Our team & board

Sue-Anne is an established senior arts, tourism, sports and events administrator and manager with over 15 years in executive positions working for a wide range of state and national organisations including the Australian Football League, National Rugby League, Queensland Symphony Orchestra and The Arts Centre Gold Coast. Former executive for over six years with The Arts Centre Gold Coast, Sue-Anne’s attributes and skills, extensive marketing, commercial and artistic strategic acumen saw the Centre’s visitiation grow from 300K to over 700K in five short years. Sue-Anne is a proven business leader with a dedication to, and passion for, excelling in complex arts and culture industry development and stakeholder management environments.

A passionate creative marketer, Luke has worked in various marketing roles across the FMCG range category including natural health, entertainment, food and now travel. Majoring in Marketing and Law, Luke has used his skills across multiple roles where he is the Creative and Content Manager for one of the largest travel companies in the world, Flight Centre. Recent work has had him launch the new brand direction and created their first ever travel series ‘The 48 Hour Destination’ on network 10 and is now working on bringing the knowledge and passion to life through the WOW series.

Leanne is an experienced and energetic leader, with CEO and executive level government and private sector tourism experience across Australia and New Zealand, in a mix of city, urban, rural and remote environments. Leanne brings a broad base of exposure to strategic and operational projects, programs, human services delivery, governance and the day to day management of organisations. With a focus on collaboration and a solutions approach she has served on a number of boards, steering committees and reference groups over her career.

Nikola has more than twenty years experience as a legal adviser to some of the world’s leading media organisations. She is the founder and principal solicitor of boutique media and entertainment law firm, McGrath Legal. Prior to establishing her own practice, Nikola held General Counsel and senior in-house legal positions with film and television production companies, broadcasters and communications companies in Australia and the UK. She has extensive experience in drafting and negotiating agreements for the development, financing, production and distribution of film and television programs. Nikola is a member of Screen Producers Australia, the Queensland Law Society, the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia. She works closely with Screen Queensland and local producers, and is a passionate advocate for the screen industry.

Lynne Benzie has over 27 years in the film, television and entertainment industry. Her career started in the United Kingdom in Engineering, she then migrated to Australia in 1979 where she developed a very diverse background in the Insurance, Finance, Legal, building and Information Technology industries, which led her to a position with EMI Records in promotion and marketing. Lynne joined Village Roadshow Studios in 1990 as PA to the General Manager of the Studios, after 5 years of being involved in the operations of the Studio Complex she was promoted to Studio Manager, then to Vice President Studios Operations and in January 2008 was promoted to President of the Studios. In her capacity as President of Studios she is responsible for the day to day running and operations of the Studio Complex including, financial planning and marketing the studio facility, travels to U.S.A. twice a year and works closely with Screen Queensland and City of Gold Coast to attract productions in Queensland and lobby governments to increase incentives. Lynne was on the Board of the PFTC for 7 years and was Chair on Film Gold Coast and a committee member for REDAB (Regional Economic & Advisory Board for the film industry) and is currently on the Board of Ausfilm Australia. Bond University – Film and TV advisory board, QUT – CI Faculty Advisory Committee Meeting.

Brett has a 10 year+ history of providing specialist advisory, consulting and financing services to Australian and international film and television productions, government organisations, banks, distributors, sales agents, completion guarantors, US studios and Networks via his Contrarian Group of companies.  Prior to forming the Contrarian Group, Brett began his entertainment industry career with Moneypenny Services, working on the set of multiple film/television projects as a production accountant.  In 2013, Brett was also a founding partner of the Eclectik Vision group, a creative media entertainment company, focusing on the development, financing and production of film and television properties.

Michael Selwyn is a very experienced film industry professional having spent over 35 years in distribution, working for several major studios across a broad range of international markets. He is a current Member of the International Chapter of AACTA and his most recent role was as Managing Director, Australia and Vice President Australia/New Zealand for Paramount Pictures, a position that he left in late 2016. He is now working as a Production and Distribution Consultant and looking to continue his involvement with film schools and film festivals. Michael has been on the Board of the Gold Cast Film Festival since 2002.

Ted is an extensively experienced lawyer specialising in media, and has worked in the film industry since 1998. As Special Counsel at Blueprint Law, Ted advises on complex financing, corporate matters, content creation and exploitation with a focus on the media sector, for clients that produce, sell, distribute, bond and finance. He was previously Director of Legal and Business Affairs at Ingenious Media and has worked on many films including Slumdog Millionaire, Suffragette, Jungle, Guardians of the Tomb (pka Nest), 2:22, Selma, A United Kingdom and 6 Days.

In 2021 Josh was appointed to the role of Chief Executive Officer of Film Fantastic, the organising body behind the Brisbane International Film Festival BIFF and the Gold Coast Film Festival. Josh was formerly the CEO of Connecting Southern Gold Coast and has a strong background in festival and event management. Passionate about film and creating unique event experiences, Josh is excited to lead the organisation and festivals into the next era of growth and success.

Sasha has worked on both sides of the Australian cinema industry, starting in distribution before moving into exhibition and programming. From 2016 to 2019, Sasha was the Programming Manager for South Australian independent cinema chain Wallis Cinemas, where she implemented numerous event schedules targeting diverse audiences and generating box office. A highly regarded programmer of independent cinema and film, Sasha has sat on the Board of the Independent Cinemas Association and been a regular contributor at conferences and festivals. In 2016, Sasha was the recipient of the Natalie Miller Fellowship recognising female leadership in the screen industry and is a current member of the Screen Australia Gender Matters Taskforce. Sasha is interested in ensuring the diversity of content and stories on screens in Australia and is delighted to be curating the 2021 the Brisbane International Film Festival.

Mark joins BIFF with a wealth of knowledge and experience having been involved in the Entertainment and Events Industry for over 20 years. Mark is the Festival Director of Winton’s Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival, a role he has held since its inaugural Festival in 2014. Mark brings strong leadership, experience and strategic planning skills to the BIFF team and is looking forward to bringing the Brisbane International Film Festival to life in 2021.