B2B esports and media company Esports Insider (ESI) has announced the first round of ESI Film Festival judges and advisory board members.
Taking place as part of the ESI London esports industry conference on Friday October 20th 2023, the ESI Film Festival aims to showcase the positive difference video games and esports can make to people’s lives via the medium of film.
The festival offers a cash prize pool of £10,000, provided by non-profit partner ESG Gaming.
Composed of gaming and film industry professionals, the judges and advisory boards play host to a range of voices, who will help determine both the shortlist and the overall winner.
ESI Film Festival judges and advisory board members
- Gina Jackon OBE – SKILLful [Advisory Board only]
- Stuart Burnside – BFI [Advisory Board & Judge]
- Lee Willows – ESG Gaming [Advisory Board & Judge]
- Sky Tunley-Stainton – Safe in our World [Advisory Board & Judge]
- Karina Ziminaite – Z1MT [Advisory Board & Judge]
- Elle Osili-Wood – Host & Presenter [Advisory Board & Judge]
The advisory board will include Gina Jackson OBE, who has extensive experience helping to solve the talent crisis in the games industry. Founder of SKILLfull, Gina has worked on around 300 games in both development and publishing roles, and now supports developers and publishers as a consultant/coach, championing diversity and mental health in the games industry.
On both the judging board and advisory board, Stuart Burnside is a video game analyst at the British Film Institute, offering advice and support on the certification process and the creative sector tax reliefs to developers across the country. A regular speaker, Stuart has appeared at numerous events around the country, including EGX, London Games Festival and more.
Lee Willows from ESG Gaming will also be both a Judge & Advisory Board member. Lee has over 30 years of experience working with and leading services for marginalised groups and communities. In a press release, ESI said that ‘Lee brings a deep, personal understanding of EDI and mental health, having recovered from a behavioural addiction and growing up as a gay man’.
Sky Tunley-Stainton is a lifelong cinema expert with almost 10 years experience in the cinema industry, including working with AMC to open the first theatre in Saudi Arabia after a 36-year ban. Now working for Safe In Our World, the video games mental health charity, Sky is passionate about destigmatising mental health conversations, and showcasing the incredible power of games to start conversations, share stories, and help players to feel less alone.
With 16 years of combined professional experience in media, content, production, marketing and communication, judge & advisory board member Karina Ziminaite is an exceptional storyteller. With the team she led at G2 Esports, Karina was awarded Esports Awards for Best Video Production Team and Best Creative Esports Piece in 2021.
Elle Osili-Wood is an award-winning television presenter, named “one of the most influential women in games” by Google. Elle’s entertainment career has seen her named a BAFTA Breakthrough in television, and nominated for an ARIA as a presenter of Radio 4’s Front Row, appearing on screen for Netflix, BBC, and Channel 4, as well as twice hosting the BAFTA Games Awards.
This is the first round of judges and advisory board members to be announced, with more to come in due time.
ESI Film Festival submissions deadline extended
Submissions are open for the ESI Film Festival, with the submission deadline extended to Friday September 15th. The festival’s themes this year are digital inequality, diversity, and mental health.
The winners will be announced at the film festival on the evening of Friday October 20th, with the top three films also being showcased for the first time.
Films will be judged on originality, creativity, plot, pacing, structure, characters, cinematography and entertainment value as well as on effectiveness of the message and the ability of the film maker to reach an audience.
For more info, there’s ESI Film Festival judging criteria here, applications to be an ESI Film Festival judge, advisory board or partner positions can be made here. And tickets for ESI London 2023 can be found here.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
