Director, Film Forum

About the Opportunity

The Director of Film Forum will assume leadership of one of the most influential cultural institutions in American cinema—a role that extends beyond traditional arts administration into cultural advocacy and community building. This position offers the opportunity to shape how thousands experience and understand film while stewarding an institution whose programming decisions reverberate throughout the global film community.

As the organizational leader and primary public representative, the Director will preserve Film Forum's distinctive voice while positioning it for sustained relevance and growth. This role requires a leader who can navigate between intimate community relationships and the strategic thinking needed to ensure long-term sustainability, discussing film restoration with a repertory programmer and presenting financial projections to the board, as well as welcoming first-time visitors and cultivating major donors.

The position offers extraordinary creative and intellectual rewards for the right leader. The Director will work alongside passionate film programmers and staff, while engaging with a board and donor community that includes sophisticated film enthusiasts. This role provides an opportunity to be a cultural guardian at a pivotal moment in cinema history, helping determine how institutions like Film Forum evolve to meet contemporary challenges while preserving the experience of discovering transformative films with fellow movie lovers.

About Film Forum

Film Forum stands as a singular cultural treasure in New York City—the last remaining autonomous nonprofit cinema in a city at the heart of American film culture. For over five decades, this Greenwich Village institution has maintained a three-part mission : showcasing new American and international films, preserving and presenting cinema’s greatest works through repertory programming, and fostering the next generation of filmmakers and film lovers.

What distinguishes Film Forum is its fierce independence and uncompromising curatorial vision. In an era when many art house theaters have been absorbed by chains or pressured by commerce, Film Forum maintains its authentic voice, programming films that matter rather than those that merely sell. The organization has cultivated a discerning audience of cinephiles who trust Film Forum’s judgment and see cinema as essential to cultural life.

With four screens and over 200,000 annual admissions, Film Forum operates with stability in a challenging exhibition landscape. It has built deep relationships across the film industry, from emerging filmmakers seeking theatrical platforms to distributors viewing premieres as career-defining moments. This combination of artistic integrity, operational excellence, and industry respect positions Film Forum as a cultural institution whose influence extends beyond its walls.

This Moment for Film Forum

Film Forum approaches its next chapter from a position of strength, while recognizing changes reshaping cinema and cultural institutions. As streaming platforms reshape discovery, real estate pressures grow in New York City, and younger generations relate to cinema differently, Film Forum must evolve while remaining true to its essential character.

The Director will understand that Film Forum’s greatest asset—its uncompromising artistic vision—must be the foundation for future growth. The leader will see opportunities to deepen community engagement without diluting programming standards and will position film restoration as a vehicle for new partnerships, audience development, and ongoing robust programming.

The successful candidate will inherit an organization that recently closed its strongest box office year, with solid operational foundations, a devoted constituency, and strong industry relationships. The role will involve navigating challenges : expanding access while maintaining intimacy, embracing technology while preserving the shared experience of moviegoing, and building new revenue streams while safeguarding artistic independence.

Most critically, this leader must understand that Film Forum’s mission extends beyond exhibition to cultural stewardship. In a rapidly changing media landscape, Film Forum serves as a guardian of cinema’s past, a champion of its present, and an advocate for its future. The next Director will help ensure that this vital institution thrives for generations of film lovers yet to discover its singular magic.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities :

Strategic Leadership : Working with staff and the board, provide strategic leadership to keep Film Forum at the forefront of independent film exhibition, grow its audience and donor base, and ensure long-term financial viability. Lead an organization-wide strategic planning process that aligns with the mission and drives excellence and growth, while advancing inclusivity in programming, audience, and staff.

Team Leadership : Oversee a senior staff team, including the Managing Director, Premieres Artistic Director, Repertory Artistic Director, Director of Development, and Director of Communications. Establish effective communication and collaboration across departments, support professional development, and guide senior staff through regular planning and priority-setting activities.

Fundraising : Provide leadership and annual goal-setting for development and membership activities. Engage in major donor cultivation, stewardship, and requests; track income quarterly and adjust strategies; and coordinate with other departments to align programming and fundraising efforts.

Board Management : Build and sustain a strong, diverse board; actively engage board members to support the mission and ensure effective governance that advances strategic objectives.

External Relations : Support digital marketing strategies in collaboration with Communications. Co-lead Advisory Committee activities, cultivate leadership-level contacts, and build relationships with external stakeholders including government entities, community groups, and industry associations.

Financial & Operational Stewardship : Work with the Managing Director to ensure fiscal health, identify technology and process improvements, support archiving of premieres and repertory materials, participate in annual employee reviews, and ensure compliance and effective relations with the Local 2110 union on union contract matters.

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