2018 jury
all of our esteemed jury members this year have past straight 8 judging form. and we're over the moon that they're coming back for more...
THE DIRECTOR
asif kapadia - director, amy, senna, the warrior
see what asif says about straight 8 on our instagram
Director / Writer / Producer Asif Kapadia first gained recognition with his student film THE SHEEP THIEF (Royal College of Art) which won an award at the Cannes Film Festival. Kapadia's debut feature THE WARRIOR (Film4), won BAFTA awards for Outstanding British Film & Best Debut Feature, SENNA (Universal Pictures / Working Title), told the thrilling story of the Brazilian Formula One legend Ayrton Senna, the film won BAFTAs for Best Documentary and Best Editing. AMY world premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and tells the story of singer songwriter Amy Winehouse in her own words. AMY is the highest grossing UK documentary of all time, the film won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, the BAFTA for Best Documentary and a Grammy for Best Music Film. Kapadia recently directed two episodes of the hit Netflix series MINDHUNTER for David Fincher and he is presently working on his film on the controversial genius, Argentinian footballer DIEGO MARADONA. Kapadia continues to direct short films alongside his long form projects.
THE EDITOR
justine wright - editor, locke, last king of scotland, touching the void, one day in september
see what justine says about straight 8 on our instagram
Justine's editor credits and accolades include: DENIAL (2016) Dir. Mick Jackson, LOCKE (2014) Dir. Steven Knight - Winner of European Editor of the Year Award at the 2014 European Film Awards, THE IRON LADY (2011) Dir. Phyllida Lloyd, LAST KING OF SCOTLAND (2005) Dir. Kevin Macdonald, TOUCHING THE VOID (2003) Dir. Kevin Macdonald - Winner of BAFTA's Alexander Korda Award for the Outstanding British Film of the year, Winner of Best Film at the Evening Standard Film Awards, ONE DAY IN SEPTEMBER (1999) Dir. Kevin Macdonald - Academy Awards 2000: Best Documentary Feature, British Independent Film Awards: Justine Wright awarded Best Newcomer Behind the Camera. Justine just completed work on Idris Elba’s directorial debut YARDIE to be released this year (premiering at Sundance 2018).
Justine was one of the first 22 people to make a straight 8 in the inaugural competition in 1999.
THE DISTRIBUTOR
hamish moseley - head of distribution, altitude film distribution
see what hamish says about straight 8 on our instagram
Hamish heads up Altitude, one of the boldest independent film distributors in the UK. Over the last few years they have released a slew of brilliant films such as; THE FLORIDA PROJECT, MOONLIGHT, LADY MACBETH, MY SCIENTOLOGY MOVIE, I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO, FRUITVALE STATION, LOVING VINCENT and AMY - the most successful British documentary of all time.
THE CRITIC and chair of the jury
jason solomons - film critic and reviewer, bbc, the observer, the mail on sunday
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Jason Solomons, chairing the jury, is one of the UK's best-known film critics. On television, he is the host of the globally-syndicated interview show Movie Talk and a regular reviewer and expert on BBC News. On radio, he is BBC Radio London's long-standing film critic and a reviewer on Radio 2's Arts Show and Radio 4's Front Row, for whom he has covered the last ten Cannes Film Festivals. Jason's 2015 book Woody Allen: Film by Film came out to acclaim and has been updated for a 2nd edition. After a long career reviewing for newspapers including The Observer and The Mail on Sunday, his reviews and podcasts can now be found on: