he later received his film directing MA with Distinction at the Northern Film School - Leeds Beckett University (UK). He had further postgraduate education at FAMU (Prague, CZ), Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg (Ludwigsburg, GER) and was awarded the prestigious VGF scholarship to UCLA (USA). Since then, Teymour Tehrani has worked on both commercials and feature films. His film “ANIETIÉ, and the Sky will be there“ (GER, 2021) was acknowledged around the world as one of the most valuable European contributions to the Black Lives Matter movement. Currently Teymour is touring the festival circuit with his internationally awarded film DISCONNECT. This artistic short premiered in the Midlands at the Beeston Film Festival 2024 and draws from personal experiences with mental health issues and the subject of personal transformation. Teymour is currently working on the narrative feature 'Hungry Hearts' (W.T.), a collection of unique Berlin stories.

Stuart Wright - UK

Stuart Wright is a screenwriter and the long standing host of the Britflicks Podcast. He has a number of exciting genre projects in development with Pinball Films and a couple of book adaptions for television in development with Free At Last TV. He is known for his work on horror feature THE LAIR (2020) and script consultancy on SQUEAL (aka SAMUEL'S TRAVELS, 2021). He has written and produced four short films. The fourth, FALLEN, was acquired by SHORTS TV and is a chapter on the British anthology PSYCHOMANTEUM (2018).