FOUNDER

Vipin is an award-winning Writer/Director & Editor based in London, with over a decade of filmmaking experience across the UK, US and India.

His recent short ESMERALDA, shot by the DoP of ADOLESCENCE Matthew Lewis, premiered at the London Independent Film Festival and has garnered multiple nominations internationally. His fantasy short BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW premiered and was nominated at FrightFest and won the Gold Award at UK Seasonal film festival.

Alongside narrative work, Vipin has created 600+ branded films for major clients including Apple, Barclays, and Samsung.

IMDb
Website
LinkedIn
Social Media

FOUNDER

George is an award-winning writer/director specialising in narrative fiction and commercials. He has a penchant for horror, sci-fi, and fantasy stories, grounded in realistic character drama.

In 2023, George's short film LEECH was showcased at FrightFest, Tampere, and Brooklyn Horror, as well as earning the British Horror Award for Achievement in Film on a Low Budget and also being selected for release by ALTER.

In commercials, George has carved a niche in video games, directing animated & live-action content for major titles including DUNE, HELLDIVERS 2, and A QUIET PLACE. 

IMDb
Website
Social Media

FOUNDER

A seasoned entrepreneur with a background in tech, healthcare, and product innovation, Simon has supported hundreds of creators through mentoring and investment.

Simon wrote and produced the award-winning short film 1 STAR REVIEW —his first foray into filmmaking—which premiered at FrightFest 2024 in Leicester Square and went on to screen at festivals worldwide, receive the Enhanced AVEC tax credit, and achieve commercial distribution as part of an anthology, including being available on Amazon Prime.

Inspired by that journey, and the incredibly passionate & talented people he met along the way, Simon conceived of 1st Features to help early-career filmmakers navigate the business challenges of the industry.

IMDb
Contact Simon Directly

PRODUCER ENGAGEMENT

Sintija is a feature film and short-form content producer, and the co-founder of the vibrant Watch Shorts Film Festival.

Her films have been recognised at festivals around the world, including Cannes Shorts, where she was named among the Top 25 Producers on the Creative Pool. One of her films was awarded the Shiny Award for Best Short Film.

Additionally, as part of a digital agency, she has managed digital campaigns and promotional websites for high-profile clients such as Netflix, Queue Magazine, and Warner Bros.

IMDb
LinkedIn
Social Media

FILMMAKER ENGAGEMENT

Yoann is an award-winning filmmaker who has produced several short films and brings a sharp operational mindset to every project, shaped by years of experience building and managing high-growth companies in the venture capital space.

He has led teams, overseen multi-million dollar budgets, and scaled ambitious ideas from concept to execution. Seeing a deep parallel between the worlds of venture and filmmaking, with both needing creative problem-solving, strong leadership, financial discipline, and an ability to bring diverse talent together toward a singular vision, he is passionate about applying these skills to help filmmakers navigate the often opaque business side of the film industry.

IMDb
LinkedIn
Social Media

RAINDANCE

Elliot is the founder of Raindance Film Festival (1993), the British Independent Film Awards (1998) and the Raindance London Film School (2017).

He has produced over seven hundred short films and seven feature films: the multi-award-winning The Living and the Dead (2006), Deadly Virtues (2013), Amber (2017), Love is Thicker Than Water (2018), the SXSW Grand Jury Prize winner Alice (2019)The Effects of Lying (2022) and Evil Sea (2023).

He teaches screenwriting and producing in the UK, Europe, Asia and America. Elliot has written three books which have become industry standards. In 2009 he was awarded a PhD for his services to film education.

SHORTS2FEATURES

Enrico is an award-winning writer-producer with 20 years of experience working in Film, TV, documentary and branding work. A graduate of London Film School and EAVE, Enrico has worked as a Producer/Line-producer/Co-producer through his own company Pinch Media on film and TV projects for Amazon, Universal, BBC, Al Jazeera and many others.

His work has gathered an Emmy nomination, a United Nations award and many more recognitions from festivals all over the world. He is a visiting lecturer at Royal Holloway university since 2018, and has previously taught at London Film Academy, Metropolitan Film School and many others.

He is also the founder of online film community ‘Shorts2features’, and advises 1st Features along with the rest of the highly experienced S2F Executive team.

CINE CIRCLE

ZB is a producer, marketing expert and founder & CEO of Cine Circle. ZB had a varied career starting off as a producer, switching industries to become the Head of Marketing at StoryTerrace and later on starting Cine Circle, an organisation dedicated to teaching filmmakers the business side of the film and industry.

During his time running Cine Circle he's had the privilege to interview 100+ successful producers, film marketing experts, PR consultants and journalists which has given him a wide knowledge of how to fund, produce and distribute profitable indie films.