Former director of the Tribeca Film Institute Beth Jansson, who returned to Canada to headline the country’s 2016 Film & Television Awards, has been named director of operations for the Toronto Film Festival.
Jansson, CEO of the Canadian Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will join TIFF on May 20, as he told CEO Cameron Bailey. The Toronto Film Festival has also hired Anita Lee of the National Film Council of Canada as its new programming director.
As chief operating officer, Jansson will oversee the development of operational plans and initiatives to ensure TIFF’s long-term success, the festival said on Thursday. From 2009 to 2014, he was Executive Director of the Tribeca Film Institute, before which he was Program Director of the Newport International Film Festival.
Jansson joins TIFF after managing director and co-chair Joanna Vicente left Toronto to replace Kerry Putnam as executive director of the Sundance Institute, a non-profit media and arts organization that organizes the Film Festival. Her arrival also predates the TIFF pandemic-era recovery, as she plans to return for the 47th edition in September 2022, in a personal event with Hollywood stars on the red carpet and moviegoers in theaters.
Since 2014, Lee has been an executive producer for the National Film Council of Ontario Studios Canada. In his new role, Lee will oversee TIFF’s programming and industry teams.
Betty and Anita are two of Canada’s most successful and impressive filmmakers. “His insights, leadership and passion for the transformative power of film will play a key role in the organization and add to the already excellent TIFF teams,” Bailey said in a statement.
The Canadian Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organizes the annual Canadian Screen Awards, said it has named the current head of programming and rewards Louis Calabro as the organization’s interim director as the search for Ianson’s successor begins.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
