Ben Rider (Festival Director) is a London (UK) based independent writer/director. He has completed a total of seven micro-budget feature films including the drama Forever Tomorrow, the digital CinemaScope art house film Our Little Haven and the B-Movie Suburban Coffin. His latest feature film, People in Landscape, which is currently in post-production, stars Gina Gershon and Oscar nominee Eric Roberts. He has acted as a cinematography judge for TMFF for the last four years.

Xavier Baeyens was born in Belgium, and graduated in 2016 at the Met Film School in Berlin. He shot two short films in Germany (Berlin Virgin and Crowbar Vigilante) as well as collaborating with other filmmakers in various roles, before returning to Belgium to make Ménajeux-à-Trois, the first film in his native language. He also collaborated with director Ben Rider on the anthology feature Blood & Bones. Baeyens is currently finishing his sci-fi short Mutti, starring Nicolo Pasetti (The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society). Currently, he freelances as a filmmaker and set photographer in Belgium, Germany and the UK.

Ryan Ohm is a filmmaker from the Midwest (US). He’s probably best known for his advocacy for retro film styles, distributing his works on VHS, as well as Vimeo staff picks, such as ‘Dion Lunadon – “1976”‘ and ‘The Night the Sky Fell in New Haven’. Finn & the Sea of Noise, his first feature, generously streams for free here. Ohm’s latest feature, the chilling At the Park by the Creek, is headed to screens and VHS later this year.

Ryan Bennett is a New Zealand-born writer, director & actor. His short films, Take Me To The Waves, With Friends Like These, Eric Hanged Himself and Cash Up have been awarded and screened around the globe. As an actor, he has starred in feature films such as Zoe; Misplaced and Our Little Haven. He is currently developing his first feature as a writer/director.

Sean Price is a London (UK) based filmmaker. His first short film, Love Machine, can be found on Amazon Prime internationally. His upcoming fantasy feature, Electric Angels, is currently nearing completion – and will enter competitions in 2018.

Rafael Bettschart is an in Austria based film filmmaker. He has worked at various media agencies and film production companies before and during his studies at the University of Vienna and Danube University Krems. After completing his studies, Rafael became self-employed and was involved as a filmmaker in various short, image, music, advertising and feature films. In 2015, he founded Unpleasant Productions and has been a producer and director ever since. His feature, Zehn.Zwanzig, was previously nominated for the Jury Prize, and awarded Best Feature at The Monkey Bread Tree Film awards.

Karel Tuytschaever is a Belgium born performer and actor. He has previously won the best director award at TMBT Film Awards for his short film Bare Romance. He is a graduate of the Royal Conservatory Antwerp in drama, an acting education led by Dora van der Groen. A great importance to him is the interaction between his executive work as a performer/actor, his own research trajectory (about intimacy, body and identity), and his work as a filmmaker, as well as his professorship at the conservatory. His other work in drama and dance can be found here.

Stephen Hunt Following extensive theater work with Hildegard Neil, her husband Brian Blessed encouraged Steve to turn to film. Since then, he has won 43 world-wide screenwriting contests. Emmy Award winner Miguel Guerreiro filmed Steve’s short Early Release. Current shorts include Death’s Lady Love, which is in production in Maine (USA), Believers, which is in post-production in Ireland, and Jezebel, which is in pre-production in France. His feature scripts include The Oval Portrait, optioned by Concord Films, and Precious Vengeance, which is slated as a 2018 UK/Romanian project. Steve has been a juror for both the London and the Marbella Film Festivals. Visit his site here.

Jane Sanger has sidestepped into filmmaking after many years of teaching drama. After completing 9 short films, she’s set to shoot her first feature film #SWIPERIGHT, about the dangers of internet dating. She is currently a judge for TMFF. For more details, visit her filmmaking blog here.

Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou is a director from the grim north of England. If he’s known for anything, it’s his first feature, Supermen: A Story of British Wrestlers. He’s also directed and produced Shopping Channels and Talking Backwards with Pinpoint Films. He recently co-wrote the feature film, ‘The Drowning of Arthur Braxton’, with Youtuber Luke Cutforth.

Clara Butler is a young New Zealand born film producer. She has previously assisted on the production of the features Here Be Dragons and Our Little Haven, and recently produced the upcoming comedy With Friends Like These.

Lily Smith is a 2015 graduate from Guildford School of Acting (UK). Since graduating she has been concentrating on developing her credits in film, including the short film A Quiet Room In Walthamstow and feature film Our Little Haven, and the WWII period piece Sarah’s War.