Nadia Darries is a director, animator, co-founder of Goon Valley and executive partner at Rocketwheel - with an avocation for songwriting. Born in South Africa to a community rich with culture and identity politics, her roots inspire her fervour for personal reflection as a gateway to studying what it means to be human. This passion feeds into her work as a creative and drives her long-term mission of encouraging people to explore their personal stories. Nadia has co-written and co-directed the Annie-winning Star Wars VISIONS 2 episode, “Aau’s Song”. She has worked on animated film and motion design as an animator, project manager, creative director and director since 2015. Her experience includes animating at Triggerfish Animation Studios on award-winning BBC films Stick Man, Revolting Rhymes and Highway Rat.

Dianne joined the animation industry after an 11-year career in advertising, PR and events. Not only does she perform the mammoth role of CTIAF’s festival director, but she also has produced a series of high profile projects. Her latest project; Aau’s Song was an original story produced for Lucasfilm LTD released on Disney +. This 15 min fully CG film was developed and produced entirely in South Africa. She has managed creative teams and processes for a variety of digital content including 2d, 3d, stop motion and VR. She is passionate about African animation and believes that the continent is more than ready for the global stage.

She has over 15 years of video editing experience and in the dramatic MIDPOINT of her career thus far, she shifted from editing real people to hamsters being chased by giant doughnuts. Clea has worked at Triggerfish Animation and Sunrise Productions on shorts, series and features films including Supa Team 4, Netflix’s first ever African animated series. From doing an MA in screenwriting in Ireland, to taking animation writing classes delivered from Nigeria, Clea is excited to continue her creative journey as a writer/director. Her projects focussing on self-expression, connection and the environment have received numerous funding grants and she has pitched twice at Animation Du Monde, receiving a residency at Ciclic Animation. When she’s not glued to her screen you'll find her in nature, crocheting Totoro's, or (finally) playing D&D.