Karen Anstee, Writer & Director
Writer-director and a professional musician. Originally trained as a violinist at the Royal Academy of Music and in Boston USA, Karen wrote several novels inspired by her experiences in the music industry and her short story Symphony of Sighs was produced for BBC Radio 4 in 2014, starring Hugh Dennis and being named ‘pick of the week’ in both the Telegraph and Radio Times.
However, her life-long love of film eventually drew her to the London Film School. Karen graduated with a screenwriting MA in 2012 and has since written a number of feature length scripts, across a wide variety of genres. Her long-term ambition to direct some of those feature projects has led her to make her short film RACHEL, which is her first film as a director.
Karen’s musical background has a strong influence on her approach to film making – music is a necessary part of her creative process and integral to her vision for every project she undertakes. As a director Karen approaches film as she does a musical performance – she sees it as an act of true collaboration, where no one part is more important than the next. And, as a female director, Karen has started as she means to go on, by giving as many talented women as possible an opportunity to shine in key roles.
Akua Obeng-Frimpong, Producer
Akua studied Performance before training as an Arts Manager. She has had a professional career in British Theatre, including work with arts venues (C Venues, Battersea Arts Centre, Watermans) organisations (International Workshop Festival, Central School of Speech and Drama) and touring companies (Perpetual Motion Theatre, The Tell Tale Hearts). Akua was the Executive Director of Kazzum for 9 years, producing touring theatre and is currently Head of Business Development for Zealous, an online network for the creative industries.
In film Akua has earned credits as a production co-ordinator, production manager and producer on short films and has also collaborated on music videos and reality television. Her last project ROXANNE (2014), written and directed by Paul Frankl, has been selected for 15 festivals internationally and has won 2 awards.
Maja Biton, Assistant Director
Maja is an Israeli writer/director working in both Hebrew and English. During her twelve years in London she earned a BA in Film & Video from London College of Communications and an MA in Screenwriting from London Film School, whilst working on various projects as screenwriter, director, editor, producer and floor manager. Her short film ‘LETTERS TO GOD’ was screened at the BFI, ICA and festivals around the world. She currently has
two feature length scripts in development.
In 2015 Maja moved back to Israel, where she is Production Manager for the Israel Film Festival in Los Angeles. As part of her work at the Festival she helped establish and build the first ever Israeli Exhibition Space at the 2015 American Film Market.
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Tania Freimuth, Director of Photography
Tania is an award-winning UK based cinematographer. An avid photographer from an early age, with an interest in the human condition, the move to cinematography was a natural transition. She is a graduate of Manchester University and Maine Media Workshops Film & TV degree courses, and she lens’d her first feature on 16mm in 2005. Tania’s career is
founded on a successful period as an assistant, working through the grades on films and television drama, and she feels this experience informs her role and allows her to work as a cinematographer today.
A member of BAFTA Crew & the GBCT Tania has won awards for her work with Lloyds Bank, the Limelight Film Festival and has had her photographic art published by the Guardian Media Group.
Tania isn’t allied to one particular media format, believing that the story should dictate the form. She has traveled the world in pursuit of her craft, and has knowledge of lighting for both film and high definition across many genres, including drama and documentary.
