Our Team

Man in black vest and tie, standing indoors, with posters on the wall.

David Liam

President

David Liam is a professional sound recordist working in the Australian film industry. A Central Coast local, he is passionate about creating greater opportunities for local filmmakers and bolstering our local film scene.

Black and white photo of a person holding a camera outdoors

Zander Czerwaniw

Vice President & Industry Liaison

A born and bred Coastie, Zander attended Gosford High School where he first began running a student film festival after he was a finalist in Tropfest Jr. He has since worked on blockbusters like Furiosa and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

Currently he is directing his debut feature, a documentary about Old Sydney Town, a defunct reenactment park on the Central Coast.

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Shane Emmett

Festival Founder & Festival Director

Shane Emmett has been acting extensively on television and film for many Australian and international productions. He has played the leads in major Australian musicals and won many international awards for both his acting and filmmaking, including:

  • Best film at Tropfest New York

  • IF Awards

  • Edinburgh Film Festival

  • Best International Actors at the Move Me International Film Festival Belgium

Shane has also been a juror on the Asian Academy Creative Awards jury board since 2018 and founded Tar & Feather Publishing, which focuses on indie magazines and books.

Carley Edmonds

Festival Founder & Secretary

A seasoned producer, manager, and team leader with over 15 years of experience in creative industries, Carley specialises in working with creative teams to bring a vision to life efficiently and effectively. With a career spanning Australia and the United Kingdom, Carley has worked with heavyweights ITV, BBC, Foxtel, Nine Network, Network Seven and SBS, in addition to boutique production companies and partnering with numerous media and creative agencies.

Through Palm Studios, a performing arts studio with over 200 students, Carley continues producing screen and live shows.

Timothy Wilde

Festival Founder & Treasurer

A product of comic books, television, film and role-playing games and Oscar Wilde. Timothy began storytelling to be on Star Trek and pursued acting but fell in love with the art of writing and graduated from AFTRS with a Master's in writing film, television and interactive media. He quickly moved into directing and producing. Timothy has written for popular international films and television series, including the Emmy award-winning, BAFTA-nominated "Primeval Evolved" and several renowned Australian TV series while penning and directing numerous short films screened in international festivals, including Cannes, St Tropez, Palm Springs, and Manhattan Short. He's also written games for Sony and Nintendo.

Timothy continues to push the boundaries of storytelling through his production company, Space Gorilla while educating established and would-be storytellers on the power of dramatic storytelling.

Max White

Venue Manager & Festival Director

Volunteer with us!

We are always on the look out for more people to join our team. if you think you might be able to help bring the festival to life, drop us a line!