Tom O'Connor Consulting Group is hiring: Director, Film Forum in New York

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 far beyond traditional arts administration into the realms of cultural advocacy and community building. This position offers the rare opportunity to shape how thousands of people 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 be responsible for preserving Film Forum's distinctive voice while positioning it for sustained relevance and growth. This role demands a leader who can seamlessly navigate between the intimate, personal relationships that define Film Forum's community and the strategic thinking required to ensure its long-term sustainability. The Director must be equally comfortable discussing the finer points of film restoration with a repertory programmer and presenting financial projections to board members, equally adept at 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, deeply knowledgeable film programmers and staff members who bring decades of expertise to their craft, while engaging with a board and donor community that includes some of the most sophisticated film enthusiasts in the world. Perhaps most meaningfully, this role offers the opportunity to be a cultural guardian at a critical moment in cinema history. The next Director will help determine how institutions like Film Forum evolve to meet contemporary challenges while preserving the irreplaceable experience of discovering transformative films in the company of fellow movie lovers. In an age of infinite entertainment options, they will champion the enduring power of careful curation, shared experience, and the magic that happens when extraordinary stories unfold on the big screen.

About Film Forum

Film Forum stands as a singular cultural treasure in New York City----the last remaining autonomous nonprofit cinema in a city that has long been the heart of American film culture. For over five decades, this Greenwich Village institution has maintained an unwavering commitment to its 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 not merely its longevity, but its fierce independence and uncompromising curatorial vision. In an era when many art house theaters have been absorbed by chains or succumbed to commercial pressures, Film Forum has maintained its authentic voice, programming films that matter rather than films that merely sell. The organization has cultivated one of the most discerning and passionate audiences in the world----cinephiles who trust Film Forum's judgment implicitly and who see the cinema as essential to their cultural life.

With four screens and over 200,000 annual admissions, Film Forum operates with remarkable stability in an increasingly challenging exhibition landscape. The organization has built deep, lasting relationships throughout the film industry, from emerging filmmakers seeking their first theatrical platform to established distributors who view Film Forum premieres as career-defining moments. This combination of artistic integrity, operational excellence, and industry respect has positioned Film Forum not just as a movie theater, but as a cultural institution whose influence extends far beyond its physical walls. Because the programming continues to have such a strong national and international impact on the life of films, Film Forum garners attention from both local and international organizations, who see it as a true role model in the cinema world.

This Moment for Film Forum

Film Forum approaches its next chapter from a position of strength, yet with clear awareness of the profound changes reshaping both cinema and cultural institutions. As streaming platforms reshape how audiences discover and consume films, as real estate pressures intensify across New York City, and as younger generations develop new relationships with cinema, Film Forum must evolve while remaining true to its essential character.

The organization seeks a Director who understands that Film Forum's greatest asset----its uncompromising artistic vision----must be the foundation for its future growth, not an obstacle to it. This leader will recognize that in a world saturated with content, Film Forum's curatorial expertise becomes more valuable, not less. They will see opportunities to deepen community engagement without diluting the programming standards that have made Film Forum legendary. For example, one of the primary responsibilities of the Director is to strategically position film restoration as a significant vehicle for new partnerships and audience development as well as a means of ensuring robust repertory and premier programming, now and into the future.

The successful candidate will inherit an organization that just closed its most successful box office year with solid operational foundations, a devoted constituency, and unparalleled industry relationships. They will also step into a role that requires navigating complex challenges: expanding access while maintaining intimacy, embracing technology while preserving the irreplaceable experience of collective moviegoing, and building new revenue streams while safeguarding the artistic independence that defines Film Forum's identity.

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 cultural institution not only survives but thrives for generations of film lovers yet to discover its singular magic.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership
Working collaboratively with staff and the board, the Director will provide strategic leadership to ensure Film Forum remains on the forefront of independent film exhibition while building its audience, expanding upon its deeply committed donor base, and ensuring the organization's long-term financial viability. Central to this role is incorporating and supporting the expression of the organization's values and mission through inclusivity efforts with respect to programming, audience, and staff. The Director will plan for and lead an organization-wide strategic planning process that positions Film Forum for continued excellence and growth.

Team Leadership
The Director will oversee and support an experienced senior staff team, including the Managing Director, Premieres Artistic Director, Repertory Artistic Director, Director of Development, and Director of Communications. This leadership responsibility includes ensuring effective and routine communication and collaboration methods are in place to synthesize, discuss, and address interdepartmental and organization-wide matters, while working closely with senior staff on coaching, decision-making, and priority-setting for their respective departments. This includes identifying and supporting professional development opportunities for senior staff alongside the Managing Director. The Director is also responsible for leading the institution, through such activities as all-staff meetings, annual senior staff retreats focused on big-picture vision, and setting overall priorities and goals.

Fundraising
The Director will provide leadership, support, and annual goal-setting guidance for all development and membership initiatives and activities. This includes hands-on engagement in personalized major donor cultivation, stewardship, requests, and request strategies. Working closely with the Director of Development, the Director will engage in quarterly income tracking, assessment, and strategy adjustments while identifying new fundraising opportunities. A key aspect of this work involves liaising with the Premieres Artistic Director and Development staff to optimize programming highlights in fundraising strategies, materials, and events.

Board Management
The Director will expand and sustain a strong board of directors, building upon the current diverse set of skills and backgrounds. This role includes actively engaging board members to further support the organization's mission and ensuring effective governance partnerships that advance Film Forum's strategic objectives.

External Relations
Working collaboratively with the Director of Communications and Digital Content Manager, the Director will support digital marketing strategies for optimal growth and efficacy. The Director will co-lead Film Forum's Advisory Committee meetings and focus areas with the Director of Communications, make contacts at the leadership level with key partners to forge collaborations, and build relationships with external stakeholders including government entities, community groups, and industry associations.

Financial & Operational Stewardship
The Director will work closely with the Managing Director to ensure the ongoing fiscal health of the organization. In collaboration with the Operations department, the Director will identify IT and organization-wide technology systems and practices to create better efficiencies while supporting cross-departmental initiatives. Additional responsibilities include assessing and initiating institutional archiving of both premieres and repertory materials, working with the Managing Director on annual employee reviews, and ensuring and supporting compliance and communication with the Local 2110 union representative and steward regarding all matters addressed in the union contract.