Geoff Gilmore, the longtime impresario of the Sundance Film Festival, will exit his directorship post of 19 years to assume the position of Chief Creative Officer at Tribeca Enterprises, it was announced today. He will be responsible for Tribeca's global content strategy and lead creative development initiatives and expansion of the brand. Gilmore will also join the Board of Directors of Tribeca Enterprises. Tribeca Enterprises is the New York-based media company founded by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff that owns and operates the Tribeca Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival International, Tribeca Cinemas and other branded-entertainment businesses and initiatives.
"As one of the most accomplished creative forces in our industry, Geoff is the ideal person to guide content development for Tribeca Enterprises," said Rosenthal in a statement. "His talent and experience will benefit Tribeca immeasurably, particularly in creating new strategic alliances and opportunities such as our recently announced Tribeca Film Festival Doha. We are delighted that Geoff is moving to New York to join Tribeca at a time of unprecedented change in the world of film and media."
"I believe that Tribeca Enterprises is well positioned to develop a film organization that can create a new paradigm for the future," Gilmore commented in the statement. "The vision of its leadership, its structure and resources, and the track record of its brief history give me great excitement at the opportunity to join their enterprise. I've had a wonderful 19 years at Sundance and will always be grateful to Bob Redford. For me this is a big decision, a huge change and an enormous opportunity."
One of the film industry's most widely-trusted and influential figures, Gilmore was responsible at Sundance for film selection, artistic direction and general festival management. He was a programming consultant for Robert Redford and the Sundance Channel since its inception in 1996, consulted for and helped build the Sundance Group and the Sundance Film Series. Additionally, he created and directed the annual Sundance Independent Producers Conference and other major events and initiatives related to independent filmmaking and distribution.
Gilmore has been a universally recognized and acknowledged leader of the development of independent film in the U.S. and abroad. He shaped the landscape for Sundance that emerged as a platform for independent filmmakers and buyers since the early 1980s. He is credited with attracting break-out film sensations to Sundance such as Reservoir Dogs, Hoop Dreams, Little Miss Sunshine and An Inconvenient Truth -and discovering and launching the careers of emerging filmmakers.
In addition to his accomplishment at Sudnance, Gilmore has served on numerous international film juries, teaches a master class for the Ludwigsburg Film Academy and is a featured guest lecturer at many film schools and cultural institutions. He has also written extensively on the American independent film scene.
Prior to Sundance, Gilmore served as head of the UCLA Film and Television Archive's Programming Department for 15 years.