The Team
Matt Lloyd
Festival Director and Trustee
Matt (he/him) has worked in film exhibition in Scotland for twenty five years. He was short film programmer of Edinburgh International Film Festival from 2004 to 2008. His critical history of EIFF, How the Movie Brats Took Over Edinburgh, was published by St Andrews Film Studies in 2011. He has been involved in programming or producing several Scottish film festivals including two high profile Highland events with Mark Cousins and Tilda Swinton. Matt has directed GSFF since the 2010 edition, and leads the Scottish competition selection committee. He’s also made three short films, at least two of which were really really bad.
Oisín Kealy
Programme Manager
Oisín (he/him) is a Glasgow-based researcher in culture and politics who has worked with GSFF since 2018. He leads the International competition selection committee. Oisín holds a doctorate on the programming and exhibition practices of human rights film festivals in South America, and has also worked in various capacities with Document Human Rights Film Festival (Glasgow), Go Short International Short Film Festival (Nijmegen), and Entretodos Human Rights Short Film Festival (São Paulo). He is a resident DJ on internet radio station Radio Buena Vida, where you can listen to his show Neighbouring Sounds on the second Wednesday of each month.
Ren Scateni
Curatorial Lead
Ren (he/they) is a film curator and writer whose practice embraces experimental works and artists’ moving image exploring the interstices of political, disruptive, and liminal identities. His writing has appeared in various art and film magazines including ArtReview, Hyperallergic, and Sight and Sound. Ren has been/is working across curation, consulting, mentoring, and PR for festivals, cultural organisations, and companies including Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival, Queer East, Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, BFI Doc Society, and Square Eyes. Ren is a Trustee of Alchemy Film & Arts.
Trustees
Euan Duncan
Chair of Trustees
Euan is an IP and commercial contracts lawyer who has been working and advising on intellectual property matters and commercial contracts for almost 30 years. He advises, almost daily basis, on media-related commercial contracts, disputes and the protection of rights in the creative industries and media sector. Over and above a professional interest Euan is passionate about arts and culture and looks to the arts and creative industries for inspiration, fun and relaxation. Euan is a Partner at the newly merged firm Morton Fraser MacRoberts LLP.
David Parkhill
Treasurer
David started his career in West End theatre and film and has worked in both commercial and not for profit organisations. Recently David was Director of Finance and Resources at British Film Institute. Before BFI, David worked for VisitBritain (the British Tourist Authority responsible for marketing Britain overseas and developing Britain’s visitor economy) as Director of Business Services and was also Chief Operating Officer of the Southbank Centre through the £115m refurbishment of the Royal Festival Hall. His charitable experience includes being a trustee of the Donmar Warehouse Theatre and Deputy Chairman of the Bush Theatre.
Lee Brazier
Trustee
Lee spent five years at FilmFour as a Creative Executive aiding development and production on a variety of titles including Shaun of the Dead, Sexy Beast and Gangster No. 1. Lee then set up Mr. B Films and Executive Produced the feature film Calibre which received the Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film at Edinburgh International Film Festival. Lee also produced the short Take the Shot for Northern Ireland Screen and Creative Scotland with co-producer Claire Mundell. The feature length version is scheduled for a Scottish shoot in 2022. Most recently, Lee Executive Produced the Richard Curtis written & Danny Boyle directed Yesterday for Working Title.
Fiona Carr
Trustee
Fiona has nearly twenty years experience working in Fundraising and Development across Scotland for a number of key cultural organisations. Currently working at Edinburgh Science as Head of Development, her remit covers all elements of income generation, from working with sponsors, donors and supporters to create meaningful and valuable partnerships, to working with public bodies and trusts to meet ambitious fundraising targets. Previously Head of Development for both the Edinburgh International Film Festival and Filmhouse, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, she is passionate about all elements of Scotland’s cultural landscape and ensuring that everyone has access to the many events and festivals that Scotland has to offer.
Tony Currie
Trustee
Tony Currie is a producer working across stage and screen, with a focus on cross-disciplinary projects and innovative film distribution. He is currently Head of Artistic Planning & Senior Producer at Scottish Ballet, a freelance production and distribution consultant, and an Associate with The Space. Tony began his career as a dancer and choreographer before transitioning into press and digital marketing, ultimately focusing on producing. At Scottish Ballet, Tony has produced over 40 short films and three feature-length works. His work has been showcased at more than 25 international festivals, and has been acquired globally by broadcasters including the BBC, PBS (USA), NHK (Japan), SVT (Sweden), Yle (Finland), Nowness, and Marquee TV.
Violette Martin
Trustee
Violette started her career in Paris working in short film and children’s TV production, before she moved to London and entered the wonderful world of distribution in 2008. She worked in short films distribution and broadcast before joining the international sales teams at BBC Worldwide and Sony Pictures Television. Between 2017 and 2022, Violette was leading UK and international film sales for the BFI. She is now working as Head of Distribution and International Sales at Film Soho/Studio Soho.
David Gattens
Company Secretary
David has been Finance/Commercial Director at Glasgow Film Theatre since December 2014. A Chartered Accountant by profession, his wider responsibilities include personnel, front of house, technical and retail. When asked, he tells polite company that his favourite film is Blade Runner, but really it is Blue Velvet.
Pre-selectors 2026
Eilidh Akilade
Scottish and International selection
Eilidh is an arts worker and writer from and based in Glasgow. She is currently Reclaim the Frame’s Impact Producer for Glasgow and Edinburgh. In recent years, she has worked with Glasgow Film Festival as a submissions viewer and she has chaired and appeared at events for organisations such as Africa in Motion, Take One Action, and We Are Parable. Alongside her work in film, she works in literature, supporting the development of Scotland-based writers. She is also Intersections Editor at The Skinny and her writing can be found in publications such as MAP Magazine, Fringe of Colour Responses, and gal-dem.
Amarsanaa Batulga
International selection
Amarsanaa is a film critic and programmer based in Nanjing and Ulaanbaatar. He has served on juries at Locarno, Hong Kong, Golden Ger, and Kharkhorum IFF, as well as pre-selection teams of True/False, Cambridge, and Chinese Film Festival Hamburg. His bylines include Talking Shorts, Documentary, photogénie, and Cineuropa, among others. Member of FIPRESCI, alumnus of Berlinale Talent Press, and PhD student at Nanjing University. He’s from Mongolia. He cannot ride a horse.
Heather Bradshaw
Scottish and International selection
Heather is a film curator and freelance writer based in London, with special interests in animation, archive cinema and folklore. She has worked for many film festivals, including the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Manchester Animation Festival, Indie Cork and Copenhagen Short Film Festival, and currently works for the Independent Cinema Office as part of their programming team. Heather has also curated numerous programmes and competitions for Glasgow Film Festival, Glasgow Short Film Festival and is currently working for Leeds International Film Festival programming the World Animation Competition.
Lauren Clarke
International selection
Lauren is a film programmer, curator and researcher originally from Toronto and based in Glasgow. She has worked with a wide range of UK and international film festivals. Currently she is the documentary Programming Associate at TIFF, programmes the experimental strand at Aesthetica Short Film Festival and is a member of Invisible Women Collective.
Grace Coletta Feinmann
International selection
Grace Coletta Feinmann is a project coordinator and programmer based in Glasgow, Scotland. She has worked with Glasgow Short Film Festival and Glasgow Film Festival as a core team member and submissions viewer for various editions. She is currently the Industry Project Coordinator for GFF. Grace is passionate about Scottish talent, weird stories and going to the cinema.
Oriana Franceschi
International selection
Oriana has a Masters in Film Journalism from the University of Glasgow and has worked with Glasgow Film Festival, Tyneside Cinema and Sheffield Doc/ Fest. In 2019 she was selected as a jury member for the Leeds Short Film Awards and she has taken part in the Berlinale Talents programme as a reviewer. Alongside her film work, Oriana works for a charity supporting vulnerable sex workers and is in training as a therapist.
Naomi Gessesse
International selection
Naomi has worked in various capacities in film exhibition for several years, including for festivals such as SQIFF, Africa in Motion, Alchemy Film & Arts and Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival. They joined the Glasgow Short Film Festival International selection committee in 2023.
Jack Guariento
International selection
Jack is a filmmaker and programmer from Glasgow, currently based in Montreal. He recently finished working as a programming assistant for Iberodocs. Jack has also curated a programme of short films related to housing activism, screened at the CCA in Glasgow, and is a 2023 Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen Seminar Fellow.
Nancy Holt
International selection
Nancy is an arts and events worker based in Glasgow. She joined GSFF in 2022 and has contributed to the festival in various capacities since. After completing her Master’s in Film Curation at the University of Glasgow, where she specialised in researching queer film festivals in the UK, Nancy has gone on to work at numerous festivals. Recently, she joined the team at GMAC Film as an administrator. Alongside short film, Nancy is particularly passionate about queer and sapphic cinema.
Giulia Kolářová
International selection
Giulia is a Czech independent curator based in Glasgow. She is the co-founder of Solidarity Screenings Glasgow, programming collaborative audience-centred screenings on revolutionary cinema(s). She is deeply invested in the potential of film to serve local communities towards collective liberation. She recently worked to bring Falastin Film Festival to Glasgow in May 2025. Giulia is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Film Curation at University of Glasgow.
Jessie McGoff
International selection
Jessie is a writer and video essayist. She has been published in the likes of MUBI Notebook, CinemaScope and Another Gaze. Her video essays have been shown at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Glasgow Short Film Festival and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Film Festival. She has taught at several universities and is a mentor for European Network for Film Discourse’s Workshop for Film Criticism. She currently works in an arts organisation in Glasgow.
Balenji Mwiche
Scottish selection
Balenji (she/her) is a filmmaker and programmer who makes work that moves away from dominant perspectives and is ambitious in artistic scope. Recently, she has produced work for Creative Scotland, Summerhall Arts, GMAC, Screen Scotland, and the European Cultural Institute. Previously, she has worked with organisations including Glasgow Film, We Are Parable, Short Circuit, The Edinburgh Fringe, Creative England, and The Screen Fringe across script and talent development.
Carina NicHaouchine
International selection
Carina is a documentary filmmaker, writer and all-round film freelancer. Through social documentary training with OTOXO Productions in Barcelona, she mainly self-shoots and edits and has made films in collaboration with arts projects and charities from around the U.K. She is currently in post-production for her first feature film Session Zero, a coming-of-age documentary (with dragons!).
Cici Peng
International selection
Cici is a film writer and curator based in London. She is a programmer for Sine Screen, a film collective which exhibits moving-image works by East Asian and South East Asian artists. Her writing can be found in the Financial Times, Film Comment, TANK, Sight & Sound among other publications. She is the project lead and mentor for the Queer East Critics Project. She has curated screenings and events at the BFI, ICA, Barbican, Close-Up among other spaces across London. She is a preselector for New York Film Festival’s Currents shorts.
Savina Petkova
International selection
Savina is a Bulgarian film critic and programmer based in London. Her bylines include MUBI Notebook, Little White Lies, Film Comment, Senses of Cinema, Variety, among others. She’s part of the editorial board of Talking Shorts and has recently completed a doctorate at King’s College London on animal metaphors and metamorphoses. Savina is also a feature programmer for Sofia International Film Festival and Cambridge Film Festival. Member of the Critics Circle, European Film Academy, BIFA, and FIPRESCI.
Michael Lee Richardson
International and Scottish selection
Michael is a writer and filmmaker based in Glasgow. Michael’s short film My Loneliness is Killing Me – directed by Tim Courtney – won a BAFTA Scotland Award in 2018 and has been shown at film festivals around the world. Michael currently has film and television projects in development with a range of different companies. Michael is passionate about queer and trans cinema. Michael likes 80s makeover montages, witches, and going to the shops.
Milda Valiulytė
International selection
Milda is an arts worker, curator and film programmer. Prior to joining GSFF, they programmed shorts for the Vilnius International Film Festival and Africa in Motion. Their latest curated programme Collective Dreaming has been presented in partnership with the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow and Meno Avilys & SODAS 2123 in Vilnius. Milda’s research interests include practises of community-oriented cinema, intersections between film and contemporary art, as well as art as a method for collective reflection & liberation.