Meet our new Director and Collection Manager!

Posted October 9th, 2015 in Announcements, News / Events

Many of you have heard the news by now that Denah Johnston, Canyon Cinema Foundation’s Executive Director, stepped down from her position this past July.  The staff and Board of Directors cannot thank Denah enough for her incredible dedication and leadership over the past 3 years. She oversaw the transition to non-profit status, strengthened existing and established new partnerships with national and international cultural institutions, and raised $50,000+ to name only a few of her long list of achievements. If you haven’t yet, we hope you’ll read her letter to the community here. Denah has a deep commitment to Canyon and we are grateful that she continues to contribute her time and talents to its growth.

We are pleased to announce that Antonella Bonfanti is the new Director of Canyon Cinema Foundation. She was promoted to this leadership role on August 1st after working two and half years as our Collection Manager. The Board of Directors felt this was a natural fit given her history with the organization, depth of experience in the moving image archives and preservation field, and established relationships with not only our filmmakers but also our collaborators and patrons. Along with Denah, she was instrumental in organizing the Canyon Cinema Pop-Up with the Kadist Art Foundation in San Francisco, curating the 2014 Vault to Screen program at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, programming for the on-going Canyon Cinema Salon series, and overseeing the volunteer program through which our bi-monthly newsletter Canyon Cinema Confessions was born.

Last, but certainly not least, we would like to introduce you to Canyon’s new Collection Manager, Seth Mitter. Joining us from Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive, Seth brings not only deep knowledge of American avant-garde and independent cinema, but also extensive experience working with large 16mm collections, projection and filmmaking.  He holds an MLS specializing in Archives and Records Management from Indiana University, a BA concentrating in cultural studies and media from The New School and has worked for The Film-Makers’ Cooperative in New York City.  His training as both an audiovisual archivist and filmmaker makes him the perfect fit for Canyon Cinema and we couldn’t me more thrilled to welcome him to our team.

To find out more visit Canyon’s Staff page.

Love,
The Canyon Cinema Staff and Board of Directors

Board of Directors –
Peter Conheim, Vice President
Rebecca Meyers, Treasurer
Michelle Puetz, Secretary
Michael Renov, President

Staff –
Antonella Bonfanti, Director
Seth Mitter, Collection Manager
Denah Johnston, Consultant

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Seth Mitter (left) and Antonella Bonfanti (right) – your friendly neighborhood Canyon Cinema staff