Dr James Rowlins
Director of Rocks Festivals
Dr. James Rowlins left his native town of Brighton to study cinema in Paris, where he gained a love for cinema, especially the 1960s French New Wave. His passion for visual culture subsequently took him to the bright lights of Los Angeles, where he earned a doctorate at the University of Southern California. His fields of expertise include film noir, Jean-Luc Godard, new waves and visual culture in the digital age. Dr Rowlins has held teaching positions in Europe, America and Japan, founding a Film Studies faculty under the auspices of MIT in Singapore. He has published film criticism and fiction, including a novel Dystopia, and is also an active filmmaker. Since returning to the UK in 2018, Dr Rowlins has devoted his time and energies to developing Rocks Film Festivals while also lecturing at MetFilm School Brighton.
Stephanie De Palma
Director of Patnerships & Development
Co-Director of HRIFF
​​Stephanie De Palma is a filmmaker, writer, and educator originally from New Jersey, USA. A graduate of the Mason Gross School of the Arts in New York, she later earned a Master’s degree in Digital Documentary from Sussex University in the UK. Her career spans narrative features, short films, and documentaries produced in New York, Los Angeles, London, and Brighton. As the founder of DirtyDog Productions, Stephanie has directed, written, and produced numerous award-winning film projects. Alongside her creative work, she has taught film production in both the United States and the UK, mentoring young filmmakers and helping design the UAL Film and Production Course Curriculum at East Sussex College in Lewes.
Her collaboration with Rebekha L. Smith, The Film Festival Doctor, deepened her expertise in film festival strategy. Stephanie is now a proud member of the Rocks Film Festival team, where she continues to champion independent cinema and nurture emerging voices in film.
“The power of cinema lies in its ability to offer unique perspectives and immersive experiences. I believe films should not only be watched but deeply felt, resonating intellectually, emotionally and viscerally."
Samuel Rose
Senior Programmer
Samuel Rose is a Sussex-based experimental filmmaker and aficionado of art house and world cinema. His creative practice focuses on immersive film art installations that produce strikingly unconventional visual aesthetics, incorporating homemade props, costumes and sophisticated audio manipulations. He previously worked at Hypha Studios, an organisation dedicated to repurposing disused retail sites into artistic spaces, and is currently working on a number of upcoming projects.Samuel has received training in film programming through the ICO (Independent Cinema Office) and the BFI (British Film Institute), and he has programmed for Rocks Festivals for several years. As a senior member of Rocks Festivals Programming Team, Samuel is particularly dedicated to championing original, daring new voices with the potential for lasting cultural impact. He is also an advocate for bold and provocative works that encourage open dialogue between audiences and filmmakers, while ensuring that there is a safe and supportive environment in which audiences can engage with challenging -even uncomfortable - topics. Above all, he is devoted to creating meaningful opportunities for filmmakers to connect, showcase their work, and engage with audiences within the contemporary indie and underground cinema scene in Brighton, Hastings and beyond.
Lois Norman
Programmer
Lois is a British/Australian award-winning independent film maker and writer, whose work focuses on the bravery and diversity of the human condition. Lois’ career in theatre, her love of the word and the visual, have found her films screening at Art Galleries, Pride Events & Film Festivals all around the world. She has also won many awards at independent BAFTA & BIFA qualifying film festivals within the UK. Her Award-Winning documentary She Is Juiced, had its World Premiere at Tate Britain in 2017 as part of Tate’s ground Breaking Exhibition, Queer Britain. She is Juiced then went on to screen at the very first Brighton Rocks International Film Festival and to win! Eight shorts later, Lois has challenged herself to use the visual medium of film to express the unspoken, the words & worlds held within and the courage it takes to allow trust: both of ourselves and another.
From her gender fluid dance film Swivel starring Iron & Sparks, to redefining age in Weightless starring Toyah Willcox, to her final short film Crave and the power of the Queer self-gaze, Lois is passionate about exploring and questioning the truth of who we are and the strength it takes to be all of who we can dare to be.
Anaisabel Merez
Programmer
Anaisabel is an actress, creative producer and educator, with extensive experience across film, television, and commercial work. She holds a BFA in Drama and Sociology from Syracuse University and studied photography and creative writing at Central Saint Martins in London. Her commitment to meaningful cinema led her to the Sundance Institute, where she studied creative production under the mentorship of Pamela Koffler of Killer Films—training that deepened her approach to independent filmmaking and narrative development.​Her work extends beyond performance into documentary filmmaking with significant social impact.
She served on the production team for a documentary film in Colombia that was presented as legal evidence before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, an experience that solidified her belief in the transformative power of storytelling. As curator and experience designer at BARCÚ (Bogotá Arte y Cultura), she developed immersive cultural programming that bridged art, film, and community engagement. Anaisabel brings a unique perspective informed by her work in front of the camera and her training in creative production, committed to creating compelling narratives that challenge and inspire.
Katiana Weems-Ado
Programmer
Katiana Weems-Ado is a Black American multidisciplinary filmmaker from Baltimore, Maryland. Known for her work as a cinematographer, director, & editor, her films serve as containers, rooted in their temporal explorations of grief and mourning. As an educator, her pedagogical concerns reach past form and mode to focus on the collective affect of film-making. How do we create together and in service of what? She has served as a professor of practical filmmaking at Goldsmiths’ Media & Communication Department & Towson University's Electronic Film & Media department as well as a member of the film faculty within Baltimore School of the Arts' Film & Visual Storytelling department. Outside of permanent positions, she has facilitated film-based workshops focusing on cinematography and visual storytelling.Katiana holds an MFA (2024 from The Royal College of Art) and a BFA (2020 from Syracuse University's Film Production Program) and an additional AA in Film Studies.
She is the creator of AXIOM24, a kinofuturist manifesto that formalizes a de-hierarchized approach to filmmaking in pursuit of a truly collaborative and radically supportive industry. Her commitment to innovative filmmaking has earned her recognition as a semi-finalist for the 2022 Janet & Walter Sondheim Prize, a fellowship with the 2023 iteration of the Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund, & an artist residency at The House of Koko in 2024/2025.Katiana’s passion for storytelling and dedication to a collaborative filmmaking process continue to drive her work & she is overjoyed to be joining the Brighton Rocks Film Festival team. ​