We are a volunteer-run festival. We’re a (very!) small, but mighty team.
Deborah Espect – Festival Director / Programmer
Deborah Espect (she/her) is an award-winning queer filmmaker and editor based in Brighton. She is currently developing her second feature documentary and a slate of narrative features. Deborah is also the Director of Film for Latest TV in Brighton and the festival curator of Inheritance, a regular environmental festival on Northern Visions, Belfast’s local TV channel. She always seeks to elevate her fellow indie filmmakers and thrives on promoting positive queer stories.
Cerys Evans – Co-Programmer
Cerys Evans (she/her) has performed spoken word all over the country including The Barbican, The Southbank Centre and the Marlborough Theatre. She was a judge for the Polari Book Prize and is currently Artistic Director for Clap Back Club. Her sell-out play ‘A Trans Fairy Tale’ was described as ‘entertaining, moving and thrilling’ and ‘essential for the trans community’.
Cerys is currently working on TV Pilot screenplays about climate change and how it relates to LGBTQ+ people.
Isabel Billington – Social Media
Isabel Billington (they/them) is a recent graduate of The University of Manchester, where they discovered their love of film. Since graduating, they have been writing films and plays that explore gender, sexuality, and the queer experience. Their short film Hopeless Romantic won Best Screenplay at the MAP48 awards in 2021. They currently volunteer at Lesflicks, where they review films, create marketing content, and manage the Film Festivals department.
Our Partners
Brighton & Hove Pride
Described by The Guardian as “the country’s most popular LGBT event,” the Brighton Pride Festival is a vibrant celebration of all that is wonderful about Brighton & Hove’s diverse community, with visitors from across the globe enjoying its spectacular celebrations. Brighton Pride Festival has proved itself to be the UK’s biggest, boldest and best Pride event with community fundraising at its heart.
Latest TV
Brighton’s community channel, serving over 400,000 households. The Latest TV studios hosted the very first FilmPride festival in 2019, with live events running for a week, and Latest TV is proud to offer one of the first TV film festivals in the country, with FilmPride on TV.
Northern Visions
Northern Visions (NVTV) is a local community television station based in Belfast, serving over 300,000 households. It is operated by the Northern Visions media and arts project, and although some staff are employed by the station, most involved are volunteers. NVTV is now the only local community station in Northern Ireland.
Sheffield Live!
Sheffield Live! is a community radio, local TV and online media service serving 300,000 households in Sheffield and Rotherham and carrying news, information, dialogue and creative expression. We operate a digital media hub with public access to facilities and support for community projects, volunteering, social enterprise and independent production.
KMTV
KMTV is Kent’s first dedicated television channel, broadcasting across the south east 24/7. Based on the Medway campus, KMTV was developed by the University of Kent and KM Media Group. With a team made up of industry professionals and university students, KMTV shares a combination of local news, sports and entertainment with the county.
Lesflicks
We house the world’s largest collection of authentic sapphic stories on screen despite being one of the newest platforms to launch for lesbian & bisexual content. Lesflicks is much more than a streaming platform; we aim to improve the distribution, awareness & access to authentic sapphic stories on screen.