ICYMI: Film Festival Alliance is on the hunt for our next leader. We’re a strong organization with a dedicated membership, a supportive team, and a meaningful mission. As we look ahead, I chatted with our outgoing Executive Director, my colleague and friend Barbara Twist, to reflect on her time at FFA and discuss her hopes for our next era.
You've been the Executive Director of Film Festival Alliance since 2022. What drew you to this role initially, especially coming from outside the film festival world?
Exhibition is actually in my blood - my great-grandfather founded a chain of movie theaters in Michigan in the early 1900s. These weren't just entertainment venues; they were fixtures of small-town America, connecting communities across divides of class, race, and generation. When I found myself working at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor after college - one of the original Butterfield theaters - I experienced my first film festival: the Ann Arbor Film Festival. That indescribable 'festival feeling' of hopping from screening to screening, bumping into filmmakers in the lobby, showed me the expansive power of community-based exhibition.
Yet, I didn't come to Film Festival Alliance from a traditional film festival career path. Over the past fifteen years, I worked with Art House Convergence, went to graduate film school, opened a movie theater with the Vidiots team, and worked as a post-production supervisor, among other things. Through all of this, I observed different work ethics, management styles, and commitments to values. I learned what was effective and sustainable. When the opportunity came to lead Film Festival Alliance, I saw it as a chance to support the exhibition community I'm so passionate about, and continue the good work.
Our team has always admired how you focus on festival workers in your approach. Talk to me about why centering the people who do this work, not just the organizations, matters to you?
The festival community is powered by the workers. The vision and passion of our people - that's what drives this industry forward. A film festival is the ultimate example of teamwork. It cannot be done by a single person. When you're running Film Festival Alliance, you have this incredible opportunity to uplift and spotlight all of those individuals, not just the organizations themselves. You're serving thousands of festival workers, and it’s important to consider everyone whether you’re thinking about programs or advocacy. At FFA, we are constantly thinking about everyone from the volunteer Box Office worker up to the Executive Director. They all matter equally.
One thing I've always appreciated working with you is how you lead with trust - I've seen it firsthand over the years. What does building that trust actually look like for you in practice, especially across a national membership organization
To me, trust and transparency feel almost interchangeable. It starts with creating multiple opportunities for people to connect and share their problems, their hopes, their dreams, their concerns. It means keeping open lines of communication - being available to connect via phone, Zoom, or in person. Going to member events. Working to make a personal connection with everyone you meet.
But it also means being vulnerable. Sharing when you've fallen short. Being honest about your expectations and your realities. When you put on an event, you ensure it's the best version possible. You show up, you connect, you ask questions, and most importantly, you listen. You have to remember that you're working for the community. You're there to serve the field.
What is a quality of your role that you want to highlight that others might not think about when applying?
Being responsive in this role is absolutely critical. You have to stay close to the ground through regular conversations with festivals, funders, and partners. You've got to read the news - both industry and national. I regularly have calls with festival directors and other industry leaders to stay connected.
When the dual SAG-AFTRA and WGA strike happened in 2023, I immediately worked to convene festival leaders of all sizes to discuss the impact on our community. We held regular calls to talk about how we could show solidarity while also having space to reflect on the strike's impact on our own events. I reached out to the guilds too and engaged in dialogue with them directly.
More recently, when we got word that the NEA was going to pause funding, we got to work immediately. That response was built on relationships and constant communication with various industry folks, including Americans for the Arts. I was able to communicate regularly with the festival community through email, surveys, and phone calls to help alert festivals to draw down funding in advance, and most recently, to apply to a relief fund through Americans for the Arts. You have to be able to turn on a dime when the industry needs you.
We work pretty closely together on this small team. Talk to me about your approach to collaboration - what does it mean to you to lead while also working as 'an equal team'?
We're an all-hands-on-deck team. That means sometimes I'm leading a program, and sometimes I'm managing the Zoom waiting room. You've got to be able to handle both the macro and the micro, pinch-hitting wherever you're needed.
We're a tight-knit team where all voices get to be heard. The value that each of us brings to the table is different, and our perspectives are equally valid. That doesn't mean we make decisions by committee, but it does mean that we've worked hard to build trust amongst each other and to give each other grace. Working remotely can be challenging, and we all recognize that life gets in the way from time to time. Communication is absolutely key.
I also want to say that my colleagues are deeply skilled in their roles, and they bring such deep experience working for festivals - more than me, honestly. They're often closer to the programs than I am, and they generate some truly amazing ideas.
Accessibility has been central to your vision for FFA, and I've learned a lot watching you prioritize it. What drives that commitment for you? And how do you think about putting it into practice?
Accessibility remains relatively unaddressed at a macro level in our industry, and that needs to change. As the organization driving the film festival industry forward through education, advocacy, and community building, it's imperative that we do the research, build partnerships with organizations like FWD-Doc and the 1-in-4 Coalition, and work to educate our community of festival organizers.
During my time, we've made real progress. We've begun providing human captioning for all of our virtual education workshops and other virtual events like Knowledge Sprints and Town Halls. For our in-person events, we created an accessibility system designed to capture accessibility needs in advance so we can accommodate appropriately. We've co-built and supported the Accessibility Scorecard and its research, which helps festivals understand where they need to improve. We've established an Accessibility Office Hour and offer one free hour of consultation with an Accessibility Coordinator to every member festival. We regularly organize talks and events that discuss how to address accessibility at your festival.
This work is critical for improving access across our industry, and it has to start with how we lead the organization ourselves. You can't ask others to do this work if you're not willing to do it yourself.
What is your proudest accomplishment as the outgoing Executive Director?
I would say my proudest accomplishment is the work our team has done to build on the great foundations laid by Lela Meadow-Conner, Jon Gann, and all the past board members who invested great time and energy into creating this organization. The past four years, we have focused deeply on internal investments, membership expansion, strategic visioning, and securing the organization’s strong financial foundation. I feel confident that I am leaving the organization ready for its next chapter.
What advice would you give to someone considering applying for this role, especially if they're wondering whether they're the "right fit"?
I think this is an incredible opportunity to shape the next phase of advocacy and vision for Film Festival Alliance. This is a dynamic, wonderful community of kind, generous people. Our field is very resilient, and it’s surprisingly nimble, with a real appetite for change.
Recall that I did not come from a traditional festival background, but my experience in independent exhibition and filmmaking rooted me to our members’ core missions: to serve the filmgoing audience. Keeping that in mind helps me to focus on our core work: helping our member festivals achieve their missions.
This job is what you make of it. There’s real room for vision here. The team and board are collaborative and supportive. The organization is steady, and ready for new leadership. Even if you don’t ‘check all the boxes,’ don’t count yourself out. My two cents? Think about your vision and how you see yourself leading FFA into the next chapter, and communicate that clearly when applying.
I cannot wait to cheer the new team on from the sidelines!
As for me? I will be taking time in the New Year to rest and reflect. As we all know, it’s been a turbulent half-decade, and I find I need to step back and give myself some space before I head somewhere new. I’m going to take some time to focus on my creative writing, plus move to New York. In between that, I’ll be watching a lot of movies. So if you want to drop me a line about your festival program, I’ll have quite a lot of time on my hands… And before you know it, you’ll see me at IND/EX in Chicago in June. I wouldn’t miss it ;)
#Featured