MQFF Team

David Martin Harris (they/them) was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Melbourne Queer Film Festival in November 2021.

A first-generation Australian born in Western Sydney, David is a skilled cultural leader with a sound knowledge of cultural advancement, multi-arts curatorial practice, LGBTQI+ social justice, and the Australian not-for-profit landscape.

Cerise Howard was appointed as Program Director of Melbourne Queer Film Festival in May 2023. She hails from Aotearoa New Zealand and has for several years been a co-curator of the Melbourne Cinémathèque.

She co-founded the Czech and Slovak Film Festival of Australia and was its Artistic Director from 2013-2018; she was also a co-founding member of tilde: Melbourne Trans and Gender Diverse Film Festival.

Nathan Boadle is an experienced Marketing Manager with a background in print and digital design.

After completing his degree is graphic design, Nathan used his newly gained expertise to co-found B.TIES – a successful handmade business creating bespoke bow ties.

As an avid cinephile, Nathan first volunteered for MQFF in 2021, after being a longtime patron of the Festival for many years.

Steven Trosti has worked with The Melbourne Queer Film Festival since 2021 and was appointed Festival Producer for the 2022 season.

Steven is a multidisciplinary artist and creative producer based in Melbourne, Australia. With a strong belief in the power of art to engage and connect communities, Steven has become a specialist in producing events for the queer community in Melbourne and beyond. He is dedicated to creating inclusive spaces that celebrate diversity and promote social change.

Alice Fairweather joined the MQFF Marketing and Fundraising team in July 2024.

After completing her degree in Media and Communications at RMIT, Alice has had experience working within social marketing and communications at The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) and The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth).

Bree Davis joined the MQFF team as Finance Manager in July 2024. She brings with her a wealth of experience from within the Non For Profit sector where she has worked with many different organisations.

Bree is a staunch supporter of human rights. Working with indigenous, women's rights, LGBQTI+ and community based organisations has been her passion for the last 25 years.

David is the Co-President of MQFF and has been on the board since 2018. David is passionate about the arts as well as Melbourne’s LGBTIQ+ organisations having previously served on the board of Midsumma, a past president of GLOBE and the founder of the GLOBE Community Awards.

Outside of MQFF, David is a marketing and communications consultant, a researcher and lectures in public relations and advertising at RMIT. He is currently also completing a PhD at RMIT where he is researching the intersection between online games and health communication as a vehicle to engage young people to improve their health.

Gail has been an avid member and supporter of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival ‘since forever’. She has been swaggering into queer films since the days of the old State Theatre underground screenings, and isn’t afraid to share that.

Gail has been a Board Member since early 2020, and became Co-President in late 2021. She has spent the majority of her career managing HSE for multinational companies so it’s no surprise that she chairs the Risk Management Sub Committee for MQFF.

David has been the Secretary of MQFF since 2014 and is responsible for the Board’s governance and reporting obligations. He has been a passionate festival-goer for many years and is a particular fan of MQFF’s documentaries and shorts packages.

Outside of the Festival, David is a commercial barrister at the Victorian bar, where he specialises in tax, financial services, property law and general commercial disputes. He acts for governments, corporates, individuals and pro bono clients. David has previously worked as a solicitor at a major commercial law firm and as an Associate to a Federal Court Judge.

Anouska Phizacklea (BA (hons), MA, MCom, CPA, GAICD) is the Director of the Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh). Phizacklea has expertise across the visual, decorative and literary arts as well as finance and organisational development, with Masters Degrees in both Fine Arts and Commerce.

She has held senior management positions at leading Victorian public institutions including Heide Museum of Modern Art and the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), and worked for many years in art research and valuations in galleries and auction houses in Melbourne and London.

Jasmine Fiegehen is a strategic communications leader making words and pictures effective for both the public and not-for-profit sectors.

With a passion for creating behaviour change campaigns and generating positive organisational engagement, Jasmine enjoys working on marketing, creative advertising, complex, reputational and crisis media management.

Marco is a Principal at marshalls+dent+wilmoth lawyers, specialising in commercial, media and entertainment law. His expertise includes commercial contracting and procurement, transactions, fundraising and intellectual property. He has been on the MQFF Board since 2021.

Marco advises clients predominantly from the technology, media and entertainment industries. Recently, he has acted for leading television and film production companies, media content distributors, festivals and hospitality venues.

Rebeckah Loveday has been a board member of MQFF since December 2022. Rebeckah is a model, actor, presenter and transgender advocate, using her platform and lived experience to advocate for the transgender community.

Outside of MQFF, Rebeckah is a co-founder of Trans Sisters United, a member for the LGBTIQA+ Advisory Committee at the City of Port Philip, radio personality on Joy 94.9 and co- founder of Trans Pride March Melbourne. In November 2022, the first Trans Pride March Melbourne took place in Naarm.

Lou joined the MQFF board in October 2022 and enjoys MQFF’s lesbian and trans films, as well as the opportunities that MQFF provides for members of the LGBTIQA+ community to come together in person.

Outside of the Festival, Lou is a public service professional with 15 years of experience working in complex policy and project roles for the Victorian Government.

Alex is a marketing professional working in the not-for- profit space and is an active member of the LGBTIQA+ community. She has an extensive track record of driving growth through marketing, engaging audiences, and delivering outstanding results for a wide range of businesses and organisations. With a passion for design and developing visually stunning campaigns that resonate with audiences, she drives meaningful engagement that have resulted in substantial increases in brand awareness and ultimately, revenue generation.

Max Jahufer, a passionate Trans advocate and founder of Melbourne-based creative agency FutureStudio, brings over 15 years of experience in advertising, marketing, and sales. His drive to revolutionise the agency experience led to the creation of his creative agency FutureStudio, where he blends creativity with commercial sustainability to deliver innovative and impactful solutions for top Australian brands.

Damien is a screen industry researcher, who investigates the influence of production culture on queer representations. He researches and teaches across the areas of screen, media, culture, gender and sexuality, communications, and advertising. Damien has previously worked in communications and advertising, was a volunteer Marketing Director of GLOBE Victoria, and on the founding committee of the GLOBE Community Awards, where he oversaw the nomination and judging processes for its first five years.