Raindance Undergraduate Team
Academic Team

Zulfiqar Choudhry
Principal / CEO
Bio
Zulfiqar Choudhry is the Principal for Raindance Educational Services. He is also responsible for maintaining academic standards and developing the core academic content of the courses.

Justin Shevlin
Director of Academic Studies
Bio
Justin Shevlin originally trained as an actor at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art (now Central School of Speech and Drama) and upon graduation joined the Royal Shakespeare Company under the Artistic Directorship of Adrian Noble. Justin is a freelance filmmaker and has directed short films, music videos, as well as adverts and corporate films for the advertising agency Blueprint-London.

Ufuk Gky
Lecturer/Course Leader (Creative Media Production)
Bio
Ufuk is a filmmaker, freelance videographer, and lecturer/course leader on the HND filmmaking. Specialising in cinematography and editing, he has 15 years of industry experience and has been involved with short and feature film projects, filmmaking events, corporate and music videos, and has also created an interactive installation for a museum exhibition. He was also the digital manager for the 2021 Raindance Film Festival.

Myles Horgan
Lecturer/Course Leader (Performing Arts)
Bio
Myles Horgan is a London based independent filmmaker, writer, actor, and educator. He holds an MA in Actor Training and Coaching (RCSSD) a Dip in Theatre Practice (TCD) and is a Certified Teacher in the Sanford Meisner Technique (TAI). He is also a member of MICHA and the M.C (UK) Collective. He is a professional actor with over 25 years television, film, and theatre credits, with highlights that include, ‘The Wind that Shakes the Barley ‘(Palme d’Or), ‘Paddy’ (Best Short Galway Film Festival), and ‘Custards Last Stand’ (Bafta).

Robert Dee
Lecturer
Bio
Robert Dee has a Masters in Filmmaking and 20 years professional experience. After a brief period in journalism working for Bizarre magazine and Fortean Times he worked for five years at award-winning post-production house, Smoke and Mirrors as the in-house editor before moving to Amsterdam to work as an AV director for global ad agency ADK. Since 2008 he has worked freelance creating online content and established a short film group, overseeing the production of thirty short films. His current short, The Devil’s Harvest, has shown in festivals worldwide and he is currently developing a couple of psychological horror features, a supernatural tv series and a western. He loves horror and the uncanny.

Sophie Knighton
Lecturer
Bio
Sophie is an actor, writer, director, and casting assistant. Theatre credits include the award-winning plays Clean (Different Theatre) and Necessity (Broken Silence Theatre). She has appeared in numerous short films, commercials, and the upcoming feature film Charlotte. Her self-penned TV pilot Foiled in which she plays the leading role is currently in post-production. Casting credits include award winning feature Perfect 10 by Eva Riley (currently available on BBC iPlayer). She has taught acting for screen and stage at the Academy of Creative Training for eight years.

Ana Mari Muether
Lecturer
Bio
Ana Muether is a London based writer/director/producer originally from Germany where she started her journey at a local TV channel. There she produced TV shows ranging from short documentaries, children, and youth talk shows to different concepts of live shows. Eventually, she got involved with the educational organisation Youth4Media, for which she became a media trainer and taught young people at international events in Germany, Armenia, and Turkey to create their own media content. Wanting to get into fiction, Ana enrolled at Raindance Film School in 2017 with a focus on screenwriting and directing, where she wrote, directed, and produced a number of short films.

Josh Farrell
Lecturer
Bio
Josh is a filmmaker with experiences in screenwriting and directing. He has recently completed the MA in filmmaking with Raindance. He teaches Film Studies, Screenwriting, Creative Media Industry and Professional Practices.
Administration Team

Paul Laight
Office Manager
Bio
Paul has a BA (Hon.) in Film and an MA in Screenwriting. He is also an emerging filmmaker, with many of his 15 shorts screened at film festivals all over the world. He has also written many short and feature film screenplays and been involved with running comedy events for many years. More importantly he has over thirty years administrative experience working in corporate, financial, industrial, and media-based companies.

Laura Gregory
Academic Administrator
Bio
Laura studied at Raindance Film School on the HND in Filmmaking course, moving onto the MA in Filmmaking (Negotiated) with distinction. Since then, she has worked freelance on many short form, corporate, web series and feature film projects. Laura also has her own production company, CodeSpirit Productions, in which she has made award winning narrative and documentary short films.

Sibyl Cooper
Academic Administrator
Bio
As a recent Literature and Creative Writing graduate, Sibyl joined the Raindance team at the start of 2023. Alongside their work at Raindance, Sibyl is a writer and musician. Their writing explores neurodivergent perceptions of the natural world, and you can find their most recent essay, ‘Metamorphosis’, featured in Speculative Nature Writing: An Anthology, set for release in Autumn 2023. Under the alias Scarlet Early, Sibyl writes and produces gothic metal and industrial music.

Bailey Graham
Marketing Manager
Bio
Bailey Graham, seasoned marketer and passionate visual storyteller, has enriched the Raindance Film Festival since 2019. With an expansive six-year career in marketing, Bailey’s expertise merges with a strong photography and media background, offering a unique perspective to the cinematic world. At Raindance, she doesn’t just coordinate marketing campaigns – she becomes part of the filmmaking process. Often found capturing stills on film sets, she bridges the gap between production and promotion, translating the magic of filmmaking into compelling narratives that captivate audiences.