Interview with Film Festival Director Lisa-Marie Tonelli

Interview by Chris Olson

Having just announced the 2025 lineup for the North East International Film Festival, we spoke with the Festival Director, Lisa-Marie Tonelli, to talk about the films that stood out, emerging voices taking risks, and the logistics (and challenges) and running a film festival in 2025.

Interview with Film Festival Director Lisa-Marie Tonelli

What was the overarching curatorial vision for this year's festival, and what particular themes or trends do you feel emerged from the selected films?

This year’s vision was about connection through disruption - spotlighting stories and voices that challenge conventional narratives. Across our programming, we saw a striking emergence of films interrogating identity, displacement, and resilience. There’s a palpable sense that filmmakers are responding to a fractured world not with cynicism, but with bold, imaginative storytelling that refuses to look away.

From urgent documentaries to fiercely original debuts, the 2025 line-up reflects a global creative community pushing boundaries, both artistically and socially. It’s a programme designed to provoke thought, inspire empathy, and remind audiences of cinema’s power to unite across our perceived differences.

In an increasingly saturated media landscape, how does your festival differentiate itself and establish a unique voice or brand among the world's many film festivals?

We lean into our North East identity - not as our limitation, but as our power. NEIFF is proudly rooted in the cultural vibrancy of this region, and we combine that local authenticity with an uncompromisingly international outlook.

We’re not trying to replicate the red carpets of Cannes or Toronto. We’re creating a space where discovery matters more than status, and where established creatives sit alongside emerging talent.

Could you highlight one or two films that you feel are particularly groundbreaking or likely to spark significant critical debate, and explain why you chose them?

Two films in this year’s programme really capture NEIFF’s spirit of bold storytelling and meaningful conversation.

The Corinthians: We Were the Champions is a powerful documentary reclaiming a forgotten chapter of women’s football history. It’s told entirely through the voices of the pioneering players who defied the FA ban to play across Europe. It’s both regionally resonant and globally relevant - raising questions about equality and legacy.

Breakwater takes a quieter, more intimate approach. It explores grief and queer identity through subtle, naturalistic storytelling, resisting cliché and leaving space for audience interpretation. It’s a film that is both emotionally complex and beautifully crafted.

Both films reflect what NEIFF stands for: amplifying underrepresented voices and sparking conversations that extend beyond the screening room.

What challenges did you face this year in terms of securing films, funding, or managing the logistics of a major event, and how did you overcome them?

Every year brings its unique challenges, but this year has been particularly complex.

On the funding side, like many cultural organisations, we’re navigating tightening public funding and increased competition for sponsorship. We overcame this through a combination of strategic partnerships with local businesses, a clear sustainability narrative that resonates with funders, and the sheer commitment of a brilliant team who know how to do a lot with limited resources.

Logistically, delivering a week-long festival across multiple venues always requires precision and flexibility, but our experience and strong local networks have made this year (and also our 5th anniversary!) possible.

How do you balance the pressure to program films with 'star power' or commercial appeal with your commitment to showcasing emerging, independent, or more challenging artistic works?

It’s always a balancing act, but we approach it with a sense of purpose. Star-driven titles can obviously help draw audiences in, but they’re never the core of our identity as an international film festival. Instead, we use those higher-profile screenings as a gateway to discovery, ensuring that audiences who come for a gala screening also encounter daring new work they might never otherwise have found.

We curate with integrity and trust that audiences are hungry for substance as well as spectacle.

Our commitment is to emerging voices and those that take artistic risk, and everything else is built around showcasing that.

Film festivals are often seen as vital launchpads for new talent. Who are some of the new filmmakers you've championed this year that you believe we should all be watching closely?

Two filmmakers really stood out for me this year.

Mercedes Bryce Morgan, who directed Bone Lake, is such an exciting talent. She already has a strong background in shorts and music videos, but this film really shows what she’s capable of on a larger scale. It’s stylish, it’s emotionally layered, and it plays with genre in a way that feels fresh.

Closer to home, Toby Robson is a name I think people will be hearing a lot more of. His documentary Poised is rooted in the North East and tells a story about resilience, community, and youth aspiration with such honesty. It’s a really confident debut; grounded, socially aware, and full of heart.

Considering the ongoing evolution of film distribution (e.g., streaming platforms), how is the festival adapting its role to ensure the cinema experience remains central and relevant?

We see festivals as more crucial than ever. Content has become endlessly scrollable, and cinema needs to be experienced, not just consumed. We want to lean into the place-based nature of cinema, and the shared reactions in a room, the post-screening debates, the energy of a live Q&A.

The relationship between a film festival and its local community is crucial. In what ways has this year's program engaged with or reflected the cultural landscape of this city/region?

The North East is in our DNA. This year, we’ve spotlighted regional filmmakers, incorporated local themes into our programming strands, and partnered with community organisations to ensure the festival is accessible and relevant.

Whether it’s celebrating stories exploring our industrial past, nurturing talent from our local communities, or using regional venues in new and imaginative ways, our programming reflects the vibrancy, resilience, and creativity of this region.

Beyond the main competition, which sidebar or retrospective program are you most proud of this year, and what story did it aim to tell about cinema history or a specific genre?

One program I'm particularly proud of this year is the Northern Soul Shorts block. It’s quite literally a celebration of the North East, and showcases a diverse range of voices and perspectives from the region. What makes this program special is how it reflects the cultural evolution of the North East - once known primarily as an industrial powerhouse, today it’s brimming with creativity and fresh artistic energy.

By curating this selection, we aim to spotlight local talent that resonates beyond our region, telling stories of identity, community, and resilience. We wanted to give local filmmakers a platform to explore the region’s past, present, and future whilst highlighting the North East as a dynamic hub.

For me, this program is a reminder that cinema can both preserve and transform cultural identity, and that the North East has a vital voice on the global stage.

What do you believe is the single most important metric for the success of this festival - is it box office, critical acclaim, industry deal-making, or audience engagement, and why?

For me and my team, it’s audience engagement. If audiences are moved, challenged, inspired, and leave the festival talking - that’s success.

Of course, box office matters for sustainability, and industry recognition helps build momentum - ultimately, festivals live or die by the conversations they ignite and the communities they build.

If we can create spaces where cinema genuinely connects people, then we’ve done our job.