Nat is a BAFTA-nominated writer, director, and comedian. She has appeared on Channel 4, BBC3, and Radio 4, and taken ten shows to the Edinburgh Festival. Her sketch group JIGSAW had two series on Radio 4.
She has written and directed six short films funded by Creative England, Film London, Film4, and others, with screenings at festivals worldwide. Her debut feature Butterfly Stroke is filming in Zurich in 2025, and she has several TV and theatre projects in development.
Nat is also the author of five books, with two more due next year, and her short story Howling Pack of Undesirables was nominated for the Royal Academy of Art and Royal Society of Literature Short Story of the Year awards.
Greg is the Artistic Director for Heartland Film and its Indy Shorts (Academy Award®, BAFTA, and Goya qualifier), Heartland Film Festival events in Indianapolis, and is also Senior Associate Programmer with the Tribeca Festival shorts team. Greg regularly serves as a festival jury member, industry panelist, and grant reader including recent engagements with Stage 32, IDA, and the NEA. Greg was honored with the 2024 Spirit of Windrider Award at the Windrider Summit/Sundance Film Festival.
Laura is a Scottish-Syrian documentary filmmaker and NFTS alumna whose work explores identity, trauma, and nostalgia. Her debut short Flight (2017) followed her young Syrian cousins’ journey from Syria to Sweden, winning ‘Best Documentary’ at Norwich Film Festival.
Her graduation film Isle of Us (2020) premiered at Sheffield DocFest and was shortlisted for a BAFTA Student Award. In 2021 she made Born in Damascus, which won the Berlinale Crystal Bear for Best Short Film in 2022 and was later released by Guardian Documentaries.
Alongside her independent work, Laura is an Assistant Producer in television, with credits on premium documentaries for Netflix, Sky, AMC, and Channel 4.
Christopher is a UK based writer and director, who was named a Screen Star of Tomorrow in 2018. His debut feature, Bring Them Down, premiered at Toronto Film Festival in Special Presentation in 2024. The film stars Oscar nominated Barry Keoghan and Christopher Abbott and is based on Chris’ Brit List featured original screenplay. The film saw Chris win the Douglas Hickox Award for Outstanding Debut Director at the 2024 British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs). The film was released cinematically by MUBI in February 2025 across UK, Ireland, North America, Latin America and Canada to critical acclaim; Best Picture at Fantastic Fest, Best Screenplay in Rome and the Firpresci award in Mannheim and Heidelberg.
Chris is developing feature projects with BBC Films, Film4, MUBI and Range Media.
Chris is an Academy Award®-winning director, actor, and founder of Slick Films. His directorial debut The Silent Child won the Oscar for Best Live Action Short, alongside over 50 international awards. He has since directed acclaimed shorts including Leader and In Too Deep, and is developing feature films with Broadway Cinema and BFI Network.
Chris has collaborated with Aardman on the award-winning children’s series Libby’s Silent World and directed commercials for brands such as Huawei, winning multiple Cannes Lions, D&ADs, and a Grand Prix at Eurobest. Through Slick Films, he has supported over twenty short films from first-time filmmakers.
Richard is an award winning Writer and Director specialising in impactful storytelling film. His natural ability to direct emotive and thought provoking work, coupled with 15 years as a director of photography results in beautiful and engaging film. He has Directed and DP’d successful projects for Nike, Coca-Cola, Red Bull and BT Sport to name a few and his in-depth technical knowledge allows him to implement cinematic quality and perfect composition into his work.
Richard has written and directed two multi-award winning short films that have both received critical acclaim and overwhelming audience feedback. Now developing a slate of features, including a high-concept sci-fi film.
Gabriella is a British-Maltese animation director and illustrator based in London. Her work often captures the small moments of everyday life, as seen in her short Solos (2019). She has since directed films for Barbican, Tate, and Ted-Ed, and worked on projects for Penguin, BBC Stories, and Hospice UK.
Gabriella frequently collaborates with Cambridge University researchers on films such as Spectrum 10k (2021) and The Story of Louisiana Creole (2022). Her animation has also featured in live-action projects for WWF and Melt Films. Alongside her film work, she is developing her first children’s picture book.
Ryan is a writer-director known for blending genre storytelling with bold visual style. His debut feature Elfie Hopkins starred Jaime and Ray Winstone, and he has since directed the BBC mini-series BeastHunter with James Corden and acclaimed music videos for Charli XCX, A$AP Ferg, and BANKS.
His short Hiraeth won multiple awards, screened at Norwich Film Festival, and was BAFTA and Oscar qualifying, while his latest film Water premiered at the Chicago Horror Film Festival. Ryan’s commercial clients include Urban Outfitters, Red Bull, and Elliss, alongside fashion films for Hunger, i-D, and V Magazine.
Emily Downe is an award-winning animation director whose films transform research and complex ideas into visually poetic storytelling. Working in hand-drawn 2D animation, her shorts explore themes in science, philosophy, and the human story, and have screened at festivals including Annecy, Encounters, Ann Arbor, Cinanima, and LIAF.
She is co-founder and co-director of Studio Desk, creating films that bring research to life for wider audiences, including collaborations with Theos. Emily studied Illustration Animation at Kingston School of Art and completed her MA in Documentary Animation at the Royal College of Art.
Yolanda Barker is an award-winning writer, director, and producer whose work spans documentary, live action, and animation. Her films have screened at festivals worldwide and picked up numerous accolades, while her music videos, TV, and commercial projects showcase the same blend of creativity and craft.
Originally from Ireland and Poland and now based in London, Yolanda brings a distinctive international perspective to her storytelling, with a body of work that continues to push across genres and formats.
Diana Hare has over 30 years’ experience in broadcast production, from her first role as a runner on Opportunity Knocks to senior positions as Live Studio and OB Director, Journalist, Executive Producer, and Factual Commissioner at the BBC. Her recent credits include BBC series Villages by the Sea and documentary strand Our Lives.
Born and raised in Norfolk, she is passionate about regional production and now works as a Leadership Coach and Broadcast Consultant. Diana also fronts a jazz band, mentors media students, and is a trustee of the Norfolk-based music charity NORCA.
Zainab Balami is an animation producer, scriptwriter, and founder of Zazou Production Works, dedicated to creating culturally rich, original animated stories. She is the creative producer of The Adventures of Zaza, co-produced with Yoruba Saxon and Argo Films, and has delivered projects for UNICEF, WaterAid, and others.
She also consults as a scriptwriter with Gobelins Paris on a UNESCO–Michel Lafon project and serves as Industry Liaison Executive at the Children’s Media Foundation and Brands & Communications Director at CMA-Africa, championing inclusive narratives that celebrate global diversity.
Helen Piercy is an award winning animator, author, and educator whose work bridges digital, 2D, stop-motion, and live-action storytelling.
A graduate of the National Film and Television School, her films have been selected to showcase at acclaimed animation festivals, such as Edinburgh, Encounters, and the London Short Film Festival. Her past clients include the World Wildlife Fund, London Fashion Week, Saatchi Gallery, and Sadler’s Wells Theatre.
Helen is Education Director for Animated Women UK and lectures on the BA (Hons) Animation programme at Norwich University of the Arts. Her practice-based research explores how animation can function as a feminist interpretive lens.
Chloë Thomas is a BAFTA-nominated director known for her work across drama and comedy. Her credits include Grantchester, Victoria (ITV), Harlots (Hulu), and The Deceived (C5), working with actors such as Paul Mescal, Samantha Morton, and Lesley Manville. She began her career on Horrible Histories, earning a BAFTA nomination, and went on to direct Sharon Horgan’s sitcom Angelo’s.
Chloë is currently attached to direct the feature The WishBoard with Redwave Films and continues to develop new projects through her company One Glove Films. Current work includes original drama and comedy pilots, a series based on pioneering barrister Nemone Lethbridge, and a three-part thriller The Makeover.
Jack Pond is a Norfolk-based VFX compositor whose work spans film, television, and advertising. After graduating from Norwich University of the Arts, he began his career at The Mill, one of the world’s leading post-production studios, before going on to collaborate with Framestore, Ember Films, and other creative teams on high-profile projects.
Specialising in compositing, roto, tracking, and CG integration, Jack brings precision and creativity to every project. His credits range from commercials and branded content to narrative film and television, building a reputation as a versatile and inventive artist in the visual effects industry.