The 1998 Jury Chair

Mark Shivas was a multi-award-winning producer and executive producer of some of the most popular television programmes and feature films of the past 40 years.
During an impressive career, his name became familiar to the viewing public because of the extraordinary quality of the wide range of television programmes and feature films with which he was associated. These include: THE GLITTERING PRIZES, CASANOVA, CAMBRIDGE SPIES and the TALKING HEADS series. He executive produced many critically acclaimed films including TRULY MADLY DEEPLY, THE GRASS ARENA, PRIEST, JUDE, REGENERATION, HIDEOUS KINKY, I CAPTURE THE CASTLE and AN AWFULLY BIG ADVENTURE.  
Mark also played a highly valued role in the life of the Academy: he was twice elected to Council (in 1982 and 1997) and served as a member of both the Television Committee (1982 to 1989) and Film Committee (1997 to 2007). Mark also served as Chairman of the Short Film Jury from 2002 to 2007. In 1987 Mark was appointed the BBC's Head of Television Drama, a position he held until 1993 when he took on the role as Head of BBC Films.
Mark Shivas was awarded the Academy's Special Award at the SFTA Film & Television Awards in 1971 for the six-part television drama, THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII. He received multiple Academy nominations for his television work and a Best Film nomination for A  PRIVATE FUNCTION in 1985.

Martin Myers is the fourth generation of his family to enter movie business. His Great Grandfather and Grandfather owned cinemas across London. An accomplished professional with broad experience of the film and video business in both corporate and independent sectors. Martin has substantial experience of taking a product from concept/script to completion with sales and marketing expertise.
Following early roles in distribution, sales and marketing for CIC, UIP, Martin became Sales and Marketing Director of Miracle Films and later took on the same role (along with responsibility for acquisition) at Vestron Pictures where he released PRINCESS BRIDE, BUSTER and DIRTY DANCING. He was subsequently appointed Theatrical Director of First Independent Films Limited, where he oversaw acquisitions and release.
In 1999 he set up Miracle Communications, focusing on the distribution and sales. During this period he has been responsible for releasing films including ASOKA, SHOOTERS, DANCING AT THE BLUE IGUANA, VILLA DES ROSES, ONG-BAK and McLIBEL. Forthcoming titles include: Blue Blood, Conversations With Other Women,A Guide to Recognising Your Saints, Jindabyne, Taking Liberties, Tell No One and Ghosts of Cite Soleil.

His clients include Peter O'Toole, Jeanne Moreau, Bruce Beresford and Frederic Raphael. Steve is also a member of both the American and British Motion Picture Academies and PMA (Personal Managers Association) Council.

Lora Fox Gamble, is an independent producer and film commissioner with more than twenty years experience in film production, finance and distribution. Ms. Fox began her career in film and television working in development with veteran producer Freddie Fields at MGM.   She moved to the Samuel Goldwyn Company in 1986, where she acquired films for television libraries and theatrical release.   In 1991, she was named Executive Director of the International Documentary Association. In 1992, she produced and wrote her first independent documentary, THE VIEW FROM THE CAGE, and sold it to The Discovery Channel.  This led to three years participating in underwater films both in front of and behind the camera. As Director of International Co-productions for Oregon Public Broadcasting, she helped create the Eyewitness series, a co-production with BBC's Natural History Unit and Dorling-Kindersley. In 1995, she became Managing Director of Pinnacle Pictures, an international film and television sales company based in London where she financed and marketed several independent feature films.  In 2002, she produced the independent feature ANOTHER LIFE starring Nick Moran, Tom Wilkinson, Imelda Staunton and Ioan Gruffudd. In 2005, she was appointed by the Suffolk County legislature in New York to serve as a film commissioner on the Suffolk County Film Board. Recently, she produced THE SONG IS YOU FROM WATERMILL for PBS, and represented THE TEN, a feature film that will be theatrically released by ThinkFilm in August 2007.