Image: Daniel Boud

Patrons

AFF is honoured to have Australian screen industry legends Margaret Pomeranz AM and David Stratton AM as our Festival Patrons. 

After spending 27 years on television as Australia’s most beloved film critics, Margaret and David retired from hosting At the Movies in 2014. Their contribution to the Australian screen industry was acknowledged by AFF in 2018 when they were awarded the Don Dunstan Award. Margaret and David continue to be a much loved and hugely respected voice in the Australian screen landscape, and their continued support of the Festival is tremendously appreciated.  

David and I are proud and excited to be part of the always fabulous, always interesting and always challenging Adelaide Film Festival. No wonder it’s ranked amongst the top 50 festivals in the world.

– Margaret Pomeranz AM 

In 2021, Adelaide actor, screenwriter and director Tilda Cobham-Hervey was the AFF Youth patron for the inaugural festival.

Board

Chair: Anton Andreacchio GAICD

Anton Andreacchio is a South Australian producer and entrepreneur, working across new screen technologies and applications and is the founder of studio Jumpgate. Jumpgate has sponsored and supported the AFF since 2015, along with the International Film Festival and the Adelaide Symphony, in which saw the revolutionary integration of VR/AR technologies. Mr Andreacchio holds a diversity and wealth of industry experience and knowledge and has worked on over 400 successful projects, forming both inter-and-cross industry relationships in the drive of the development and success of the SA industry. Mr Andreacchio is also currently a member of the Entrepreneurship Advisory Board.

Beck Cole

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Beck Cole is a writer and director whose work spans many genres including drama, comedy, documentary, amination and children’s television.

She was the montage director of the 2021 feature film We Are Still Here, an anthology of stories by First Nation filmmakers. Her debut feature film Here I Am, about a young First Nations woman who attempts to rekindle her relationship with her daughter after a stint in prison premiered at the Adelaide Film Festival in 2011.

Beck directed the smash hit drama series Wentworth, comedy hit Deadloch and thriller series High Country for Foxtel Prime.

Beck is an established screenwriter, having co-written the feature film Samson & Delilah as well as Plains Empty and Flat. She is presently developing her third feature film ‘Ruby Moonlight’. Beck is a member of the Waramungu/Luritja people of Central Australia.  She holds a Masters in Directing (AFTRS) a B.A (Communications) and is a trained journalist.

Rick Davies

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Rick is an Engineer, Lawyer and Filmmaker, his 23 year automotive design, development and management career being followed with 16 years in commercial law.

Rick began his filmmaking career in 2016 in Iceland together with his fellow Living Not Beige Films founding members, Peter Hanlon and the late Cole Larsen. “Atlantis, Iceland” screened in 2017 at the Reykjavik International Film Festival, Adelaide Film Festival and Antenna Documentary Film Festival. “Ursula” was Rick’s first short film, shot in the Arctic in late 2017 and screened at the 2019 editions of the Fleurieu Film Festival, NorthWestFest and in Tulum, Mexico. Most recently, Rick was one of the producers of the 2022 Adelaide Film Festival opening gala event film, “The Angels: Kickin’ Down the Door”, his primary role being archival material production. He has also produced a number of music videos and DVD edits for The Angels, the 2020 clip of “No Secrets” having over 300,000 views on the band’s FaceBook page.

A Graduate Diploma in Advanced Corporate Governance accompanies Rick’s engineering and legal qualifications and he joined the Board of the Fleurieu Film Festival in late 2022.

Joshua Fanning

Joshua Fanning

Josh Fanning is an experienced company director and entrepreneur with a demonstrated history of founding and building media brands, successfully selling two out of three, one of which being CityMag in 2018 with over 600,000 readers. Mr Fanning is the youngest board member of the Art Gallery of South Australia, was a founding board member and director of the Committee for Adelaide, is a member of the Institute of Community Directors, and undertook the Australia Council Arts Governance Program in 2017. Mr Fanning is currently the Group Creative Director for KWP! overseeing the creative output of companies across advertising, production, technology, branding, media, and social media.

Jessica Gallagher

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Dr Gallagher is the University of Adelaide’s inaugural Deputy Vice-Chancellor (External Engagement), overseeing a diverse engagement portfolio, with a focus on contributing to the growth and sustainability of the University through leadership of strategic partnerships, recruitment, community outreach and internationalisation initiatives.

Jessica has significant senior management experience within the higher-education sector, and has managed teams across multiple countries to establish and execute innovative global strategies that have fostered high performing partnerships. With extensive experience in business development and strategic partner engagement initiatives, Jessica is highly regarded for her global outlook and community mindset.

Holding a PhD in Comparative Cultural Studies from The University of Queensland, Jessica has lectured and authored papers in relation to her doctoral research on European cinema, German film and comparative cultural studies, as well as papers and reports on approaches to strategic global partnerships, international education, and student experience. She is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Sheila Jayadev

Sheila

Sheila is a creative producer with a background in entertainment law. She produced the critically acclaimed miniseries Stateless for Matchbox Pictures and Cate Blanchett’s Dirty Films which premiered at the Berlinale 2020 and won 13 Australian Academy Awards. She produced the feature anthology Here Out West which opened the Sydney Film Festival in 2021, and most recently produced the drama miniseries House of Gods for the ABC, which was one of 8 titles selected for the main competition of Series Mania 2024 in France.

In 2016, Sheila produced the multi award-winning feature film Ali’s Wedding (Winner – Audience Award Sydney Film Festival, Critics Choice Melbourne International Film Festival, Best Film CinefestOz). Both Ali’s Wedding and Stateless have been sold to Netflix.

Sheila has worked in development at Scott Free, Ridley Scott’s London- based production company, and also as a Development & Production Executive for Screen NSW and Screen Australia. She currently works for Matchbox Pictures as a producer, with a slate of high-end drama projects that explore unseen story worlds often with diverse protagonists. She is a founding member of boutique production company Emerald Productions with Lyn Norfor and Prue Williams.

Marianna Panopoulos GAICD

Marianna Panopoulos has a Bachelor of Commerce from Flinders University, is a certified practicing Accountant and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD). She also holds a Master of Business Administration from Deakin University. As CFO and Company Secretary, Ms Panopoulos managed the Australian Human Resources Institute Limited’s accounting, reporting, risk management, governance and regulatory compliance and is current serving on the Adelaide Film Festival Audit and Risk subcommittee.

Hugo Weaving AO

Hugo Weaving is one of the most recognised Australian actors. Internationally acclaimed Mr Weaving has played roles in over 100 films. These include The Matrix trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, V for Vendetta, Captain America as well as numerous Australian films including; The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Proof and Babe. Mr Weaving has won an array of awards in support of his success as an actor including seven Australian Film Institute Awards, an MTV Award and Satellite Award. Mr Weaving has also served on industry boards, including the Australian Film Finance Corporation.