Deborah Espect (she / her) – Festival Director
Deborah is an award-winning queer filmmaker, editor and TV presenter based in Brighton. She is also the Director of Film for Latest TV in Brighton and the festival curator of three film festivals on local TV channels in the UK – Inheritance (environmental), Halloween on TV (horror) and International Women’s Days (celebrating female-identifying filmmakers). She always seeks to elevate her fellow indie filmmakers and thrives on promoting positive queer stories.
Lucy Nordberg (she / they) – Marketing
Lucy is a writer and producer for theatre and film, with an interest in epic work that mixes styles and formats to create something new – from using dramatic verse in modern drama, to filming in immersive 360. Most recently, Time and Tide, a trilogy of short films she wrote and produced starring Greta Scacchi, Samuel West and John Locke, won awards including Best UK Short Film at the London Independent Film Festival. Brighton-based and a veteran Pride-goer, she’s excited to get behind the scenes and help out with FilmPride’s mission to bring a diverse, global offering of LGBTQ+ films to Brighton Pride and beyond.
Karin Klotz (she / her) – Admin
Karin is an ardent fan of LGBTQIA+ films and is thrilled to help bringing them to FilmPride audiences. She admires the passion and dedication involved in making queer shorts and the comfort they can give us. Karin also loves reading queer zines and books and is a volunteer at the Queer Zine Library, a UK-based DIY mobile library celebrating LGBTQIA+ self-publishing.
Jack Brien (he / him)
Jack is a graduate of the University of Sussex in American Studies and Film Studies, and an avid follower of classic, LGBTQIA+ cinema, underground flicks such as the works of John Waters and Roger Corman, as well as a passionate writer and neurodivergent drag queen.
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.