Cristina Roures - Festival Management Team
Cristina (she/her) has been the Festival Operations Manager at the Cambridge Film Trust since 2016 and part of the Festival Management team since 2020. Her role encompasses strategy, funding, partnerships, and event coordination. With a background in film and TV production, she has worked with leading production companies in Spain and managed events across academia, sports, and the arts. Cristina co-directs Acting Now, a social theatre company in Cambridge and Barcelona. She holds a BA from Pompeu Fabra University and an MA from Birkbeck University. Originally from Catalonia, she relocated to the UK in 2013.
Espe Moreno - Festival Management Team
Espe (she/her) is integral to the Operations and Festival Management Team at the Cambridge Film Trust and Film Festival, specialising in development, grants, production, acquisitions, and logistics. She started in film at the Chicago Latino Film Festival and has managed digital campaigns and impact strategies for the Human Rights Watch Film Festival and Together Films. Espe co-founded youfeelm, Spain’s first theatrical on-demand platform. She holds a BA in Journalism from Rey Juan Carlos University and a Masters in Journalism and International Relations from Monash University.
Owen Baker - Festival Management Team
Owen has been part of the Festival management team since 2014 and has taken on various roles during that time. A seasoned Marketing & Communications Manager with expertise in strategic marketing, communications, and project management, predominantly within the arts and cultural sectors. His current focus with CFF is developing and implementing organisational strategies that enhance festival attendance and public engagement. Alongside his work with CFF, Owen co-founded a boutique marketing agency focused on working with small arts organisations to improve their online presentation. His background includes roles focused on brand management and business development in SMEs across various industries.
Savina Petkova - Programming Panel Lead
Savina Petkova is a freelance film critic based in London with bylines in MUBI Notebook, Little White Lies, Sight and Sound and Variety, among others. She is also part of the editorial board of the online magazine Talking Shorts and a workshop mentor for short film criticism. Savina is a member of the London Critic Circle, BIFA, the European Film Academy, and FIPRESCI and is completing her PhD at King's College London.
Ramon Lamarca - Programmer & Catalan Film Specialist
Ramon started collaborating with the Cambridge Film Festival in 2012, and what was going to be a one-off collaboration became one of the longest-running strands of the Festival, Camera Catalonia. He is also involved with the rest of the festival's programming, and when allowed, he likes to indulge in stereoscopic extravaganzas, like the popular event with Brian May some years ago. Ramon has also programmed Catalan cinema in other UK cinemas and organised numerous film and music events with an orchestra in Spain.
Teodosia Dobriyanova - Programmer
Teodosia, who joined CFF in 2023 as a programmer,Teodosia is a London-based film programmer. She curates the New East Cinema programme at the Barbican Centre, and has previously worked with HOME Manchester and Sheffield Doc/Fest.
Nathasha Orlando Kappler
Nathasha Orlando Kappler is a Mexican-German freelance film programmer with a Master’s Degree in Film Studies, Programming, and Curation at the National Film and Television School, where she specialised in researching the archival and restoration work of Mexico's Golden Age of Cinema. She has previously served as a programmer for Cambridge Film Festival, Irish Film Festival London, Berlin Film Society, and Deptford Cinema. In 2024 she launched her passion project, Reverie Cineclub, a film season of World Cinema classics and experimental direct-animation curated for family audiences. As a writer, she has contributed to publications Sight and Sound Magazine and Photogénie.
Abigail Pollock - Youth Lab Lead
Abby Pollock is a Creative Educator dedicated to fostering engagement in the arts and culture sector through multiple Cambridge-based initiatives. She has been involved with the Cambridge Film Festival since 2017, supporting its evolution and expanding its offerings. Passionate about supporting emerging talent, Abby leads the Youth Lab, mentoring young creatives as they take the next steps in their careers. She also curates the festival’s Short Fusion strand, carefully selecting outstanding short films—many of which have gone on to receive BAFTA wins and Oscar nominations.
Hannah Hitchin - Submissions Coordinator / Outreach & Events Lead
Hannah Hitchin started as a volunteer for the Cambridge Film Festival in 2013 and has since worked in various roles for the Festival, including Events, Marketing and Outreach. She also worked for many years at the Festival's host venue, the Arts Picturehouse, in customer service, projection and as a chef. She received her doctorate in Film and Television Studies in 2023 from the University of Warwick; her thesis focussed on British film in the 1960s and teen stardom. She also teaches the Business of Film at Warwick
Becky Mann - Festival PR & Partnerships Manager
Becky Mann is a seasoned Festival PR and Partnerships Manager with nearly three decades in PR, communications, and business development. Over the last 10 years, she has become a key figure in the regional festival circuit, particularly at events like the Cambridge Film Festival. Her career includes roles with Arts Council England and collaborations with festivals run by the University of Cambridge, showcasing her versatility across prestigious contexts. Becky's deep connection to cinema began during her student years, working in cinemas and at the London Film Festival, cementing her dedication to the film festival industry.
Isabelle McNeill - Chair - Film academic at Cambridge University
Dr Isabelle McNeill is a Philomathia Fellow in French at Trinity Hall, where she has taught film studies and French literature since 2005. She is the author of Memory and the Moving Image: French Film in the Digital Era (Edinburgh University Press, 2010), as well as articles on film and its relations to memory, the city, home, tourism and Internet culture. She is finishing a book on the cinematic rooftops of Paris, which explores urban space and cultural history in relation to cinema. Her next book will be on female French filmmakers, and she is also involved in a collaborative project on creative and alternative approaches to academic work.
Mike O'Brien - Former civil servant.
Mike’s main career has been in administration within central government departments of the Civil Service, mainly working on business planning, good working practices, and staff development. His personal experience with mental health inspired him to co-found Break the Stigma, a mental health support group at Defra. Passionate about cinema, Mike helped establish Screen St Ives, programming diverse films, from foreign language and animation to documentaries and British indies. He also founded the Herts Jazz Film Festival, showcasing jazz-themed films alongside the renowned Herts Jazz Festival. A long-time supporter of the Cambridge Film Festival, Mike is honored to serve as a Trustee, championing diversity in film and ensuring access for varied audiences.
Simon Jones - Managing director at Studio 24
Simon is the Founder and Managing Director of Cambridge-based digital agency Studio 24, with two decades of expertise in digital design and technology. He advises clients on effective online strategies and leads a team creating exceptional websites and web apps. Simon has contributed to Cambridge tech groups, volunteered with the Web Standards Project, spoken at industry events, and served as a school governor. Since 2007, Studio 24 has sponsored the Cambridge Film Festival, providing its digital presence. As a trustee of the Cambridge Film Trust since 2016, Simon combines his business and tech expertise with a passion for the arts, supporting its mission to engage diverse audiences.
Matthew Webb - Management consulting professional
Matthew Webb is a management consulting professional and artist specializing in sustainability, finance, technology, and engagement. Holding an MBA in finance, sustainability, and change from the University of Durham, he has transformed over 30 leading organizations across more than 40 projects spanning healthcare, government, financial services, energy, media, and retail sectors. Webb’s photographic work has been featured in over 30 solo exhibitions, attracting more than 250,000 visitors. With a passion for film, he has attended festivals worldwide, including during his time living in China, Russia, and Brazil. Webb is the Director of Photography for Panorama and Managing Trustee of the participatory photography charity Eyes of the Street.
Tony Jones - Festival Director. 1981 to 2019
Tony Jones is a pivotal figure in independent film exhibition in the East of England. With a distinguished career in art house, world, and independent cinema, he became Festival Director of the Cambridge Film Festival in 1981, leading it until 2019. Tony also founded the Cambridge Film Trust, which delivers the festival. His journey in cinema programming began in 1968 with the Arts Lab in Birmingham. In 1980, he became programming manager for the Arts Cinema in Cambridge, transforming it into the UK's top-grossing single-screen venue outside London. In 1989, Tony co-founded City Screen Limited, growing it into the UK's leading independent cinema operator, which Cineworld acquired in 2012. Tony has consistently redefined public film screening, taking cinema beyond traditional spaces into streets, stately homes, rooftops, and rural meadows, championing innovation in cinematic experiences.