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2027 Jury

Kevin Alcantar

Based in Los Angeles, Kevin Alcántar (he/they) is a Mexican-American writer, director, producer, and multidisciplinary artist. His work explores life’s contradictions: the interplay between dream and memory, the mundane and the fantastical, and the drastic lengths people will go to for human connection. Kevin’s work is also profoundly shaped by his South Central LA roots and aims to highlight overlooked places and the rich inner lives of the diverse people who live there.

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Christiane Alfred

Christiane Alfred is a UK-based registered counsellor and psychotherapist with a private practice, Cee The Counsellor, offering therapy to individuals aged 16 and above. Christiane enjoys baking, reading, and have recently taken up knitting.

Jillian Bagan

Jillian Bagan (they/them) is a Registered Clinical Counsellor and Registered Canadian Art Therapist whose work focuses on trauma, identity, mental health, and supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. They are also a practicing artist and advocate for inclusive communities. Favourite film: Before Sunrise.

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India Barnardo

India Barnardo has worked in the film industry for 19 years at an array of companies within the animation industry and is currently with Disney. She has always had a passion for storytelling and in her spare time she loves to write, hike and paint.

Ginny Bates

Hi I am an AUDHD psychotherapist working in private practice specialising in CPTSD and Neurodivegance. I am an integratively trained humanistic psychotherapist and EMDR practitioner. I live and work in Bristol with my husband and two boys and our Romanianrescue dogs. We are a neurodivergent vegan family and have home educated our boys. I love gardening, country walks and foraging and I am facinated by people. One of my favorite films is About Time.

Sophie Bayley

Sophie is a Bristol-based psychotherapeutic counsellor, supervisor, and trauma specialist. Informed by her own lived experiences with trauma, abuse, and cancer, alongside a deep recognition of her privilege, her anti-oppressive, human approach offers profound insight into complex narratives, survival, and systemic barriers.

Deborah Buthmann

Deborah is a Vancouver therapist, dog lover, adventurer, and avid listener of human stories. She’s fascinated by the intersection of mental health, creativity, and self-expression, and by the funny, messy ways people make sense of being human. Favourite cinematic universe: Dune.

Christine Cabildo Albildo

I'm Christine (she/her), I am Filipino and first generation immigrant. I live and work in Treaty 6 and have called Edmonton my home for the last 16 years. I'm working as a Health Promotion Coordinator at the University of Alberta and have been in this role for the last 6 years. I love a good romcom, my current favourite is the To All the Boys I've Loved Before trilogy.

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Julie Colman

Head of Production at Rural Media, I create and support films that amplify underrepresented voices. Coming from a working-class background, I came to filmmaking later in life after a career in admin and raising my family. I value bold, meaningful storytelling. My creative journey has been shaped by lived experience, curiosity and a determination to create space for voices and stories that deserve to be heard.

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Louis Conibear

Louis is an integrative counsellor and crisis support worker for a mental health charity that provides immediate support in his local area. He enjoys long-distance running, spending time outdoors and eating out. His favourite films explore identity and relationships.

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Stefan Credidio

Stefan is a non-binary, trans masc, trauma-informed, kink-aware, GSRD and neuro-affirming therapist who runs their online holistic counselling private practice in Glasgow, supporting individuals, couples, and polycules.

Kie Cummings

I’m Kie, a filmmaker, cinematographer, and photographer creating visually engaging and meaningful stories. My work spans documentaries, promotional content, and artistic projects, often exploring themes of mental health, art and social impact. I blend artistry with authenticity, using metaphor and visual allegory to craft resonant narratives. Whether directing a crew or working solo, I bring high production values, empathy, and creativity to each project, making each story memorable and accessible

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Leanne Dimant

Leanne, a Northern Canada-raised film director now in the UK, has created films for the Red Cross, Glastonbury Festival, and the V&A Museum. She is currently producing a documentary funded by the BFI Doc Society. Favourite Film: Lady Macbeth.

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Melissa Glassman

Melissa heads the scripted division at Mariska Hargitay’s Mighty Entertainment where she co-produced My Mom Jayne. At Pressman Film, Melissa developed various projects and produced the doc Dear Mr. Brody. She began her career as a writer/editor at the teen magazine, YM.

Ricardo Goni Estrada

Ricardo is a BACP-accredited Counsellor, IFS and Gestalt therapist with over 20 years of clinical experience. He works with adults navigating trauma, anxiety, relationships and questions around identity and sexuality. He has a particular interest in working with neurodivergent people and those exploring ways of relating, identifying or living that sit outside conventional expectations.

Brandon Hicks

Brandon Hicks is a New Brunswick-based artist. He currently serves as the Canadian Chair of the National Cartoonist Society, and his work has appeared in numerous publications, including MAD, Fangoria, CBC and the Maritime [EDIT], where he serves as Comics Editor. His plays and short films have won awards at international festivals, and he is the author/illustrator of several books. Most recently, "On The Border" from Conundrum Press.

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Myranda Hulka

Myranda is a an animation director working with the mediums of stop-motion and puppetry with a focus on dark fantasy and horror. The look and feel of the puppets has a big influence on her storytelling process and she tends to experiment mixing these mediums in new ways.

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Priscilla Jayne

Priscilla Jayne is an LA-based producer, and USC Stark program alum. Her recent work includes the short THE MUSHROOM MAN, selected for Cate Blanchett’s Proof of Concept Accelerator in 2026, and the short doc UNFOLDING, recipient of the 2024 Voices With Impact grant. Her favorite movie is FURY ROAD.

Megan Jones

Megan is an award-winning documentary filmmaker creating stories with social impact. She co-produced No Māori Allowed, directed Six Angry Women, and co-created Black Coast Vanishings. She co-founded Open Closed Doors, a mental health charity.

Brea Kane

I'm a perinatal mental health counsellor supporting folks through infertility, pregnancy, postpartum, and parenthood. My work is influenced by matricentric, Black, and intersectional feminisms, and I'm passionate about supporting women in reclaiming agency and autonomy in motherhood. One of my favourite films is The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Iris Kim

Iris (Yi Youn) Kim is a writer, reporter, and a documentary filmmaker based in NYC. She has previously worked for NBC News, HBO Max, and Wondery. She has written about subjects like her double eyelid surgery, Korea’s division, and substance use disorder as a sexual assault survivor for Harper’s Bazaar, the Rumpus, and the LA Review of Books. Her short documentary film, "Unfolding," is about an Asian American sexual assault survivor breaking her silence. Iris’s work has been supported by PEN America, USC Center for Public Diplomacy/the Korea Foundation, New Filmmakers LA, BlackStar Film Festival, Voices With Impact Film Festival, and Gold House. Iris is currently in a Creative Nonfiction and Literary Translation MFA program at Columbia University.

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Margaret Kroen

Margaret Ann Kroen believes that art has unlimited capacity to bring relief, support and joy to all. She is a social worker with 50 years of clinical and administrative experience in mental health, substance use, and research. Her favorite film is La Belle et la Bête by Jean Cocteau.

Jess Lenihan

Jess (she/her) is a therapist and the clinical director of The Curious Kind on the unceded homeland of the Coast Salish peoples (Vancouver). Jess loves working people thinking about gender, neurodiversity, climate change, & culture's influence on our problems. Jess’s favourite film is The Shining, for the haunted hotel, excellent carpets, and surprisingly poor approach to conflict resolution. You can find Jess @www.thecuriouskind.ca

Bev Liptrot

I am a partially retired NHS Nurse, working in the mental health field, something I have been interested in since being a teenager, when I realised that poor mental health can affect anyone. I also have a voluntary befriending role in a Women's Centre. Originally from London, now living in Lancashire. Married to Denys for 30 plus years. I am lucky to have a great circle of friends to meet up with and share the highs and lows of life with. I especially enjoy music, dancing and fancy dress parties. ironically I don't really watch films!

Ethan McDowell

Irish-born, London-based producer and founder of AnyOther. Productions, Ethan McDowell is known for balancing creative ambition with precision - delivering bold, cinematic, and emotionally grounded work across film, HETV, and advertising.

Carrie Ng

Carrie Ng is a Registered Clinical Counsellor and former criminal lawyer whose work centres on identity, relationships, and the stories we carry about ourselves. A lifelong lover of film and theatre, she’s drawn to stories that are emotionally honest, beautifully human, and capable of making us see the world—or ourselves—a little differently.

Daniel Oommen

I'm a registered clinical counsellor and certified sexologist who takes a very queer & progressive approach to sex therapy. I believe everyone deserves the knowledge and permission to access eroticism, sexuality, and pleasure in all its forms. My areas of focus include sex, kink, relationships, and trauma with a particular focus on supporting queer, BIPOC, and sex worker communities. Two of my favorite films are Guillermo Del Toro's Hellboy, and The Invite (who doesn't love an Esther Perel-esque movie).

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Nich Perez

Nich Perez is a Filipino-American filmmaker and educator, blending human connection with storytelling. Through his nonprofit, the Nonprofit Film Collective, he crafts powerful narratives that inspire change. His latest film, letters to eleanore, explores disability, hope, and community.

Honor Price

Honor Price is a BAFTA-nominated London-based animation director known for her distinctive stop motion style, sharp humour, and heartfelt storytelling. Her work, including Sister Midnight and ZUMAN, blends humour and emotion to explore complex themes

Charlotte Severns

My name is Charlotte, and I work in the victim advocacy field and as a psychotherapist in Vancouver, B.C. I am originally from the U.S., but have spent more than twelve years living internationally. My favourite movies of all time are the Lord of the Rings trilogy!

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Davy Stoces

Davy Stoces is an award winning director and animator from St. Louis. They specialize in traditional 2D animation, and started their career making short films. Now, they are in production for their own original animated pilot. Davy's favorite movie is "Annihilation," or "Speed Racer," depending on the day.

Ashleigh Vaillancourt

Ashleigh Vaillancourt is a Vancouver-based filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist whose experimental films explore intimacy, memory, identity, and psychological experience. Working across animation, projection, and live-action imagery, she creates atmospheric works that blur the boundaries between cinema and visual art. Her art practice is informed by queer perspectives, vulnerability, and the landscapes of BC.

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Kincaid Walker

Kincaid Walker, a Northwestern graduate based in LA, is an actress, writer, and producer. She has appeared alongside Rosario Dawson, Minnie Driver, Aziz Ansari, and Nick Offerman. Kincaid also created the award-winning digital series Hug it Out and received a writing fellowship from the Ucross Foundation. Favourite film: The Royal Tenenbaums

Kate Wilkinson

Before anything else, I'm me! I'm also a Mum of two high school age children, a proud gay woman with a long-term partner a great family & friend network and a little dog. I have my own private Counselling practice in Worcester and enjoy hikes, reality TV and baked goods!