high-level buyers representing international organisations
2024 Showroom Decision Makers
Charlie Parsons SVP Global Development, National Geographic
Charlie Parsons is Senior Vice President of Development for the National Geographic Channel, responsible for developing new projects, discovering new talent, and serving as the network’s main point of contact for the global production community and agents around the world. He is across programming for both the global linear network, as well as National Geographic’s tile on Disney+, and recently added oversight of the natural history development pipeline to his responsibilities.
Shaminder Nahal Head of Specialist Factual, Channel 4
Shaminder Nahal is Head of Specialist Factual at Channel 4. She recently commissioned the major new series The Piano, recently recommissioned for two more series, and the department covers formats including SAS: Who Dares Wins and Grayson’s Art Club. This year she commissioned Paula, a series about Paula Yates; Depp v Heard, a co-production with Netflix; the documentary series Kids about Kids in care, and a contemporary history series about the Miners’ Strike, to be broadcast next year. Previously she commissioned Investigating Diana, a co-production with Discovery Plus, as well as award-winning single films Grenfell: The Untold Story, Munya Chawawa: How to Survive a Dictator, and David Baddiel: Jews Don’t Count. Channel 4’s Specialist Factual also department commissions Guy Martin’s series such as the recent Guy Martin’s Great British Power Trip, and the Grayson Perry documentary series. Shaminder also commissioned 100 Vaginas, Me and My Penis, Superkids: Breaking Away from Care, The Extraordinary Life of April Ashley, and oversaw “Murder in the Car Park”. She also co-commissioned The Big Narstie Show and was one of the commissioners behind The Black to Front project along with Vivienne Molokwu. Prior to Channel 4, she was Deputy Editor of Channel 4 News and Deputy Editor of the BBC’s Newsnight.
Under her leadership, POV Shorts broadcast the 2021 NewsDoc Emmy Winner for Short Documentary, The Love Bugs. Previously, Opal was Shorts Programmer and Dir. of Artist Development at DOCNYC and Senior Programmer at Athena Film Festival. She has also worked with Nantucket Film Festival, Aspen ShortsFest and Tribeca Film Festival. Opal is a member of the AMPAS Documentary branch and is a Board Member of the Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC). She has participated on various festival juries and selection committees for film grants. A Columbia Law grad, Opal holds a Masters from the LSE and received her B.A. from NYU.
Christian Cools Commissioning Editor, ARTE G.E.I.E
Christian has a PhD in solar thermics and has served as commissioning editor for ARTE G.E.I.E. in Strasbourg covering various slots including knowledge, nature, society and human adventure. Since 2013, Christian has been in charge of the ARTE-Discovery slot (covering natural history, wildlife and discovery) which broadcasts 5 days a week (43″). The contributors of the slot are ARTE-France, ARD, ZDF and ARTE G.E.I.E. Christian coproduces around 40 docs a year with independent producers (mainly in France and Germany, but not exclusively) and with ORF-Universum and other European channels.
Ally Gilbert Head of Content, Prime Video Australia and New Zealand, Prime Video
As Head of Content, Ally leads local content efforts and is responsible for the design and execution of our local content slate, including TV and film licensing, for the Prime Video service in Australia and New Zealand. Ally joined Amazon in September 2016 as legal counsel supporting Prime Video in the US before moving on to other roles covering international expansion of the Prime Video Channels business, including leading the content acquisition function for the launch of Prime Video Channels in Australia. Prior to Amazon, Ally spent 7 years as a lawyer with Bauer Media (now Are Media) and in private practice. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from Monash, and currently resides in Melbourne, Australia.
Imogen runs the Festival Department at Autlook, one of the leading sales agents for feature documentaries, hybrids and doc series. As well as managing international premiere strategy, she oversees educational sales and acquisitions. Autlook offers a full spectrum of customized festival, sales and distribution strategies maximizing audience engagement and revenue as well as fostering filmmakers’ careers. We have an endless passion for the art of documentaries. Currently representing: No Other Land (Berlinale awarded 2024) by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Ibelin (Sundance 2024) by Benjamin Ree, Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (Sundance awarded) by Anna Hints, The Mother of All Lies (Cannes awarded) by Asmae El Moudir, The Corridors of Power by Dror Moreh, Three Minutes – A Lengthening (Giornate degli Autori, Telluride, TIFF, Sundance) by Bianca Stigter, A Compsssionate Spy by Steve James, Belushi by R.J. Cutler, Writing With Fire by Rintu Thomas & Sushmit Ghosh (94th Oscars® nominee), For Sama by Waad Al Kateab & Edward Watts (Emmy® Awarded, 92nd OSCARS® nominee) and Of Fathers & Sons by Talal Derki (91st Oscars® nominee).
Yukari Misaizu Senior Producer, NHK Enterprises (JPN)
With over 20 years of experience as a director and producer in the documentary field, Yukari is currently working as a producer at NHK Enterprises on NHK Specials and NHK documentary programs. Yukari’s main field is on international affairs and current affairs, and international director’s documentary, as well as developing NHK’s digital investigative programs.
Ash is a features Programmer at the Sundance Film Festival. He focuses on both fiction, nonfiction, and Midnight. Ash has also worked as the Director of Programming of Damn These Heels Film Festival as well as a Senior Programmer at Outfest Los Angeles. Ash is a 2021 Project Involve Fellow and has also been involved in programming NewFest NY, Sun Valley Film Festival, Overlook Film Festival, and AFI Fest and worked in production at ABC, Mssng Peces, and The Annoyance Theater.
Nick Ward Senior Commissioner, Non Scripted, Sky New Zealand
Prior to joining the team at Sky, Nick held roles as Head of Development at Great Southern and Executive Producer at TVNZ Studios. For many years he ran his own acclaimed production company, Two Heads. Nick has extensive experience in factual, entertainment and comedy production and development.
Floran is a Producer at ZED, an independent French production and distribution company based in Paris, with more than 20 years experience producing documentaries. He’s dedicated to discovery, wildlife, sciences and sport documentaries, winning several awards all over the world. He’s also very familiar with international co-productions with countries such as Canada, Australia and Denmark, as well as with international broadcasters such as National Geographic, CCTV in China, ZDF in Germany, NHK in Japan.
Virginia Hodgson Senior Commissioner, Warner Bros. Discovery
Virginia Hodgson is senior commissioner at Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ overseeing commission & production of unscripted for Three & Discovery ANZ.
Virginia has an extensive career as an executive producer with credits including Big Brother, The NRL Footy Show, Emergency, The Living Room and Midday with Ray Martin.
She held senior roles at Sixty Minutes and A Current Affair and was co-producer of the Sir Donald Bradman documentary, 89 Not Out.
Virginia began as a journalist at the Daily Telegraph and The Australian and was publisher of magazines New Idea and TV Week.
Based in Al Jazeera’s Malaysia bureau, Emile commissions and oversees 25 min docs in the Asia-Pacific region for the ‘Witness’ documentary strand. Hailing from a documentary film-making background, Emile has an MA from the National Film & Television School in the UK. He has lived in Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam and has spent almost 15 years working across international documentary in the Southeast Asia region. Emile currently lives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Kazz Basma HEAD OF SALES AND ACQUISITIONS, SIDEWAYS FILM
Kazz runs Sideways Film, a documentary and factual sales agency set up in 2010, with offices in London and Barcelona. Kazz established Sideways Film – a world documentary sales agency – in 2010, and is regularly invited as an expert to various festivals, training programs and juries. The company also occasionally partners at the project stage to develop and close budgets.