Meet the Programmers

Let’s give a hearty round of applause to our 27 programmers who watch films year-round to pluck the best of the best for the Fest! This group’s range of backgrounds and tastes runs the gamut—which is the special sauce for cooking up the Seattle International Film Festival program each year, showcasing a diversity of perspectives from around the globe.

To get to know our programmers, head over to our Letterboxd for profiles on many of them, in which they supply us with a list of their 10 favorite films of all time (get ready to smash those “Add to Watchlist” buttons!) and some fun facts about them. And on our Programmers’ Picks pages, you can get a better sense for their particular film whims and fancies from the 47th annual Seattle International Film Festival (April 8–18, 2021) lineup.

Artistic Director:
Beth Barrett - Meet Beth | Beth’s Picks

Festival Programming Manager:
Stan Shields - Meet Stan | Stan’s Picks

Educational Programs Manager:
Dustin Kaspar - Meet Dustin | Dustin’s 2021 Picks

Senior Programmers:
Maryna Ajaja - Meet Maryna | Maryna’s 2021 Picks
Justine Barda - Meet Justine | Justine’s 2021 Picks
Hebe Tabachnik - Meet Hebe | Hebe’s 2021 Picks

Festival Programmers:
Angelo Acerbi - Meet Angelo | Angelo’s 2021 Picks
SuJ’n Chon - Meet SuJ’n | SuJ’n’s 2021 Picks
James Davis - Meet James
Kimberly Dinehart - Meet Kimberly
Dan Doody - Meet Dan | Dan’s 2021 Picks
Faridah Gbadamosi - Meet Faridah | Faridah’s 2021 Picks
Laura Good - Meet Laura | Laura’s 2021 Picks
Marcus Gorman - Meet Marcus | Marcus’ 2021 Picks
Ruth Hayler - Meet Ruth | Ruth’s 2021 Picks
Laila Kazmi - Meet Laila | Laila’s 2021 Picks
Megan Leonard - Meet Megan | Megan’s 2021 Picks
Kathleen McInnis - Meet Kathleen | Kathleen's 2021 Picks
Rita Meher - Meet Rita | Rita’s 2021 Picks
Grace Mosqueda - Meet Grace
Dale Nash
Colleen O'Holleran - Meet Colleen | Colleen’s 2021 Picks
Nancy Pappas - Meet Nancy | Nancy’s 2021 Picks
Tracy Rector - Meet Tracy | Tracy’s 2021 Picks
Cory Rodriguez - Meet Cory
Andy Spletzer - Meet Andy | Andy’s 2021 Picks
Mayumi Tsutakawa