Vicki Jung
Vicki Jung is a freelance script editor with over 20 years’ experience assessing and developing feature film scripts for the UK film industry and international markets. She has worked extensively with Producer Charlotte Wontner at Hopscotch Films and together they co-ran the Invicta Writers Group, developing feature film projects with writers from the Screen South region. She also developed a slate of projects for The National Film and Television Foundation in South Africa and for Somesuch Production Co. in London. Her script editing experience includes working closely with film-maker Andrew Kotting on BBC Films commissioned ‘Ivul’ (2009) and ‘Lek and the Dogs’ (2017), which was developed in association with the BFI and was rated Sight and Sound’s film of the month. She has recently provided editorial feedback for Radio 4 commissioned play ‘A Punks Progress’ by Roland Gift and is currently working on a North American/UK co-production ‘Red Sky Morning’ as script editor and associate producer. Her previous clients include Arista, Endor Productions, Inspire Media Entertainment, Little Wing Films, Metlab Script Development Scheme, Noble Pictures, Orange Film 4 Short Film Prize, Picture Palace, Scottish Screen, Script Factory, Tall Stories, UK Film Council.
Henry Fitzherbert
Henry Fitzherbert is a film critic turned screenwriter. For several years he was film editor of the Sunday Express, writing and often selling his own screenplays, including a romantic comedy to Lionsgate UK/ Rocket Pictures. Now he writes full time, in a variety of genres. Recently Henry co-wrote ‘Slaughterhouse Rulez‘ (2018) starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Michael Sheen, Margot Robbie, Asa Butterfield, Finn Cole and Hermione Corfield. It was the debut production from Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s Stolen Picture, in conjunction with Catalyst Global Media and Sony International Productions. Reflecting his interest in true stories, Henry wrote ‘Born a King‘ (2019), a $20 million historical drama set 1919 in Arabia and the UK. Directed by multiple Goya winner Agustí Villaronga, it stars Ed Skrein, Hermione Corfield, Kenneth Cranham, Laurence Fox, James Fleet, Celyn Jones and Abdullah Ali. Current projects include a romantic comedy being directed by Oliver Parker, and several projects with Crispian Mills.
John Irvin
John Irvin is a British film director and producer with more than 30 motion pictures to his name and extensive experience working with most major film studios, both in the UK and America. He is co-founder of DearHeart Productions where he co-produced and directed the revered ‘Mandela’s Gun’ (2016), for which he won Best Director at the Harlem International Film Festival. He was the director of the box office hit ‘Hamburger Hill‘ (1987), which depicts the real events of the controversial Battle of Hamburger Hill during the Vietnam War. In 1999 his film ‘When Trumpets Fade’ won the Fiction award at the Biarritz International Festival of Audiovisual Programming. He directed ‘Widow’s Peak‘(1995), which won Best Film at the Austin Film Festival. His other features include ‘The Dogs of War’ (1980), ‘Ghost Story’ (1981), ‘Champions’ (1984), ‘Turtle Diary’ (1985), ‘Robin Hood’ (1991), ‘Next of Kin’ (1989), ‘A Month by the Lake’ (1995), ‘Shiner’ (2000) and ‘The Boys from County Clare’ (2003). He has received three BAFTA nominations in total: Best Director with Best Drama Series/ Serial with the BBC’s adaptation of ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy‘ (1979) and ‘Hard Times‘ (1977), and Best Short Film with ‘Mafia No!‘ (1967).
Steve Bowden
Steve Bowden is an audio-visual entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience working in a variety of roles in the film and television industries, producing films since 1997. Steve ran two independent production companies and has been responsible for over 50 audio-visual projects including feature films, short films and television productions. His film work has been licensed by major international film distributors; broadcast on the BBC, ITV, Channel Four and SKY; streamed on Netflix and Amazon and screened at international film festivals and markets including Edinburgh International Film Festival, Dinard Film Festival, Antalya Film Festival, Emden Film Festival, Palm Springs Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, the Marche du Film, the European Film Market, and the American Film Market – collecting several awards and accolades. Steve has designed and delivered bootcamps, workshops and training programmes for aspiring filmmakers and entrepreneurial producers and is a graduate of the prestigious European Audio- Visual Entrepreneurs programme (EAVE).
John Archer
John Archer has considerable experience in film and television production, having produced over 600 hours of UK network television. He was head of Music and Arts at BBC Scotland and the founding Chief Executive of Scottish Screen. Archer is the producer of the feature documentary ‘Women Make Film‘ (2019) which has recently had a special mention by The Hollywood Reporter in their round up at the TIFF festival. Other feature documentaries John has produced include ‘The Story of Film‘ which won the Peabody Award in 2014, ‘Alasdair Gray: A Life in Progress‘ (2014), ‘I Am Belfast‘ (2015), ‘Atomic: Living in Dread‘, ‘Promise‘ (2015), ‘Arcadia‘ (2017) and ‘Make Me Up‘ (2018). Archer was also executive producer of the film drama ‘The Carer‘ (2016). He co-directed and produced the documentary ‘Accidental Anarchist‘ (2017). He is now Managing Director of Hopscotch Films producing both drama and documentaries, winning both UK and Scottish BAFTAs and the Festival Prize from Florence’s Festival dei Popoli. He is also Chair of Independent Producers Scotland.
Charlotte Wontner
Charlotte Wontner has worked extensively across drama and documentary in film and television as a producer and in development. Charlotte produced the feature film ‘The Carer’ (2016) starring Brian Cox, Emilia Fox and Anna Chancellor which premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and the Palm Springs International Film Festival. It won ‘best of the fest’ at both festivals and was nominated for the Scottish BAFTA’s and the Hungarian Film Awards. Her other feature films include ‘Island‘ (2011) starring Colin Morgan, Janet McTeer and Natalie Press and the $4million horror ‘The Sick House‘ (2008) starring Gina Philips. Charlotte is co-founder of Hopscotch Films and has produced the shorts ‘It’s Not You It’s Me’ (2001) which was short-listed for BAFTA and nominated for the Turner Classic Movie Awards 2001, ‘Shrink‘ (2003) and ‘A Fairy Story‘ (2002) which was selected for “Critics Week” at the Cannes Film Festival and short-listed for the Academy Awards. Amongst her documentary work she has production managed Clara Glynn’s four-part series for BBC2 ‘Alan Clark’s History Of The Tory Party‘ (1997) and then went on to Associate Produce Clara’s film ‘Last Years’ Tories‘ (1998) for C4’s Cutting Edge.
Jonathan Hourigan
Jonathan Hourigan is a graduate of the National Film and Television School and a former assistant to Robert Bresson. He is currently co-writing the first feature film of the Serbian documentary filmmaker Maja Novakovic. After 4 years as Course Leader MA Screenwriting and Head of Screenwriting at London Film School he is now Programme Director for MA Screenwriting at the University of Manchester, where he is also preparing a conference on Robert Bresson for Spring 2023.
Festival talks
Olivia Hetreed
Olivia Hetreed is a multi-award-winning British screenwriter, film editor and mentor. She has just written the feature “Mrs. Harris goes to Paris” which has a special screening at the Inward Eye Film Festival.
