Festival Jury
Nancy Bishop
Nancy Bishop is an award -winning casting director, who works internationally from offices in London and Prague. She is a founding member and former President of the Casting Society of America’s (CSA) European branch.
With over 100 major feature film and television projects among her credits, Nancy has cast hundreds of actors throughout Europe, the United Kingdom and the U.S. Nancy has been retained as casting director by dozens of major screen producers and directors, including Sacha Baron Cohen on Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm, for which she won an CSA Artios Award for best casting of a comedy.
Other credits include casting Donald Sutherland’s last film, Miranda’s Victim, working with Brad Bird, (Mission Impossible IV), and Bong Joon Ho(Snowpiercer). She also was nominated for an Emmy Award for her casting work on Anne Frank: The Whole Story, ABC/Disney Studios, and she has penned three books, published by Bloomsbury on casting
Kate Wilson has worked in the film industry for 25 years. She is an award-winning producer and writer, and a co-Founder of the Call It! Workplace Culture App. Kate’s first novel, Prospects, was published in 2024.
A graduate of UCLA, Kings College, RADA and a member of the Bar of England and Wales, Kate Wilson has worked in the film industry in various capacities for 25 years. She trained as a producer in Los Angeles with Jodie Foster’s Egg Pictures and Paul Thomas Anderson’s Ghoulardi Film Company, and was the founder of Fury Films, an award-winning London-based production company.
She is a co-Founder of the Call It! Workplace Culture App, a data collection and signposting tool that reduces instances of bullying and harassment and creates safer and more equitable places of work. As a writer, Kate is currently developing a feature film and a limited series. Her first novel, Prospects, is inspired by experiences working in Hollywood in the late 1990s and was published by Cinnamon Press in July 2024.
Kate Wilson
Verity Wislocki
Wislocki Films is solely owned and run by Verity Wislocki, a film and documentary producer who operates at the top level of the industry. She has worked on films by Oscar and Bafta-winning directors, including Tim Burton, Alfonso Cuarón, Terry Gilliam, Anthony Minghella, Molly Manning-Walker and Yorgos Lanthimos.
Her producing credits include 'Another News Story', 'X Trillion', 'On Our Doorstep', 'Stormskater' and 'Nice To Meet You All' all of which were selected to premiere at leading film festivals including Karlovy Vary, Sheffield DocFest and on internationally recognised platforms, including LA Times online.
Her films focus on entertaining audiences with diverse content and she uses her knowledge and influence to help scale productions and to prioritise the filmmakers' talents and their stories. Her films have won multiple awards, including The Best Mini Doc Award (Big Sky Documentary Film Festival), Best Sport Film (Kendal Mountain Festival), Anti-Stigma Award (Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival), Best Editing (Toronto International Women Film Festival), Best Film (Birmingham Film Festival) Best Drama (Brighton Rocks Festival), Best Story (HB Film Festival) and Best Narrative (Toronto Indie Shorts). Verity herself has been longlisted as Breakthrough Producer at the British Independent Film Awards.
Verity also executive produced award-winning short film Road Trip, and post produced Sister Midnight which premiered in the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes Film Festival this year.
In addition to launching X Trillion in UK cinemas and on the Discovery Channel this year, she has a number of documentary and feature films in development.
Waad Al-Kateab
A Syrian filmmaker, journalist, and activist known for her powerful documentaries that capture the human toll of war and displacement. Waad Al-Kateab gained international acclaim for her documentary "For Sama," in which she documented her life in Aleppo during the Syrian uprising. The film received numerous awards, including the BAFTA for Best Documentary in 2020, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. ""For Sama" also holds the distinction of being the most nominated documentary in BAFTA history and won the prestigious L'Œil d'Or (Golden Eye) for Best Documentary at the Cannes Film Festival, where it also received a six-minute standing ovation.
Waad fled Aleppo in December 2016 and is now a refugee in London with her husband, Dr. Hamza Al-Kateab, and their two daughters. In addition to her filmmaking, Waad and Hamza launched the "Action For Sama" campaign in 2019 to raise awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Syria and seek accountability for war crimes.
In 2023, Waad premiered her second documentary, "We Dare to Dream," at the Tribeca Film Festival. This film tells the stories of refugee athletes competing in the Olympic Refugee Team, showcasing their resilience and hopes amidst adversity. The documentary was executive produced by Angelina Jolie and John Legend.
Waad's latest documentary, "Death Without Mercy," premiered at Sheffield DocFest in 2024. The film recounts the catastrophic earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6, 2023, using a blend of footage including CCTV, drone shots, and first-person accounts. It highlights the devastating impact of the earthquake and the human failures that exacerbated the disaster. "Death Without Mercy" received critical acclaim for its harrowing portrayal of the event and its aftermath, emphasizing the themes of human dignity and systemic corruption.
Her work and dedication have earned her numerous accolades, including a place in the 2020 Time100 list of the most influential people and the Academy Gold Fellowship for Women in 2021.