Get to know the individuals that volunteer their time, expertise and love of Asian cinema to put together the festival every year!
SENIOR BOARD MEMBERS
THOMAS SCHUBERT
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THEATER MANAGER, AND FESTIVAL LIAISON
Tommy has been with the Asian Film Festival of Dallas for a little over 12 years and is very proud to now serve as the festival's executive director. A fan of the Asian Film Festival of Dallas since its inception and Asian films in general, Tommy is slowly learning the ins and outs of running the festival, and he is excited to support his fellow board members in accomplishing what they do so well.
For his day job, Tommy has been working at Garland High School in the International Baccalaureate film department for the last fifteen-plus years, and he has been the department head for going on a decade. Through his job, Tommy helps student members of the Reel Owl Cinema IB Film Program participate in the industry all over the country with their plucky and hilarious films. It's a job he treasures.
When he's not working, Tommy can usually be found hanging out with his wife Leslie, his dog Shiner, or engaging in nerdy pursuits. Be it comics, D&D, cars, movies, or video games -- if it's nerdy, it's probably Tommy's jam.
CECILIA LAI
LEGAL
Cecilia provides legal counsel for the AFFD. She has been involved with AFFD since 2009 and enjoys sharing the experience of Asian films with a local audience that appreciates the art, culture, film, and music offered in Dallas. Currently, she is a Business Immigration attorney at Berry, Appleman, & Leiden. From 2008 until 2012, Cecilia practiced Entertainment Law.
SHAWN SREEDHARAN
FINANCE, IT
Shawn has been with AFFD since 2003. Currently his roles are in Finance and IT. He caught the film bug after his dad took him to watch the Shaw Brothers The 36th Chamber of Shaolin.
BOARD MEMBERS
LEE CARLTON
MARKETING AND STRATEGIC OUTREACH
Lee is a second-generation Asian Film Festival Dallas board member, following in the footsteps of his father Stephen Carton, who helped co-found the festival.
Lee specializes in marketing and strategic outreach and recently completed his master’s in marketing and analytics at Texas A&M Commerce. Lee has worked at THINK Global School, the world’s first traveling high school, since 2010 and became the school’s marketing director in 2017, a role he still holds.
Lee began watching Chinese movies with his father in 1995 through weekly visits to the Cineplex Odeon theater in Richardson. Together they watched many films that have gone on to become classics, including Once Upon a Time in China, Drunken Master 2, Wing Chun, From Beijing With Love, among many, many others. Since those early days, his interests have expanded to include films from all Asian countries and spanning all genres (except horror).
Their love of Chinese films eventually led to a trip to Hong Kong, and since then, Lee has also had the opportunity to visit Japan and Thailand. Lee looks forward to sharing similar travel experiences with his daughter Bernadette and hopefully passing on the same love for Asian films that his father passed on to him.
KATIE GIMENEZ
SECRETARY, FILMMAKER LIAISON, SPONSOR LIAISON
The daughter of an avid film fan with little regard for the concept of "kid-friendly", Katie developed a love of independent and foreign film at an early age. She has fond memories of family movie nights featuring films like Shall We Dance - no, not the one with Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere! Katie's favorite time of year is the week of AFFD, aka Family Movie Week, where she gets to spend countless hours watching great Asian films with her dad and sister.
Katie caught the film festival bug through positions with Dallas Video Festival and USA Film Festival. By day, she serves as Marketing Manager for Reel FX.
ERIN NICOLE PARISI
DEVELOPMENT, MARKETING, SPECIAL EVENTS, AND WOMEN’S FILM SHOWCASE PROGRAMMER
Erin Nicole Parisi is an award-winning Emmy nominated producer, director, production designer, and writer. Born in Chicago and raised in Texas, she is the co-founder of Kinetigraf Entertainment, a digital media company based in Dallas.
Erin has worked for film festivals since 2009 and has served as the director of several film festivals, including Best of Fest and Dallas VideoFest. She served on the Board of Texas Association of Motion Media Professionals and currently serves on the Boards of Women in Film Dallas and the Asian Film Festival of Dallas. Erin is also a member of the Dallas Producers Association, Texas Media Production Alliance, and the National Press Photographers Association.
Erin is a lover of life, a seeker of knowledge, and enjoys going on all types of adventures. Erin is a philanthropist at her core who deeply values giving back to her community. She has been honored for her charity work by the City of Dallas, The Dallas Morning News, and received the Otis and Rosie Brown Foundation's ExtraordinaryIs Community Impact Award.
Always an optimist and romantic, Erin's life mottos are the "golden rule" and "a rising tide lifts all boats."
DEV SHAPIRO
PROJECTION, FESTIVAL SECURITY, PRINT TRAFFIC
Bio coming soon
JOSH THEISS
GRANTS AND ASSISTANT PROGRAMMER
A lifelong fan of film, Josh had never attended a film festival until he was invited to a few screenings at the 2012 Asian Film Festival of Dallas. He enjoyed it so much that he couldn’t leave the event without first purchasing a pass for the following year’s Festival. History repeated itself annually until 2020, after years of fandom, Josh joined the Board as Head of Memberships. Today, Josh oversees Grants in addition to assisting the Programming team. A few of his favorite AFFD-screened films over the years include EEGA, THE KING’S WRATH, MOUNTAIN CRY, and THE WAILING, and he recommends you stop what you’re doing to watch them immediately. During business hours, Josh works as a regional manager for Valiant Residential; after hours, when not ingesting films, he enjoys walking his dog, riding his bike, and reading.
PAUL THEISS
LEAD PROGRAMMER
Paul is the Asian Film Festival of Dallas's feature-length films programmer. Long a fan of cinema in general, Paul fell in love with Asian cinema through the films of Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasujirō Ozu. He moved from there to contemporary films by the likes of Hou Hsiao-Hsien and Wong Kar-wai. More than a decade later, Paul is still trying to figure out what happened in The Puppetmaster.
During business hours, Paul works as a lawyer for AT&T. He has a lovely wife, daughter, and son.
ASSOCIATE BOARD MEMBERS
DAVID CHONG
EDUCATION OUTREACH, DEVELOPMENT
David has been a past volunteer with the Asian Film Fest for many years and is excited to now be a board member. He has previously served as an arts organizer with Kearny Street Workshop in San Francisco, where he connected with many local Asian American artists, including filmmakers and video artists.
He enjoys exploring the diverse Dallas art scene and meeting the tons of creative folks inhabiting this city. As a strong believer in the power of community, he tries to support many local organizations serving the LGBTQ community and other marginalized populations. He is also a proud Dallas CASA advocate.
David is old enough to remember when the only way to catch indie and art house films was at the one special theater in town or if they miraculously made it to the local video store. He is grateful for film festivals like AFFD that continue to shine a light on smaller films that deserve more attention. He has worked in publishing, documentary TV production, and public radio journalism. Currently, he types and stares at computer screens for cash, aka digital marketing.
KYLE KONDAS
EDUCATION OUTREACH, THEATER OPS
Kyle Kondas has been attending the Asian Film Festival of Dallas since 2000, serving as a juror for the shorts division for several years.
Kyle holds a BA in Art and Performance and an MFA in Arts and Technology from the University of Texas at Dallas. He spends his days teaching Video and AV Production classes at both high school and college levels. In addition to his work with AFFD, Kyle has also collaborated with the Dallas International Film Festival and Dallas Videofest.
Kyle's passion for Asian cinema was kindled at an early age, beginning with childhood cartoons such as Voltron and Robotech. This interest was further solidified during high school when he discovered Hong Kong classic films like Jackie Chan's City Hunter and John Woo's Hard-Boiled. This led him to the works of other notable Asian filmmakers like Hayao Miyazaki, Wong Kar-wai, and Stephen Chow.
In his spare time, Kyle enjoys podcasting, creating video art, playing retro video games, reading comic books, keeping up with the latest Tokusatsu shows, and indulging in all aspects of pop culture.
ALEXIS NGUYEN
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Alexis was an intern for the Asian Film Festival in 2016. She loves Asian films and how they showcase different perspectives in Asian communities. She currently works for an Asian TV network.
STEVEN SHOEMAKER
DATA AND ANALYTICS
Steven Shoemaker is a dedicated member of the Board of Directors for the Asian Film Festival of Dallas. With a strong background in data analysis, corporate strategy, and board presentations, Steven actively contributes to the festival's success. Steven's expertise in data-driven decision making and his passion for the film industry make him an invaluable asset to the board.
AMARA WALKER
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Amara's fascination with foreign media, particularly animation, has been the driving force behind his creative pursuits. She has dreamed of working with creative teams to create captivating stories and characters for audiences worldwide.
This passion has informed Amara's professional journey. She has lent her talent to independent filmmakers, turning their imaginative visions into compelling film posters.
Furthermore, Amara has found a home at AFFD, relishing its dynamic films and opportunities. Through her various roles at the festival, which began with volunteering in 2016, Amara ascended to the position of assistant graphic designer in 2017. The following year, she wore multiple hats as lead intern, acting theater manager, and continued her graphic design work. By 2019, Amara had assumed the primary role of graphic designer.
Amara's journey recently took a delightful turn when she became a proud parent. She is now simultaneously navigating the worlds of parenthood and freelance graphic design in her professional life.
MARIO ZIE
ART/DESIGN
Being a cinephile, Mario Zie volunteered for the AFFD as a video/photographer whenever he could, indulging his love for Asian movies in return. Among his earliest AFFD experiences were watching Battle Royale and Returner in the early 2000s.
Growing up as a German-Korean with a multicultural upbringing, Mario was exposed to international cinema at a young age. He spent countless late nights watching classics such as Federico Fellini’s La Strada and Akira Kurosawa’s Ran while his parents were asleep, developing a keen visual sense that would later serve him well as a professional creative.
Through his involvement with the AFFD, Mario Zie hopes to help spread awareness of Asian cinema & culture, drawing inspiration from his diverse experiences and cultural background as an interdisciplinary artist.
