Major Shakeup At Denver Film Festival

During these tough economic times we're getting used to hearing about mass layoffs. So we were just as shocked as anyone else when we heard about the mass resignation at the Denver Film Festival/Denver Film Society.

The exodus involves at least 20 staffers and is from the top down, including Festival Director Britta Erickson and Artistic Director Brit Withey and co-founder Ron Henderson.

IndieWIRE reports:

"A dramatic mass exodus is underway at the Denver Film Society, organizer of the three decade old Denver International Film Festival. Longtime veterans of the organization, including Festival Director Britta Erickson and Artistic Director Brit Withey, as well as esteemed co-founder Ron Henderson, have resigned in Denver. And now they are being followed out the door by some seventeen other people at the Film Society and the festival. The move marks a striking mutiny currently taking place at the leading Colorado film institution."

AJ Schnack offers insight to the situation, backing up the theory that the departures are the result of tension under the leadership of new DFS executive director Burleigh “Bo” Smith. He writes:

"There has been unease over the leadership of Smith since late last year, particularly in an organization as tightly bound as the DFS had been throughout Henderson's leadership and in his passing the torch to Withey and Erickson in 2007."

Developing...

Read the entire indieWIRE article (and see a list of people leaving the Denver festival and Film Society) here.
Read AJ Schnack entire piece here.