cause film festival team
Festival Director - Suki Foster
Bio: Suki is our new Festival Director who joined us in early 2017 to take over the reins from Yolandi. Suki previously volunteered for Cause Film Festival as copywriter and photographer and is now bringing her project management, website building, user experience design and entrepreneurial skills to Cause. Give the woman a clipboard and call her Monica! She is also a professional portrait and headshot photographer and although she is most comfortable behind the lens, she has recently been in front of the camera interviewing our top ten finalists. A Darlo Drama student, she's recently tried out her acting in front of poor unsuspecting audiences.
Cause: Animal welfare, spinal cord injury research, mental health awareness
Didn't need to know: Reggae lover. Dances a lot. Very Fussy Eater.
Founder and Patron - Yolandi Franken
Bio: Yolandi founded Cause Film Festival in 2014 because she wanted to help as many charities as possible. It combined her love of film and vast experience as film producer, actor and philanthropist. A previously nominated candidate for Australian of the The Year, former Mrs World Australia and Miss Multiverse title holder, Yolandi is the epitome of the "over-achiever". She has produced way too many films to list and has recently taken on the big task of producing and hosting a TV series, so she decided to hand over the reins of Cause Film Festival so she can focus on continuing to spread her awesomeness around the world.
Cause: Ovarian cancer awareness (and many others)
Didn't need to know: Insanely funny sense of humour
Photo by Suki Foster Photography
Digital Director - Damian Nixey
Bio: Damian is our Digital guru who is also an Actor and a Film Addict. Forget IMDB, this guy is "Information Movies Damian's Brain". Damian has supported the making of several movies including "The Babadook”, he has acted in Communicado’s "The Steven Shuttleworth Story”, "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys", "Young Hercules", numerous other small budget films and has produced “Other World” among many others that we don't have room to list.
Cause: Alzheimers awareness
Didn't need to know: Likes coffee. Lots.
Photo by Suki Foster Photography
Videographer & Editor & All round general supporter - Stefan Whitecunas
Bio: Stefan is a passionate advocate for social and community issues with extensive experience working in the not for profit sector. He joined the team in 2016 after meeting Yolandi at an event and falling head over heels with Cause Film Festival's mission. It perfectly combines his professional experience and passion for film making and videography. Stefan is a talented editor, aspiring film maker, travel junky and drone addict who flaunts crazy aerial and travel videos on Instagram.
Cause: Mental health awareness, disability, homelessness, Indigenous Australia
Didn't need to know: Stefan has been a cast member on a reality TV show driving Tuk Tuks across Asia.
Coordinator - Daniel George
Bio: Daniel is an administrative coordinator for Cause Film Festival. Originally from Queensland, Daniel has a diverse background in film spanning ten years. He started out as a young actor and also wrote and directed a few short projects, a formidable learning experience, before moving to Sydney, which he now happily calls home. He now focuses his time on screenwriting (amongst his many other jobs!), whilst coaching kids and teens in acting and assisting actors with self tape auditions.
Cause: Animal welfare; LGBTQI+ Advocacy; Mental health
Didn’t need to know: Huge Will & Grace fan. Test him on Will & Grace trivia, I dare you.
Awards night interviewer & Advocate - Laura Bennett
Bio: Laura is a radio host and entertainment reviewer at Hope 103.2 in Sydney. With a passion for movies that mean something, Laura joined the Cause Film Festival team in 2018 to interview the filmmakers and share about their projects. She also has a love of writing and all things pop culture, authoring her best-selling book, ‘Live Your Dream’, in 2015 and developing her own online magazine ‘The Connect Press’ a few years earlier.
Cause: Disability care for those in poverty, child sponsorship.
Didn’t need to know: Avid bush walker, lover of grilled chicken, marshmallows are my vice.
“Do it for a Cause, not applause!”