New California Film Institute Artistic Director Rose Kuo. CaFilm
Just days before the start of its flagship festival, the California Film Institute announced a major addition that’ll reshape its future.
The nonprofit that runs the Mill Valley Film Festival has hired former Film Society of Lincoln Center and New York Film Festival executive director Rose Kuo as its new artistic director.
Kuo essentially replaces Zoë Elton, who has been director of programming for MVFF since 1998. Elton announced in June that this year’s festival, which runs Oct. 2-12, will be her last before she transitions to a part-time curatorial role.
But Kuo’s position, which is broader in scope, is newly created. As artistic director, she will oversee the artistic and curatorial direction of all of CaFilm’s programs, including the Mill Valley Film Festival, DocLands Documentary Film Festival, the Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, the Sequoia Cinema in Mill Valley and CaFilm Education initiatives.
Kuo will report to CaFilm founder and Executive Director Mark Fishkin.
“Rose brings a remarkable combination of international experience, artistic vision, and deep commitment to the cinematic arts,” Fishkin said in a statement. “Her leadership will ensure that CaFilm continues to champion independent voices, engage audiences, and inspire the next generation of filmmakers.”
Kuo also has served as publisher of Film Comment magazine, and served as artistic director at the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival. Most recently, she founded FESTWORKS, a film consultancy organization, where she has advised major studios on global festival strategies and collaborated with nonprofit cinema arts groups to strengthen their programming and audience engagement.
