Beyond Boundaries: Meet the 2024 Participants
Film Hub South West is thrilled to be collaborating with a wonderful cohort that will develop their practice and film event ideas as part of Beyond Boundaries 360.
Read about the group, and discover the South West creatives who are excited to expand film exhibition in the region.
Each participant has a strong interest in film and cinema, a clear commitment to inclusion, and a motivation to develop their work and practice. Over 6 months, the participants will work collaboratively to develop film events from idea to screen, utilising knowledge and skills that are in the group and that will be gathered over the sessions.
Carlota Matos is a Portuguese theatre and performance artist working internationally with a focus on social change and access. Her practice explores questions of identity, migration, and mental ill-health, in the form of documentary / experimental / participatory performances. She frequently collaborates with charities, artists from different disciplines, diverse communities, and people who are not necessarily trained or experienced performers.
Film has always been a big part of her life and interests, often inspiring the work she makes. She loves learning about different cultures through cinema and is excited to bring her experience in theatre to the world of film curation, creating events that platform a range of voices and narratives.
Photo credit: Janeth Tavares
Dáire Carson is a film exhibitioner and cinephile from Belfast now living and studying in Bristol.
He created a film event/festival, “We Are Film”, in Belfast post COVID to allow film students across different institutions to come together and exhibit their work and create connections.
Currently studying for an MA in curation, along with a placement at the Watershed, his focus has moved to creating a place for young people and children so they can create formative filmic experiences and embody themselves in the cinema space.
Eve Whelan is from Swindon and graduated from Bristol where she studied Film and Television. Since graduating she has been involved in the local film network and hopes to get more involved in film programming. She currently freelances for Create Studios’ Sofa Screenings programme, which offers independent film to the local community.
A film lover who has a particular interest in female sexuality in film, especially the more transgressive and complex explorations of the subject. She hopes to learn more about film programming and how to create events that help celebrate and open up conversations about film.
She has previously volunteered for Encounters Film Festival and had a University placement at Flatpack Festival as part of their short films pre-selectors in 2023.
Matt Gras is a French actor and producer based in Bristol. He began directing short films as a teenager before attending the International Film School of Paris (EICAR). In 2016, he co-founded Foxrock Productions with Cara Bamford, producing Talia (Aesthetica Jury Award), and is currently developing a slate of low-budget feature films in the South West.
Over the years, Matt has developed a passion for collaborative storytelling in Tabletop Roleplaying Games and narratology applied to virtual open-world environments. In 2024, he launched CineRPG to create unique events blending films, games, and creative practice, providing an inclusive space for underserved communities to connect through a shared passion for popular culture.
Precious Ozemoya is a multidisciplinary creative and cultural producer. She believes in the power of art and culture to connect communities. She enjoys storytelling, travelling, intercultural dialogues, and event production that fosters cultural cohesion. She has an interest in exploring immersive arts and the relationship between technology and arts and culture.
Precious is working to promote communities to experience the power of creative expression. She looks forward to curating exhibits, organizing film, arts and cultural events, and implementing cross-disciplinary projects in the creative sector.
Martyn Windsor is a freelance cultural producer based in Exeter, Devon. He originally studied Photography at Falmouth University and has long been interested in the boundaries between still and moving image, particularly in artist film.
He has held various roles in Programme Development, Communications, and Partnerships Management. Currently he is a director at Exeter Seed Bank, where they develop creative initiatives to revive the ancient art of seed saving. Our community-driven projects have included hosting a Tomato Festival, running woodworking workshops, and developing artist commissions.
Robyn Lawrence is a creative producer based in Exeter who runs Dolly’s Film Club, a monthly cult film club that celebrates the joy of being an audience, weaving in interactive elements to events and screenings, creating a welcoming community and environment and proactively advocating for the importance of fun.
She also works at Exeter Phoenix as Film Programme Assistant and is a multiple cultural ‘hat wearer’ with an interest in where different art forms intersect. Most recently she has programmed the Music Video selection for Leeds International Film Festival.
Niamh Hackett has a degree in Sociology and hopes to pursue a career in the non-profit sector, particularly organisations with an educational focus.
She currently spends a lot of time at university exploring London’s independent cinemas and opening her mind up to new corners of the world of film.
In her current role as Audience Development Officer at Into Film, a charity which promotes film in education, she has seen how she can combine her passion for film and for progressive social change.
She hopes to learn about film curation, build on her ideas for events and gain inspiration from like-minded people.
Cressida Williams is a Bristol based creative who is looking to take her experience in live music events work into film exhibition.
She has previously worked alongside Bristol Experimental Expanded Film and The Cube to produce a series of short film screenings in 2019. In 2022 her video art work was displayed at centrespace gallery as part of a installation titled ‘DESTROYERTONES’, in collaboration with other visual and sound artists.
Cressida is looking to expand these experiences through Beyond Boundaries to learn about putting on screenings and events that can engage audiences with film in a meaningful way. With an interest in arthouse and feminist film, she is excited to carve her own path film curation and exhibition.
Chloe Roden is a Bristol-based creative with a passion for inclusive cinema.
She studied Film Studies BA at Exeter University and currently works promoting the English regions as a filming destination to feature film and high-end TV productions worldwide.
She believes in cinema’s unique ability to reflect authentic lives and is passionate about creating safe, inclusive spaces through her own film exhibition. She has a particular interest in social realism and surrealism – plus, a huge enthusiasm for Bristol and the wider South West’s film community.
Michelle Pascal is the driving force behind Fam Films CIC, a platform dedicated to celebrating, creating, and inspiring films and content by Global Majority filmmakers. A seasoned filmmaker herself, she has directed and produced for the BBC for more than a decade.
Her 2021 BFI short, “Hats,” marked her directorial debut into drama. Michelle’s vision is to establish Fam Films Festival, a Black film festival that rivals the scale of Cannes, infused with the energy of the Mobo Awards.
Alexia Alfaro is a TV Development Assistant Producer based out of Bristol, working on a range of unscripted programmes – from dating shows to documentaries. Like a little truffle pig, she’s always trying to root out great stories and characters to bring to the small screen.
As an American transplant she knows how difficult it can be to meet people and create community in a new city so she’s interested in providing connective events based around films to foster real world relationships among attendees.
When not snuffling for stories she can usually be found in a cinema – most often volunteering at The Cube – and shouting about the importance of Nicolas Cage’s work to the world of cinema.
Sven De Hondt is an film writer and aspiring film programmer from Belgium, who has been residing in Bristol for the last 10 years. He graduated in Audiovisual arts, before enrolling into more journalistic endeavours. He has been on various selection committees and juries for different film festivals, ranging from Bath to Ghent in Belgium and as a punter/critic he has covered numerous film festivals, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin and Toronto.
Sven has a keen interest in international cinema and the slow cinema movement and is currently looking to truly go beyond boundaries with a taboo-breaking programme on cinema of a more erotic variety. He loves cinema as a tool of social engagement and how it can change the way how we feel and perceive the world around us.
Amy Evans is originally from Falmouth, Cornwall and found their true home in Bristol back in 2012. They are an Event Coordinator with a focus on creating film-focused events that are not only educational, but also fun.
They have a Diploma in Film Studies, a degree in Criminology and Sociology, certificates in Event Planning and Digital Marketing and over 12 years of managerial experience. They have also been volunteering with City Girl Network since October 2023, a mission-focused business helping and supporting women, non-binary and trans femmes feel more connected to their local communities through collaborative and creative events.
Their passion is documentary film and television, with a special interest in cults and extreme religious movements, true crime and mental health. Their desire is to showcase incredible and important stories and people, to engage with them through group conversations and Q&As, and create a safe and enjoyable space to explore the complexity of humanity.
More from Film Hub South West
Swindon’s Create Studios launches Sofa Screenings
Swindon’s Create Studios is leading on a new 3-year BFI Spotlight initiative in Swindon, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire bringing the best of old and new film to audiences hungry to share screening experiences again.
Watershed is the Lead Film Hub Organisation for Film Hub South West, part of the BFI Film Audience Network.
Watershed is a Registered Charity No. 284188 and a Social Enterprise
Watershed, 1 Canons Road, Harbourside, Bristol, BS1 5TX
Film Hub South West &
BFI NETWORK South West
are part of the BFI Film Audience Network, supported by The National Lottery.
