A well-known name on the British-Asian stage, London-based Amita has been an actor & has also designed, curated & organised a number of theatre & cinema events in the UK & other countries.

Her focus across all these events has been in support of Women: from workshops on Women in Films in London to chairing the International Women’s Conference in various other countries to the roles she has championed women’s issues across multiple fronts. She is also a programmer & juror for various film & drama festivals around the globe

As an amateur actor in the UK’s Asian theatre circuits, she has acted in several successful shows — most recently “SHE, The Shakti”, a one-act dance drama, she scripted & acted in. She also finds time to contribute to radio/TV programmes supporting charitable causes.

She has been a juror for the Dhaka International Film Festival, Religion Today Film Festival, Italy, Rainbow Film Festival in London and Fisheye.

She is also a member of the Women of Faith for Peace Conference (Italy), a delegate at the Kazan Muslim Film Festival, a member of delegation at the Central Asian Arts Festival London to Bishkek and has been a motivational speaker at the Women’s Conference, Firozabad, India.

Besides her acting & film career, Amita has been an entrepreneur with the experience of having run her own art exhibitions & artwork shipping & handling business for over 15 years.

Carla holds a BA in Media Studies, and is an actress, theatre director, writer, script editor & production manager. She founded Misfits Theatre Group in 2018, a production company for actors to gain invaluable experience of both acting on stage and being involved in the production process. Carla is also the production manager for a company that creates short form documentaries around the UN Sustainable Development Goals for member bodies to showcase amazing advancements in their industry towards making the world a better place. She enjoys writing for both film and theatre, and has her first one woman show debuting later this year. Carla is no stranger to films festivals; as well as assisting with the TriForce Film Festival pre-pandemic, she spent 2 years working with Lift Off International Film Festival out of Pinewood Studios judging short & long form narratives, documentaries and script submissions from all around the world and soon became their head script editor. After Lift Off, Carla went on to be script editor on a number of films, one of which was recently an official selection at the Catalina Film Festival 2023.

David is an award winning actor, writer, director and producer of short films.

Debbie is a dancer and movement artist, trained at the Rambert School of Ballet. She has worked as a professional ballet dancer and choreographer for theatre, film, video promos and TV commercials and spent three decades as a movement tutor for actors at the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. She is co-author of “Actor Movement: Expression of the Physical Being”. Her work with photographer Clare Park as both collaborator and subject has produced imagery for exhibition and books including “Breaking Form; Re-Formed” & “A Square Foot of Sky”. She is currently involved in the development process of an album with the company ‘Music and Being’.

Francesca Louise White is an Internationally Award-Winning Actress, Producer and Voice Artist from Oxfordshire. BA (Hons) Drama degree from Exeter University, studied Acting across the pond at AADA in Los Angeles & comedy improvisation with The Groundlings. She has over a decade of experience in the entertainment industry which includes 36 British short films to date. A life-long film lover whose interests in martial arts and stories of all varieties have led her to work across almost all the genres. She is most known for her independent film work including: ‘King of Crime’ directed by Matt Gambell for Lionsgate, ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ by Steve Lawson for Creativ Studios & Highfliers Films, and ‘Walking Against the Rain’ by Scott Lyus for Crossroad Pictures.

Jason is a movie fan, enjoying the arthouse as much as the multiplex. He has performed, contributed to soundtracks and animated, with his main interest being scriptwriting. Collaborations included winning the LoveBath film prize – which is Ken Loach’s all-time favourite pub skittles based documentary!

Jim is an award-winning filmmaker with several feature films on international release. He has also spent the last 20 years working as Video Production Manager for an NGB. He hosts The Honest Filmmaker podcast – career advice for creatives – a podcast designed to help people new to creative industries. Find out more at The Honest Filmmaker.

Martin is an actor, producer & director in the world of independent short & feature films. He’s been acting for over 25 years & made the leap onto the screen around nine years ago, since amassing over 100 credits. Most recently, he can be seen in “Mask of the Devil”, “Monstrous Disunion”, “lonely Hearts” and “Powertool Cheerleaders Vs The Boyband of the Screeching Dead”, all of which have had successful festival runs.

Martin has been on the jury for a number of film festivals in the past, and says “I make sure to watch all of the films on offer before thinking about judging, even if sometimes that is difficult. Occasionally short films that just grab me and demand a high score”, adding “arthouse & ‘no budget’ films are a true curate’s egg – sometimes unexpected magnificence can be found, and its joyful to see such creativity when it appears”.

Rune has made a strong impression by playing complex charismatic heavies, often with a twinkle in the eye. He is a classically trained actor from DSL in London and is known for his work in Netflix’s “The Last Kingdom”. He has worked with directors including Taika Waititi, Dexter Fletcher and Sarah Pia Anderson. In 2019 he took on the role of “Bron-Char” in Marvel’s “Captain Marvel” and has played lead roles in numerous critically acclaimed stage productions across Scandinavia. Rune has also produced film and theatre and written stage plays and developed film projects. Before turning to acting Rune, was also a professional footballer!

Sean is an actor, camera operator and drone pilot based near Peterborough, with credits including “The Haunting of the Lady-Jane”, “The Samaritan’s Gift” and “Wastelands”.

Shiraz is an multi award winning actor, writer, director and producer with his production company, Aimhigh Productions. He has produced three award winning features and multiple shorts, acclaimed by film festivals around the world. Shiraz is currently working on his first International feature “Journey” which is been shot in both the UK and Pakistan. He believes that films have the power to not only just entertain but also to bring change in the world. He holds an MA from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).

Sue is a former dancer, choreographer and director working across various media: BBC TV, ITV, Merchant Ivory, Scottish Ballet, Kent Opera etc . She lives in South East Wales, where she runs classes, courses and retreats in T’ai-Chi, Qigong and meditation – locally, in Scotland and internationally. www.sueweston.com

Tim learnt the craft of investigative journalism under the guidance of documentary luminaries such as Ray Fitzwalter and Jon Pilger & gained a distinction in the MA in Investigative Journalism at Nottingham Trent University, founding the global Association of Investigative Journalists before broadening his skillset by qualifying & prqctising as a Solicitor for a number of years. The lure of the creative arts was too strong however, and having founded Jibba Jabba as one of the first UK podcast creators for an embryonic iTunes, the company broadened into full content production making short and long form content and advising a number of high profile clients on social media. Over lock-down, he created Minority Support facilitating advice, guidance and funding to arts and leisure projects that might otherwise not reach completion. As well as occasional teaching of Media Law to trainee journalism students, Tim is currently working on a number of sports and personality-led documentaries alongside some fictional projects. He also recently helped found Stand To Crew, a not-for-profit company that helps link ex-military personnel with potential employers in the film, tv and construction industries.

Tom comes from a background in Broadcast and Business TV production. He started his career with BBC Documentary Features as a Researcher before moving into roles as an Assistant Producer and Director. Subsequently, his key posts of responsibility include EMEA Producer / Director for Unisys Ltd, the global IT Solutions company, where he led and delivered award-winning programme content across Europe; and Business TV Producer/Director for Halifax plc. His main areas of interest and expertise are factual programmes – both documentary and current affairs. Credits include the Royal Television Society award-winning series Close-up North; (BBC1); The Boarding House (BBC2 ’10×10′); Bridge Builders (BBC2); Mirror Image (BBC2); Into the Music (ITV); and Not on a Sunday (Channel Four). He was also awarded a US ‘Telly Award’ for his corporate social responsibility documentary, Project Raja – An Embassy for Elephants. Tom joined Buckingham New University as an Associate Professor in Film Production in 2022. As well as course leading its MA programmes in Filmmaking and Screenwriting, he is actively involved in developing media practice, and in creating links with partners from the broadcast, business and charitable sectors, whilst building students’ employability skills. His recent documentary films include “Irish Nurses in the NHS”, “Music4Displaced Dyads” and a commemorative documentary for the European Human Rights Agency.

Tony was originally an actor, but he is best known for his work as a TV screenwriter, director and producer, with hundreds of hours of screen credits to his name. His writing credits include: “Silent Witness”, “Trial and Retribution”, “Waking The Dead”, “Dalziel and Pascoe”, “The Bill”, “Second Sight”, “Murphy’s Law”, “Dangerfield”, “Out Of Hours”, “Casualty”, “Eldorado” and his own original serials “Resort To Murder” and “Headless”.

He was one of the original team that launched “EastEnders” and was the first writer to complete over 100 episodes of the long running BBC show, becoming the show’s lead writer, story consultant and series consultant as well as directing numerous episodes. In 1999 he created the successful hospital drama “Holby City” and was the programme’s Executive Producer, Series Consultant and Lead Writer from 2006 to 2010, during which time he was the recipient of a BAFTA.

He has also developed TV series in several countries including India, Dubai, Egypt, South Africa and New Zealand, as well as writing a number of radio plays and directing a variety of theatre productions. Recently he has had two novels published, both thrillers “BECK LE STREET” and “EDGE OF CIVILISATION”, and is also the proud recipient of an Honorary Fellowship from the Rose Bruford College and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Bradford.

Ty hails from Buffalo, NY, USA. A seasoned and award winning filmmaker that has committed years to helping other filmmakers find their start and calling amongst the film communities from the East coast of the US to the West. Known most for his productions Alive: The Undead, Little Green People, Not Another Monster Movie, and the upcoming Slasher Days of Summer. He started as a production assistant in 2013, and has grown through the ranks doing work including special effects makeup, acting, scouting, puppetry, prop building, casting, writing, directing, and now producing indie feature films in the WNY area.