THE TEAM

CHAIR - COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA PRACTITIONER

Gilbert Wong is an experienced writer and communications professional. He has held senior roles in journalism and communications, including as the Director of Communications at Auckland DHB, Research Communications Manager at the University of Auckland and as a senior writer and editor for the New Zealand Herald, Metro magazine.

WRITER

The first Kiwi-Indian screenwriter to pen and produce an NZFC-funded feature film (Apron Strings), Shuchi Kothari writes and produces for film and television in New Zealand and India. She also heads the screen production programme at the University of Auckland. Shuchi co-producing the portmanteau feature film, Kāinga, that brought together immigrant stories by nine Pan-Asian women writers/directors. She is one of six writers selected for Hollywood’s Blacklist programme in 2021.

WRITER, DIRECTOR

Marc was the PASC foundation general manager. He studied English Literature, Media Studies, Drama and Education at the University of Auckland. A trained theatre actor and director, he co-founded the University Student Theatre group, Stage Two Productions.

As a writer and director, Marc's short films have been screened locally and internationally at film festivals. He has worked in television production and post-production with Touchdown Television and Greenstone Pictures. Through Script to Screen, in 2021 he received a scholarship to UCLA 10-week online course on Writing Screenplay Coverage under the tutelage of Barry Lichtenstein.

WRITER, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER

Lynda Chanwai-Earle (She/Her, Ngāti Haina, Ngāti Pākehā) is a Eurasian New Zealander with a background in scriptwriting and public broadcasting (TVNZ, RNZ). Lynda’s award-winning plays have been published, produced, and toured here and abroad.

Lynda’s ground-breaking play Ka-Shue (Letters Home) is the first authentic Chinese New Zealand theatre production. Her screenplay Little Dragon was the first from Aotearoa to be pitched for co-production at the Shanghai Film Festival, 2009.

Lynda wrote The Owl and the Rainbow funded for production in 2024 (Kōpere Hou – Fresh Shorts, NZFC). Lynda directed and filmed Farewell Guangdong, a documentary web series (Tawera Productions) for upcoming broadcast on RNZ.

WRITER, DIRECTOR, EDITOR

Steven is a first-generation Chinese New Zealand screenwriter, director, and editor.

Born in Ōtautahi and based in Tāmaki Makaurau, Steven has over twenty years of experience working in the local industry, including a stint working in London. 

His directing credits include his award-winning short film thriller Munkie, and Meng, a one hour bilingual documentary about former Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon for Whakaata Māori and Radio New Zealand.

Steven is concluding his tenure on the board of the DEGANZ as Vice President and hopes to bring his governance experience and perspective to PASC, where he aims to help foster and empower the organisation's talented members to build sustainable careers in our screen sector. 

WRITER, DIRECTOR

Ghazaleh Gol is an award winning Iranian-Kiwi actor, writer and director who has worked across film and television. She was one of the writer/directors on the anthology film Kāinga which premiered at MIFF where she was selected for the Accelerator Program, and the series director for dramedy show Miles from Nowhere (SKY TV). She has directed over 100 episodes on the long running drama Shortland Street and was the creator behind the RNZ documentary series This is Us. Ghazaleh is a Fulbright scholar who studied screenwriting at the University of Southern California, where she also worked for the Sundance Institute. Much of Ghazaleh’s work centres on immigrant female characters, particularly from the MENA region with themes around identity and belonging. In 2021, she completed her PhD in Media and Communication from the University of Auckland.

WRITER, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER

Kiel McNaughton began his career as a stunt performer before securing a core cast role on New Zealand’s most-watched soap, Shortland Street. Following four and a half years in front of the camera, he transitioned behind it to direct and executive produce the award-winning comedy series Auckland Daze.

Kiel's directorial portfolio includes full seasons of Find Me A Māori Bride, This Is Piki, and most recently, the acclaimed comedy, series Good Grief (Sundance Now/AMC/IFC). Between 2016 and 2022, he produced the ground-breaking and award-winning feature trilogy Waru, Vai, and Kāinga, collaborating with a total of 29 women filmmakers. Building on this success, Kiel is now executive producing feature films RED, featuring eight female Australian Aboriginal writer/directors for ScreenWest, and MAKAWALU, featuring eight Native Hawaiian filmmakers for HIFF.

Kiel's directorial debut, The Legend of Baron To’a, an action/adventure film set in an urban cul-de-sac in Aotearoa, was acquired for US release in December 2020 by Gravitas Ventures. The film was the closing night feature at the 2020 Fantasia Film Festival and won Best Dramatic Feature at the ImagineNative Film Festival. Kiel has also led the direction of the gangland drama series Vegas and is a recurring director on Lucy Lawless' Acorn series My Life is Murder. In 2023, he was honoured with the NZTV Best Director Award for the telefeature Princess of Chaos.

WRITER, DIRECTOR

Asuka Sylvie is from New Zealand of Japanese and Scottish heritage. She studied at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Television. Her award winning short films have screened at numerous international festivals including official selection at Melbourne, Palm Springs, Shanghai and New Zealand. Her segment ‘Mikasa' part of anthology feature Kainga premiered at NZIFF 2022 and her latest short Lost At Sea premiered at the NZIFF 2024. She is currently in development for her science fiction TV drama series Thaw.