Charles Gant is Awards/Box Office Editor of Screen International. Charles also writes the weekly Indie Box Office report for the BFI Film Audience Network of cinemas. The former Film Editor at Heat magazine, he continues as the publication’s main film critic. Charles is former Deputy Editor of style and culture journal The Face. He is a former critic for Variety and Screen International. Charles votes in both the British Independent Film Awards and BAFTA Film Awards, and has served on BAFTA juries many times. He speaks to various groups throughout the year, including typically at National Film & Television School (producers course, and programming & curation course) and Film Distributors Association (foundation course).

Jane is Chief Executive and Artistic Director at Norden Farm Centre for the Arts, a multi-form venue built on the site of an ancient dairy farm, presenting film, live music, theatre, dance & comedy together with an extensive participatory programme, comprising classes, education and outreach work. The programme includes large scale projects and community festivals and prioritises working with disadvantaged and isolated groups. Previously Jane has worked in venues and with dance and theatre companies as well as a freelance producer. She completed the BFI course cultural cinema exhibition early on in her career and has a great love of film.

Ellie Hendricks is a freelance film programmer and event coordinator, specialising in film heritage and outreach. Previous professional highlights include a ‘Movie at the Museum’ strand of Bath’s Curious Minds Festival, an Aardman Clay modelling workshop with a screening of Early Man and live score screenings of silent classics Three Ages and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari. Ellie began The Bath Archaeo-Heritage Film Festival in 2023 and through screenings, talks and workshops it aims to make heritage accessible and exciting.

Spent 16 years in magazine publishing, predominantly on Screen International, as Ad Director and then Publishing Director. Five years at BAFTA as Head of Awards was followed by 14 years at the BFI, initially to develop the reach of the London Film Festival and grow its international profile, then as its Head of Business and Industry and latterly as Managing Director of the Festival. I then got a bit burned out and four years ago decided to leave London and live by the sea. The intention was to spend my days gardening and painting, but then a little independent cinema in the heart of Chichester captured by heart, and after three years on the board, I became its Executive Director in 2023 and I love every minute of it. It’s a complete contrast to my previous work with a tiny team and really feeling embedded into the community.

Timon Singh is from Bristol and has a background in copywriting and digital marketing. He oversees the UK-wide BFI season on behalf of the BFI Film Audience Network and is responsible for comms for Film Hub South West. Ti has spent over a decade hosting several film nights in Bristol including the Bristol Bad Film Club and Forbidden Worlds Film Festival. Ti is the author of the book Born To Be Bad: Talking to the greatest villains in action cinema and its follow-up as well as the co-writer/producer for the documentary film In Search of the Last Action Heroes.

Tenaya works on projects at the intersection of arts, climate action, community resilience and justice. She manages the BFI Sustainable Screen programme 'beyond production' and has contributed to tools, workshops and support for cinemas, screen archives, film festivals and other film organisations across the UK and internationally.

Danielle works with organisations and individuals across all disciplines of the creative sector, driving creative climate action. Working across the BFI Sustainable Screen programme at Julie's Bicycle, she has supported organisation's using the Creative Climate Tools to measure their environmental impact, provided individual mentoring to cinemas and film festivals and contributed to the development of guides advising sustainable considerations for international marketing of the UK screen sector.

Paul is Creative Director and CEO at Grandad Digital, specialising in digital platforms for independent cinemas, arts and culture venues, and charitable organisations. He works at the intersection of brand, audience experience and commercial sustainability, helping organisations turn creative ambition into practical, revenue-driving digital tools. With a deeply audience-centred approach, Paul focuses on removing friction, improving discoverability, and building platforms that are loved by both audiences and internal teams. He is particularly passionate about helping independent cinemas make smart digital decisions that support long-term resilience, not just short-term fixes.