We are delighted to introduce the Judge Panel for the Deaffest 2024 Film & TV Awards! A big thank you to the following judges for the time they spent on watching the entries. The winners will be announced at the Film & TV Awards Gala on the evening of Saturday the 11th of May 2024. 

Clare Baines (she/her) is a visually impaired creative, activist, and the British Film Institutes’ first ever Disability Equality Lead. She recently founded ‘Crip Club’, an accessible podcast and online community which uses film discussion to address ableism behind the camera, on-screen and within our cinemas, whilst platforming disabled talent and joy. 

David Ellington gained vast experience in directing and producing short documentary films whilst at the helm of VS1 Productions. 

During David’s filmmaking career, he enjoyed undertaking challenging tasks and pushing himself. He focused on producing a variety of topics and content such as, 300 SECS (2013), Save Community (2014), Lost Community (2016), and Two Deaf Travellers (2019), which was his first time producing an overseas documentary.  On the BBC’s ‘See Hear’ programme, David was invited to make Dismantling Racism (2021), which highlighted Black Deaf people’s experiences within the deaf community. He has also worked as a videographer and editor on a documentary called the Deaf Academy (2022), as well as supporting deaf students in learning about filmmaking.

David organises monthly ‘Deaf Conversation about Cinema’ sessions at Watershed in Bristol, which have been running since 2018.

Matt René is a London-based intersectional Director and Producer. His varied 20-year film career straddles both scripted and unscripted TV, working in various formats including factual entertainment, reality, children’s programmes and food shows, including some of the most watched shows in recent years, from Channel 5’s ‘Big Brother’ to CBeebies’ ‘Teletubbies’!

Matt’s recent credits include directing the BAFTA-winning series ‘Lovely Little Farm’ for Apple TV+, and writer/director on the award-winning short film ‘What We Did Yesterday’.

He is a trustee of an inclusive youth theatre in Hackney and an inner London school.

Ted Evans is a writer-director based in London. 

Ted started his career at a small production company, before progressing from researcher to director at the BBC. In 2012, he co-wrote and co-directed two films for the Paralympic Opening Ceremony; ‘Look Up’ and ‘Bird Gherl’. Ted received international and critical acclaim for his award-winning shorts ’The End’ and ‘Retreat’, the latter was produced from Deaffest’s Ben Steiner Bursary and is currently being developed into a feature. Furthermore, he has previously scooped up three awards at past Deaffest Film and TV Awards ceremonies, including Best Director for his short film ’The End’, and both Best Director and Best Film for ’To Know Him’.

Recent credits include, ‘One Look (Reprise)’, a music video for Sony Classical, ‘SIGNS FOR CHANGE’, a BBC1 documentary featuring Rose Ayling-Ellis, and ‘Turn Up The Bass’, a short documentary for Netflix.