Bristol’s Encounters Film Festival Appoints New Board of Trustees
Skwigly
Encounters Film Festival has appointed a new Board of Trustees as the Bristol-based festival continues a period of renewal that began with its successful 30th edition comeback in September 2025.
Image: Encounters
The 17-member board brings together figures from across the screen industries, including BAFTA-winning writer/director Nida Manzoor (We Are Lady Parts, Polite Society), Chris Auty, Director of London Film School, curator and film/TV executive Rowan Woods, Curtis Brown talent agent Cynthia Okoye, former Channel 4 Commissioning Editor Kate Devlin, and Katie Sinclair, Head of Film and TV at Riff Raff Entertainment, the production company founded by Ben Jackson and Jude Law.
The board also includes Mark Simon Hewis, Head of the Aardman Academy; Iria Pizania, International Business Development Coordinator at the BFI’s UK Global Screen Fund; Laurence Boyce, Head of Programme (Live Action) at PÖFF Shorts (Black Nights Film Festival); animation director Joanna Hepworth, Creative Director at A Productions; and BAFTA award-winning producer Kate Byers, founder of Early Day Films. It is completed by Sonia Wargacka, whose credits include Sex Education, Industry and His Dark Materials; festival strategy specialist Katie Bignell, founder of Festival Formula; Bristol-based film executive Huey McEvoy; film producer Noel Goodwin, who also ran the BFI Future Film Festival for 12 years; and Jimmy Hay, Head of Film and Television at the University of Bristol.
The appointments follow an open recruitment process that attracted strong interest from across the industry, and marks the latest step in Encounters’ evolution under Executive Director Dave Taylor-Matthews, who joined in late 2024 to lead the festival’s return after a fallow year. The 30th edition in September 2025 welcomed 2,000 guests and 650 industry delegates for more than 80 screenings and events including appearances from Academy AwardⓇ‑recognised filmmakers Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry. This year’s festival continues that trajectory, deepening its commitment to emerging voices and expanding into feature films and cross‑disciplinary programming.
At the festival’s heart is its international short film competition, a qualifying gateway to the BAFTAs, BIFAs and European Film Awards and one of the world’s most established platforms for discovering new filmmaking talent, with alumni including Denis Villeneuve, Lynne Ramsay, Andrea Arnold, Julia Ducournau, Charlotte Wells, Ruben Östlund and Molly Manning Walker. Around that foundation, Encounters is a festival whose whole programme sits at the moment of breakthrough, with plans in development for new competitive strands, talent development initiatives, and expanded programming for young people.
The festival’s home city is central to that ambition. Bristol, a UNESCO City of Film, is a city defined by bold, independent-minded culture – the birthplace of Banksy, Massive Attack, Portishead and IDLES, home of St Paul’s Carnival, and a screen powerhouse through Aardman Animations, the BBC and Channel 4. As the leading film festival in the South West of England, Encounters sees its role as connecting that radical, independent spirit with the international screen industries.
The new board’s expertise spans production, distribution, talent representation, festival programming, animation, education and fundraising, with strong Bristol representation alongside members based in London, across the UK and internationally.
Our international competition is one of the most trusted places in the world to find the filmmakers who’ll define the next decade, and everything we’re building starts from that,” said “We wanted a board that could help Encounters grow into the festival that looks furthest into the future of the screen industries and celebrates breakthrough in all its forms. And there’s no better city to do that from than Bristol, a place that’s always made bold, independent-minded work and never waited for permission. When I look at who’s come together around this table, I see people who’ve spent their careers finding new talent, backing original voices and building things that didn’t exist before.
-Dave Taylor-Matthews
Said new trustee Rowan Woods:
Encounters has always punched above its weight, and what’s happening now feels genuinely exciting. There’s a real clarity of ambition here, and a board that’s equipped to help deliver it. I wanted to be part of that.
The 31st Encounters Film Festival takes place 23–27 September 2026 in Bristol. Already announced is headline activity from award-winning filmmakers Oliver Laxe and Kangding Ray with further programme details to follow shortly as the full 2026 line‑up is unveiled. Tickets and passes available here.