A small team with a big commitment to environmental cinema, community and place.
LandxSea is created by a passionate team of filmmakers, creatives, community organisers and changemakers working together to bring bold environmental cinema to Scotland’s northeast coast.
Our day-to-day festival team is supported by our Board of Trustees, screening and selection team, freelance specialists, volunteers, community partners and the brilliant team at Montrose Playhouse.
For 2026, the festival is led by Rachel Caplan, working alongside Holly Muse, Emma Jamieson and Frida Mittmann, with a wider circle of collaborators helping bring the programme to life.
For general festival enquiries, please use our contact page.
Meet the Team
Core Festival Team · Board of Trustees · Screening Team · Contributors · Montrose Playhouse · Founding Story
Who to Contact
Not sure where to direct your enquiry? Start here.
Programming & Partnerships
Festival strategy, programming, funding, partnerships and organisational enquiries.
Filmmakers & Guests
Guest travel, accommodation, hospitality, schedules and festival logistics.
Marketing & Communications
Promotional partnerships, marketing opportunities and festival communications.
Community Activity
Local engagement, community spaces, PoP Shop activity and ways to participate.
Interested in Joining LandxSea?
We welcome expressions of interest from people who would like to contribute as charity trustees, festival volunteers or specialist collaborators.
2026 Core Festival Team
The people leading LandxSea’s programming, production, communications and community activity.
Rachel Caplan
Co-Founder & Festival Director
Rachel co-founded LandxSea to create a welcoming, place-based home for environmental cinema, creative exchange and community action. She is an award-winning film festival producer and impact strategist with more than 25 years’ experience across the UK and USA.
She previously founded and led the San Francisco Green Film Festival, directed the International Ocean Film Festival, and produced Scotland’s Climate Festival for COP26, supporting locally led climate activity across the country.
At LandxSea, Rachel leads programming, partnerships, fundraising and overall festival delivery, working with filmmakers, artists and communities to ensure the festival remains ambitious, inclusive and rooted in its coastal setting.
Holly Muse
Guest Manager & Assistant Festival Producer
Holly is a creative producer with a background in cultural anthropology, film exhibition and community arts. She has worked across UK and international film festivals and with organisations including Watershed Bristol and BFI Film Hub South West.
Her work has included co-producing a community cinema in Bristol and delivering animation workshops and screenings in refugee camps and youth centres in northern France and the West Bank.
Holly recently completed a master’s in Visual Ethnography at Leiden University. Her fieldwork in southern Jordan explored the effects of tourism on gender dynamics and cultural practices within a Bedouin community.
Emma Jamieson
Marketing & Communications Manager
Emma is a marketing and social media consultant specialising in film and entertainment, with more than 12 years’ experience leading award-winning campaigns and strategy across the UK and internationally.
She helps organisations grow their audiences through story-led, data-informed and creative marketing designed to cut through the noise.
Emma also writes Reeling & Dealing, a film marketing newsletter exploring technology, media, fandom, the creator economy and entertainment.
Frida Mittmann
Community Outreach & Engagement Coordinator
Frida has worked with young people for more than 10 years, facilitating outdoor learning on beaches, in forests and across wild places. She also teaches languages through creative content, bringing education, storytelling and imagination together.
Originally from Berlin, Frida is now based in northeast Scotland. She is studying illustration, inspired by the dramatic coastline around her and by the stories and images encountered on everyday walks.
Her interests include community empowerment, visual storytelling, outdoor learning and rockpooling.
Board of Trustees
Our trustees provide governance, strategic oversight and charitable accountability for Montrose LandxSea Film Festival SCIO, a registered charity in Scotland, SC053626.
David Hughes
Chair
David has worked in quality management and assurance across the pharmaceutical and energy industries, with a focus on governance, practical delivery and improving systems.
A long-standing supporter of charities in Montrose, he brings a steady and thoughtful approach to LandxSea’s governance, strategy and development.
Kenny Alexander
Vice Chair
After a 35-year career in the petrochemical industry, Kenny became an active champion of environmental causes and a committed advocate for a fair transition.
Following COP26, he relayed the COP baton by land and sea from Glasgow to Sharm El-Sheikh as a green runner and Scotland’s representative.
He is also Chair of Polmont Community Hub.
Gemma Bradshaw
Treasurer
Gemma is Impact Director at the TV Foundation, the charitable arm of the Edinburgh TV Festival.
Her career spans public policy, documentary film, international media and talent development. Previous roles include Director of One World Media, Director of Programs for the Social Impact Media Awards and COO of the San Francisco Green Film Festival.
Nancy Dionne
Secretary
Nancy works across documentary film, photography and public engagement, with a long-standing commitment to environmental storytelling and the connection between nature, human health and planetary wellbeing.
She has collaborated with film festivals, impact producers and cultural organisations, and is drawn to stories that create moments of reflection and inspire meaningful action.
Screening & Selection Team
Our screening team helps us discover, assess and champion films for the festival programme.
Their viewing notes, recommendations and conversations play an essential role in shaping the final selection each year.
2026 Screening Team:
Armando Bautista Garcia · Abbie Clark · Bo Yau · Holly Muse · Martina Camatta · Mick Muse · Nadia Ward · Rachel Caplan · Rebecca Taylor
Festival Contributors & Freelance Specialists
A brilliant group of specialists helps shape the festival’s visual identity, communications, access and live experience.
Graphic Design
Matthew Martin, MRTN Studio
Festival Trailer
Anthony Baxter, Montrose Pictures
Publicity
Hannah Bradley Croall PR
Screen Education & Community Filmmaking
Sandie Jamieson
Live Captioning / CART
Max Rosenthal McGrath
More 2026 contributors will be announced as the festival approaches.
Venue & Delivery Partner
Montrose Playhouse
LandxSea takes place at the much-loved Montrose Playhouse, our community-owned cinema and festival home.
The Playhouse team works closely with LandxSea on venue operations, box office, technical delivery, hospitality and audience welcome.
David Paton, Chair, The Montrose Playhouse Project SCIO
Claire Carle, Operations Manager
Stewart Buchanan, Venue Supervisor
Bobbie Paton, Social Media Team
Amy Nash, INDY Cinema Services
Founding Story
Anthony Baxter
Co-Founder
Anthony Baxter co-founded LandxSea with Rachel Caplan and played an important role in its beginnings, helping shape the festival’s early identity and creating its original festival trailer.
Anthony has now stepped back from active festival delivery but remains part of LandxSea’s founding story. We are grateful for the creative spark, local knowledge and filmmaking experience he brought to the festival’s launch.
A globally recognised documentary director and producer based in Montrose, Anthony’s films include You’ve Been Trumped and the BAFTA Scotland-winning Eye of the Storm.
With Thanks
LandxSea has been shaped by many generous people since it began—from early community conversations, outreach and photography to volunteering, design, local knowledge and practical support.
We are grateful to contributors and festival friends, including Fiona Guest, Graham Black and the many others who have helped LandxSea grow.
LandxSea Beach Dook photograph by Graham Black. Rachel Caplan portrait by Lesley Martin Photography.