Our Team
CEO/Director - James Mudge
James Mudge is an indie film producer, writer and director, and a well-known international film critic, with more than 20 years of experience in the film industry in film festivals, communications and exhibition. James is the director of the horror film Fifty Six (2020) and the China-UK production Ganbei (2019), and producer of the short The Old Civilian (2021) and the UK-Italy coproduction feature Mostro (2022), and has consulted and worked on a number of other films internationally. James is the owner of The Next Day, a London-based film production, distribution, communications and exhibition company, and the CEO of Chinese Visual Festival and Focus Hong Kong, which have screened content from China around the UK for over 10 years, working with the British Film Institute and attracting audiences of over 75,000.
As well as writing for a number of publications and websites on Chinese film, James gives lectures at academic institutions, is regularly interviewed by global media outlets including CCTV, The Guardian, and others, and was invited to take part in international co-production and critic events at Bridging the Dragon at Berlin International Film Festival and the Hainan International Film Festival.
Film Curator - Xie Jingjing
Xie Jingjing graduated with a MA degree in English Language and Literature from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. She is the co-founder of Chinese Visual Festival and serves as Festival Curator. Before moving to London in 2009, she worked as the Screening Programmer for the only national Chinese documentary festival, Guangzhou International Documentary Festival, China (GZDOC).
Jingjing works on film curation for The Next Day, as well as providing services in film negotiations and logistics, interpretation and more.
Design Consultant - Andrew Heskins
Andrew Heskins launched easternKicks.com in 2002 to spread his passion for Asian film, which had been ignited by Hong Kong and Fifth Generation Chinese films from the 80s and 90s. This quickly grew into a broader appreciation of films from Japan and the Korean Wave, and continues to evolve and expand. The site has gained a reputation as one of the best sources of information on Asian film, now supported by a global network of nearly 40 contributors. Recognised as a specialist, Andrew and easternKicks have been involved in appearing on and creating exclusive video content for releases, as well as presenting for events – including a BAFTA Masterclass with action choreographer and director Ching Siu-tung. When not found in darkened cinemas and screening rooms, Andrew also runs a successful graphic design company.
