THE ELISAR CABRERA DISCOVERY AWARD
Contributors
Brief Bios of those who have contributed to this site and the administration of the award.
Photo of the cast and crew for the linking segment of "Virtual Terror" 1995: Photo by Sue Foll.
Matt Devlen
Elisar's connection with Matt traces back to his early days in Hollywood when he served as Matt's assistant on the feature films "Love Is Like That" and "Soulmates," produced with Elisar's cousin, Cassian Elwes. Matt played a pivotal role in later launching Elisar's directorial journey, setting him up for the direct-to-video vampire thriller "Demon Soul" for Jerry Feifer and Vista Street Entertainment.
Throughout the years, Elisar has been instrumental in linking Matt to Raindance, firstly with his cult Super 8 film "Ozone: Attack of the Redneck Mutants" showcased at the festival in the early days and most recently, "Hollywood on a Shoestring," making waves this past year.
Beyond their professional ties, Elisar and Matt shared a deep passion for Star Trek, attending the Cannes Film Festival every May in the 90s, bonding over vegan and vegetarian cuisine, and being firmly in the Remain Camp of Brexit.
Caroline Kennedy
Caroline Kennedy has been a writer and traveller all her life. At different stages and in different countries she has been a radio producer, a journalist, an actress, a TV host, a theatre director, a humanitarian aid worker, a best-selling author and a single mother. Her eldest son, Elisar Cabrera, an independent filmmaker, died of cancer in July 2020. It is in his memory that Elliot Grove of Raindance and independent filmmaker and longtime friend, Matt Devlen, established this award.
Photo of Caroline and Elisar at about the time he was filming "Demonsoul".
Ian Powell
Ian Powell is a writer, director and producer responsible for the LGBT thriller Seeing Heaven and the horror film Razors. He currently has the Hollywood drama Sisters, written with Christopher Kennedy, in development, and is shooting the micro-budget LGBT drama Meet Me, which melds 19th-century gay life with contemporary hook-up culture.
The photo shows Ian prepping the connecting section for the Elisar-produced Virtual Terror in 1995, with Kerry Norton and Daniel Jordan (Demonsoul).
Photo courtesy Sue Foll.
Cass Rawat
Over many years, Cass has demonstrated a natural ability to bring people together and to support talented individuals in realising their full potential. Beginning in the late 1990s he quickly became a prominent organising figure in London’s VIP nightclub and entertainment scene, and was duly awarded by his peers in 2004 ,
In one of his key roles Cass met Elisar’s close friend Matt Devlen who introduced him to the 373 -year-old Grand Order of the Amaranter and the International Arcadia Chapter (IAC), which has been part of it since 2000. The IAC is a unique non-religious, non-political and inclusive group which brings together individuals committed to collaboration, generosity and meaningful change. Under Cass’s leadership, and together with its members, the Arcadia chapter has very kindly sponsored the Elisar Cabrera Discovery Award for the past two years and will continue its support in 2026.
Cass has acted as a consultant across a range of industries and supported charitable initiatives, including work with The Prince’s Trust. Inspired by his work on this award, Cass is currently developing a new charity aimed at supporting underprivileged young people, by finding opportunities in film, music, fashion and sport through education, and hands-on experience. This will bring together experienced industry figures to develop these young people who would otherwise struggle to get their voices heard.
Photo courtesy www.event-photo.co.uk:
Anna Taborska
A close and long-time friend of Elisar’s, Anna is a highly regarded and visionary writer of horror stories, often based on evocative and traditional European folk tales. She has been nominated for the British Fantasy Award three times, and for a Bram Stoker Award(R) seven times, winning a Stoker for her co-edited anthology "Discontinue if Death Ensues: Tales From the Tipping Point". Her fiction has appeared in over fifty anthologies and in three collections, including “For Those Who Dream Monsters,” where she takes the reader into a dark world of the subconscious where they must face their darkest fears and confront, amongst others, “Nazis, devils, ghosts and other monsters.” Paul Finch, author of Stalkers and Sacrifice pays tribute, commenting “Anna is nothing if not a cruel Blade when it comes to scary and horrible fiction.” She is also a poet and the writer/director of several short films including the festival award-winning TV drama “The Rain Has Stopped’.
This year Anna is again programming the Raindance Film Festival and selecting the debut features that will compete for the 2026 Elisar Cabrera Discovery Award.