Carmen Thompson

Carmen is a film programmer, curator and creative producer based in Scotland.

She currently works as cultural curator and programmer for award-winning exhibitors We Are Parable and as producer for international sales & distribution company Aya Films, where in recent years she has worked on the UK releases of acclaimed Kenyan film RAFIKI (Wanuri Kahiu, 2018), Jamaican drama SPRINTER (Storm Saulter, 2018) and Sundance award-winning THIS IS NOT A BURIAL, IT’S A RESURRECTION (Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese, 2019). Aya Films also work across media education and in 2021 developed app ‘Curate-It’: an interactive course designed to help democratise film programming and increase access to curatorial learning, supported by Screen Scotland.

Carmen has over 8 years’ experience in film exhibition and distribution and has worked for a range of organisations including Sheffield Doc/Fest, Red Sea International Film Festival, Africa in Motion (AiM) Film Festival, Realness Institute, Wellcome, Everyman Cinemas, New Black Film Collective and Film Hub Scotland. She currently sits on the board of Scotland’s Document Human Rights Film Festival and in 2020 was appointed Trustee of Glasgow Film.