Tess Vera is a filmmaker, visual artist and film curator from Dublin, Ireland. She completed her M.Phil in Film, Theory and History at Trinity College Dublin in 2010 and graduated from Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology in 2007 with a Bachelor’s (Hons) degree in Fine Art with a concentration on painting, drawing and installation. To date, Tess’s work has screened at film festivals, exhibitions and events across Ireland, the UK, Austria, Sweden, Portugal, Switzerland, Berlin and New York. Tess’ film work responds to themes of marginalisation, equality and social commentary and she is influenced by filmmakers such as Kim Longinotto, Pipilotti Rist, Albert and Robert Maysles, Werner Herzog, Peter Tscherkassky, Nick Broomfield, Steve James, Pat Collins and Sharon Whooley and Ken Wardrop. Heavily informed by her interest in 35mm and Polaroid photography, Tess works in an array of different film media including digital and Super8 film. In 2013, Tess founded Dublin Doc Fest, short documentary film festival, to provide a unique platform for the exhibition of short documentary film in Ireland. Alongside her creative work, Tess was the Festival Director and Programmer for five years, overseeing the annual exhibition of Irish and International short documentary film in select venues across Dublin city.