Film Forum, the New York nonprofit art house cinema, has named Tabitha Jackson as its Director. The former head of the Sundance Film Festival took up the role in February 2026.
Jackson arrives at Film Forum after a career spanning more than 30 years in independent and nonprofit media. She served as director of the Sundance Film Festival from 2020, steering the premier independent gathering through two virtual editions during the pandemic, and earlier led the documentary film programme at the Sundance Institute.
Between her time at Sundance and her new post she undertook research fellowships with the MIT Open Documentary Lab, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, along with a Rockefeller Foundation residency. That period of reflection informs the perspective she brings to Film Forum.
Film Forum is one of the most respected independent cinemas in the United States, known for premiering independent films and documentaries and for its repertory programming of classic and restored work. Leadership of the organisation carries influence in the independent film world well beyond its Manhattan home.
The appointment of a figure with Jackson profile signals ambition for the nonprofit cinema at a challenging moment for art house exhibition. Independent venues face pressure from streaming, shifting audience habits and the economics of theatrical release, and creative, credible leadership is central to sustaining their role.
Jackson experience straddles curation, institutional leadership and the wider debate about the future of documentary and independent film. That combination positions her to shape both the programming and the strategic direction of Film Forum as it navigates the changing landscape of film exhibition.
Her early priorities are likely to include setting a programming vision, deepening relationships with filmmakers and audiences, and securing the philanthropic support on which a nonprofit cinema depends. Building on Film Forum established reputation while responding to a shifting market will be central to her tenure.
The move also reflects a broader pattern of festival and institute leaders taking on the stewardship of nonprofit cultural venues, carrying their networks and curatorial sensibilities into new settings. Jackson step from a major festival to a leading independent cinema fits that pattern.
Film Forum said its new director would lead the cinema programming and direction as it continues its mission of presenting independent and repertory film to New York audiences.
For audiences and filmmakers alike, the appointment is a notable moment for one of New York cultural institutions, and it will be watched closely across the independent film community as a signal of where the cinema heads next under new leadership.
