Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Thursday 20 February 2020
Eugene Hernandez named

director of New York Film Festival

NEW YORK (AP) — Eugene cades before us in bringing on the heels of Venice and
Hernandez will succeed this art form to a wider au- Toronto, has remained the
Kent Jones as the director dience," Hernandez said. fall season's sober-minded,
of the New York Film Fes- "Now with this festival, we highly curated mainstay. Its
tival, becoming only the have an opportunity to main slate is usually limited
fifth person to lead the bring it to an even wider to about 25 films, which
esteemed Lincoln Center audience and to engage regularly provides one of
In this April 30, 2018, file photo, FSLC executive director Lesli showcase for cinema in its people in different ways the best annual snapshots
Klainberg, left, honoree Helen Mirren and FSLC deputy director 57-year history. around the art form." of world cinema.
Eugene Hernandez attend the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Lesli Klainberg, executive Jones, the festival's director "For us, the two key words
45th Chaplin Award Gala honoring Helen Mirren at Alice Tully
Hall in New York. director of Film at Lincoln since 2012, stepped down are curation and audi-
Associated Press Center, announced the after last fall's 57th edition ence," Hernandez said.
appointment Wednesday, to dedicate himself more "Thankfully, we don't have
naming Hernandez to the fully to filmmaking. Jones, the same pressures to focus
top position at arguably the a critic-filmmaker who had on world premieres exclu-
most revered film festival in worked in documentary, sively as our mandate. If we
the country. Hernandez will last year made his fiction- can bring something new
oversee the New York Film film debut with the ac- to a New York audience,
Festival, along with Den- claimed "Diane," which in and through our curatorial
nis Lim, the festival's new 2018 won top honors at the process find a film that's go-
director of programming. Tribeca Film Festival. ing to be special for an au-
Lim already presides over Before Jones, the last five dience here, that's enough
year-round programming decades of the New York for us.
for Film at Lincoln Center. Film Festival were led by "That doesn't mean that
Hernandez, who co-found- Richard Peña and Richard every so often there isn't a
ed IndieWire, was first Roud, who co-directed the world premiere," he said.
plucked away from the festival from its inception, "We last year had, I think,
influential independent initially teamed with Amos one of the most exciting
film website in 2010, when Vogel. and thrilling opening nights
he joined Film at Lincoln "When we realized that that I've been to."
Center as director of digi- Kent was going to go off That was Martin Scorsese's
tal strategy. For the last six and become a filmmaker "The Irishman," which kicked
years, he's served as dep- full time, we started to think off the 57th New York Film
uty director. Now, Hernan- about what we needed Festival. It was a major get
dez will take the reins of the and what we wanted to do. for the festival, and one of
prestigious film festival he We don't have many op- the year's most anticipated
first attended as a 20-some- portunities at institutions like premieres. The response at
thing moviegoer in the mid- ours to rethink things. The the festival, where "The Irish-
90s and later frequented as last two people that were man" was widely greeted
a reporter. here before Kent had their as a masterpiece, helped
"My whole life in New York jobs for 25 years," Klainberg set it on a course to a num-
starts here," Hernandez, said. "I hope Eugene has ber of awards, including 10
whose first job in New York many, many years ahead Oscar nominations. It was
was at the nearby ABC of him in this role." also a fitting match; Scors-
studios, said in an inter- Klainberg praised Hernan- ese and Jones are friends
view alongside Klainberg dez as "a beloved person and frequent collaborators.
in the Elinor Bunin Munroe in the industry." He has also But Hernandez will have his
Film Center on the Lincoln been a formative influence own connections with film-
Center campus ahead of on how film festivals exist makers to trade on as he
Wednesday's announce- in the digital age. He co- takes over the festival. This
ment. Hernandez said his created IndieWire in 1996. year's edition opens Sept.
task as director will be to It was initially just a newslet- 25. "This festival has always
carry on the legacy of the ter sent to a few hundred been on the forefront of
New York Film Festival while subscribers from Hernan- discovering and showcas-
shepherding it through a dez's AOL account. But In- ing what's next in cinema,"
tumultuous, ever-evolving dieWire would grow to play he said. "It's exciting to see
era in film. Like other fes- a major role in bringing on- that continue and to be a
tivals, New York is adapt- line more rapid film festival part of it.”q
ing to the proliferation of reports along with more
streaming services (whose comprehensive coverage
films have frequently been of indie films.
shown at NYFF) and navi- The New York Film Festival
gating changes that make has sometimes existed out-
bringing international films side that new media eco-
to U.S. audiences both eas- system. Where other festi-
ier and harder than ever. vals use starry world pre-
"We have to follow in the mieres, awards races and
footsteps of the people acquisition markets to add
that were here many de- buzz, the New York, coming