Staff
Alec Jhangiani, Director
E: Alec (at) lonestarfilmsociety (dot) com
Alec joined the Lone Star Film Society in 2007 as Director of Programming and is a founding staff member of the Lone Star International Film Festival Fort Worth in Sundance Square. He became Artistic Director in 2009 before being appointed Director in 2011. In 2008 he worked in the Art Department on Terrence Malick’s Palme D’Or winning TREE OF LIFE and is a Production Consultant on Malick’s latest UNTITLED project. He was a Co-Producer on writer/director James Johnston’s short films MERRILY, MERRILY and RECEIVE BACON, a Producer on Johnston’s most recent short KNIFE, and is currently working as a Producer developing Johnston’s debut feature VACILADOR as well as in post production on writer/director Daniel Tarr’s short film SHERMAN AND PACIFICO. He is an Associate Producer on David Lowery’s latest feature effort AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS which was recently selected to participate in the Sundance Producing Labs and works in various capacities developing several additional short and feature film projects.
Ramtin Nikzad, Managing Director
E: Ramtin (at) lonestarfilmsociety (dot) com
Ramtin joined the Lone Star Film Society in 2010 and is approaching his third year on staff with the Lone Star International Film Festival. He also served as the Filmmaker Services Manager for the AFI DALLAS/DALLAS International Film Festival during the 2008-2010 festivals, and helped manage operations in 2007. Ramtin received a bachelors and masters degree from Southern Methodist University. He recently coproduced James Johnston’s short film, KNIFE, and completed a short documentary, THIS IS OUR HOUSE.
Kelly Williams, Programming Director
E: Kelly (at) lonestarfilmsociety (dot) com
Kelly Williams has worked the world of film festivals for over ten years before joining the Lone Star International Film Festival team as Director of Programming. Most recently, he served as the Film Program Director at the Austin Film Festival from 2004 until 2011. While there, he programmed features and shorts as well as oversaw the full scope of the festival’s programming. At AFF, he helped to establish Animated Short, Documentary Feature and Documentary Short competitions as well as the Comedy Vanguard section, a showcase for new independent comedy filmmakers. He also began the Funniest Filmmaker in Austin contest for local comedy filmmakers in 2006. He was awarded the International Film Festival Summit Excellence Award for his “significant contribution to the success of the festival” in 2007. He has served on several international film festival juries and is on the Advisory Board for the Lone Star Film Society. In addition, he has produced numerous award-winning short films, including the Student Academy Award nominee Perils in Nude Modeling (which screened at over 100 festivals), and also wrote and directed the award winning short film Richard and the documentary short Sid Smith for Congress. In 2011, he produced the feature films Pictures of Superheroes and Cinema Six, both films are currently in post-production. In the summer of 2011 he produced filmmaker Kat Candler’s short, Hellion. Williams attended the writing program at the Second City in Chicago and is also a graduate of the film program at the University of Texas at Austin.
Kelley Loyd, Community Relations Coordinator
E: Kelley (at) lonestarfilmsociety (dot) com
Kelley started with The Lone Star Film Society in the summer of 2007 as the Volunteer Coordinator and is now the Community Relations Coordinator. The Lone Star International Film Festival 2010 was the fifth film festival that Kelley has had the opportunity to help produce. She is honored to be involved with an event that has brought a different aspect of art culture to Fort Worth and is excited about the response that the city has had. She also enjoys working with the wonderful community partners, volunteers and members that make up the Lone Star Film Society. Kelley is originally from San Antonio and currently resides in Fort Worth. She is a graduate from Texas State University at San Marcos with a degree in Photography.
Stephanie Barron, Office Manager
E: Info (at) lonestarfilmsociety (dot) com
Stephanie first began working with Lone Star in late August of 2007. She has since been a part of numerous film festivals to include Lone Star International Film Festival 2007, 2008, and 2009 as well as AFI DALLAS International Film Festival 2008 and 2009. She currently serves as the Office Coordinator for the Lone Star Film Society, and is currently in production on LSIFF 2010. She is proud to be a Fort Worth native, and feels lucky to have worked with the staff, volunteers, members, and everyone else involved with Lone Star for the past 3 years. She currently resides in Fort Worth with her son.
Jed Silva, Senior Programmer
E: Jed (at) lonestarfilmsociety (dot) com
A native of San Antonio, Jed graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2001 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. After studying law, professional counseling, and business in post-graduate programs in California and Texas, Jed decided his future was in the film industry. Jed began as a Programming Associate during the third Lone Star International Film Festival in 2009 and now serves as the Senior Programmer. He has served as a Best Feature and Best Special Effects Juror for the Texas Frightmare Weekend Film Festival. Jed is a Screenwriting Fellow of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers Latino Writers Lab™.