BOARD OF DIRECTORS

John is a qualified accountant with an MBA.  In his career he was a director of an IT company and co-founder of a company involved in motor racing.  More recently he has been a trainer and writer in financial management and an Associate Fellow of the University of Warwick Business School.  He was a founding director of the Rural Media Company and is now involved in voluntary sector accreditation.

A graduate of the Royal College of Art, Anne has worked as a lighting/camerawoman and producer/director in both broadcast sector (primarily for the C4, the BBC and Al Jazeera English) and in non-broadcast. She was a freelance trainer for VET (Video, Engineering, and Training) in London for 15 years.  She is also a children’s author, having published 13 books for children.  Her proudest achievement was being the awarded the Best Lady Gardener Who Hasn’t Won Another Award trophy by the Hereford and Leisure Gardeners Society.

Steve has been passionate about film since his teens, an interest which led to work as a cinema programmer at Chapter arts centre, Cardiff and the Watershed and Arnolfini in Bristol. He then worked as an award-winning producer/director at the BBC, making arts and music documentaries on subjects as diverse as country singer Glen Campbell, photographer David Hurn and BBC Young Musician. Now retired, Steve makes and sells pottery in Ross on Wye and has more time to watch films.

Amy has worked at BAFTA for the past five years in the COO office, specialising in the areas of governance, HR & operations. Amy’s study background is in literature & French, and it was through her French studies that she found her love of cinema. Amy is delighted to be gaining more experience in the industry by being a board member at Borderlines Film Festival.

I’m Ethan! I studied film in Leicester and Birmingham and in recent years I’ve moved to Hereford to be Film Programming and Marketing Assistant for The Courtyard. I’m a lover of Korean cinema and anything Denis Villeneuve makes! Favourite film quote: “Guess why I smile a lot. Because it’s worth it!” - Marcel the Shell.  

Principal of Hereford College of Arts until July 2015, Richard has many years of experience in arts education following a career as a designer.  He has particular interests in media courses including film, photography and animation, and has also set up and run film societies in the past.  

Jo is an independent cultural and heritage project manager. Returning in 1997 to her hometown of Hereford via London and Madrid, she has since published a magazine for local families, and delivered major heritage projects for Hereford Cathedral and the old Hereford Livestock Market. She is a director of the Hereford River Carnival and was a trustee of The Music Pool, snow managing their early-years music project throughout the Midlands.

Thanks to the GLC, Shirley was able to access interesting and challenging cinema whilst a teenager in London. This beginning of her love of film, opening up a world of ideas, stories and different perspectives, was further increased during her 15 years living in Dubrovnik. Returning to the UK, Shirley was delighted to discover Borderlines Film Festival so close to home. After volunteering for several years, she feels privileged to join the Board.

Adrian grew up in the Lower Wye Valley. A lawyer, he previously worked for a local firm representing disadvantaged people, and has taught law at Warwick University. He now works as a Judge in the Midlands. He has attended Borderlines from the start and particularly likes films and docs that record rural life. He is a volunteer at the Conquest Theatre Bromyard.

Marie is a qualified solicitor and senior manager with extensive experience across UK local government . She is passionate about public service and working with community based organisations. Marie is Chair of the Hereford  Foodbank and has been a long standing supporter of Borderlines. Marie loves American movies from the late 60s and 70s and new World films that celebrate cinema’s transformative power to illuminate , inform and bear truthful witness. 

Simon is Treasurer of Borderlines Film Festival. After 25 years accountancy in the NHS, Simon escaped from London to Hereford, where he found himself working for Borderlines every year in his role as Finance Manager for The Courtyard. His favourite two weeks of the year, he felt honoured to be asked to join the Board when he semi-retired in 2016. He is at his happiest walking in the Black Mountains or sitting in a cinema (especially when watching the films of Kore-eda).