Sophie Hyde is a founding member of Closer Productions and the social impact company The Unquiet Collective. Sophie most recently directed Olivia Colman and John Lithgow in Jimpa (Sundance 2025). Her debut feature drama 52 Tuesdays won the Directing Award at Sundance and the Crystal Bear at the Berlinale. She directed and produced the feature comedy Animals, and directed Emma Thompson in the BAFTA- and Golden Globe–nominated comedy Good Luck To You, Leo Grande. She created, produced and directed the episodic series F*!#ing Adelaide and limited series The Hunting, and also co-directed and produced the Australian Documentary Prize–winning Life in Movement. Sophie believes in nurturing the voices of other filmmakers, and works as a producer/EP on various projects, including the feature documentaries Shut Up Little Man!, Sam Klemke’s Time Machine, In My Blood It Runs and the Netflix documentary The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone.

Filmmaker Desiree Akhavan is best known for her films Appropriate Behavior and The Miseducation of Cameron Post, which won the 2018 Sundance Grand Jury Award. She also co-wrote, directed and starred in the Hulu original series The Bisexual. As a television director, Akhavan has worked on a breadth of shows including the Emmy-nominated Hacks and Ramy. Her first book, You’re Embarrassing Yourself, was published by Random House in 2024.

Courtney Eaton is a breakthrough Australian actress based in Los Angeles, of English/Cook Island/Māori/Chinese background. She is best known recently for her role as Lottie on Yellowjackets, and additionally starred in Mad Max: Fury Road. She won a Special Jury Award for Performance at SXSW for her role in the feature Parachute, and received the 2025 Breakthrough Spotlight Actress Award at the Astra Television Awards. Between social media platforms, she has nearly 750,000 social media followers, and maintains a popular online presence.

Noora Niasari is a Tehran-born, Australia-raised filmmaker whose debut feature Shayda won the Sundance 2023 Audience Award and became Australia's Oscar submission. She holds degrees in architecture and cinema, and is a sessional tutor at the VCA School of Film & TV.

Joe Swanberg is the director of over 20 features, including Hannah Takes the Stairs, Drinking Buddies and The Sun Never Sets. He co-starred in and co-directed Nights and Weekends with Greta Gerwig and Autoerotic with Adam Wingard, in addition to acting in and directing one of the segments of the original V/H/S film. He co-wrote and produced The Rental with Dave Franco, who directed. He has directed episodes of television for HBO, 20th Century Studios and Netflix, where he created the series Easy and wrote, directed, produced and edited all 25 episodes over three seasons. As an actor, he has appeared in lead roles for Josephine Decker, Ti West, Mickey Keating and Adam Wingard, and he has produced features for Lynn Shelton, Alex Ross Perry, Dustin Defa and Zach Clark, amongst many others. He lives in Chicago.

Tan Si En is a film and TV producer and the founder of Momo Film Co. An alumnus of ACE Producers, Berlinale Talents and Rotterdam Lab, they have produced and co-produced acclaimed films including Don’t Cry, Butterfly, The House on the Moon, A Useful Ghost and Nagi Notes. In 2024, they became the first film producer to receive Singapore's Young Artist Award.

Mark is a proud Nyikina man and acclaimed actor, writer, producer, sound designer and storyteller. Best known as Detective Jay Swan in Mystery Road: Origin, he has earned multiple AACTA, Logie and international award nominations, including making history as the first Indigenous actor nominated for a Gold Logie. His recent screen credits include Apple Cider Vinegar, We Bury the Dead, Beast of War and The Clearing. Beyond acting, Mark has created award-winning documentaries, composed music and worked across theatre, television and audio. A celebrated multidisciplinary artist, he continues to champion powerful First Nations stories across screen and stage.

Dr Todd Fernando is a Wiradjuri-Gomeroi scholar and public policy strategist whose career spans research, government leadership, institutional reform and community-driven change. His PhD explored the health, identity and flourishing of gay Aboriginal men, an inquiry deepened by his decade-long friendship with Uncle Jack Charles, from whom he drew profound inspiration and learnt so much. Todd considers himself extraordinarily lucky to have known and be known by him.

Hayley Percy is a Wiradjuri woman living and working in Naarm/Melbourne. Hayley has 20 years of varied professional experience across the music and entertainment industry, with a strong background in large high-impact public events, music festivals and curation. Additionally to her current role as Senior Curator of Music for RISING festival, Hayley is also the executive producer and co-director of Blaktasia, Australia's first Aboriginal mobile game.