Director, Indiana University Cinema

Full Position Description

Reporting Lines:  The director reports to the Provost/Executive Vice President of Indiana University. The provost reports to the President and the Trustees of Indiana University.

The IU Cinema:  The IU Cinema is a new, state-of-the-art facility equipped with the highest standards of 35mm, 16mm, and digital projection. It will provide a venue for the presentation of IU’s substantial film holdings, including those of the David S. Bradley Film Collection, the Black Film Center/Archive, the archives of the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, Lilly Library, and the Department of Communication and Culture. The IU Cinema also will screen rare prints from museums around the world, as well as new films by national and international directors. We have designed the IU Cinema to meet the exhibition standards set by the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF).

Principal Responsibilities:  The director is responsible for managing the IU Cinema, working with campus faculty to set its goals and priorities, and assuring that it attracts the external and internal support and resources to achieve those goals.

Job Description:  The responsibilities of the Director of the Indiana University Cinema break down into the following categories:

• Mission, Planning, and Administration:  The director is responsible for assuring that the IU Cinema fulfills its core mission and for developing a vision that propels the cinema toward its strategic goals. The director’s role includes leading an administrative team, including a full-time technician, part-time student workers, and interns and assuring that the core functions of the cinema operate smoothly.

• Programming and Education:  The director is responsible for developing an annual screening program and working both independently and in collaboration with campus faculty to schedule film showings, retrospectives, festivals, traveling exhibits, topical programs, and guest lectures. The director will create promotional materials, including a website, newsletters, and program notes and will assist with exhibits of library display materials. The director will work with campus faculty and librarians to further develop IU’s film and film-related collections.

• Stakeholders and Audiences:  The director is the leading representative of the IU Cinema. As such, the director reaches out to its many internal and external stakeholders and audiences. The director works collaboratively with a faculty advisory board, collections librarians and archivists, the academic university community, IU donors, and the larger public. The director communicates complex ideas about films and film history to audiences ranging from academic specialists to casual film goers.

• Fundraising and Finance:  The director manages the budget of the IU Cinema and works with the Indiana University Foundation and university leadership to assure that the cinema attracts the financial resources to fulfill its mission and goals. The director coordinates fundraising and grant-writing activities to benefit the IU Cinema.

• Standards and Practices:  The director will maintain active relationships with the professional/scholarly film community, including national and university film museums and archives, the appropriate university offices, and national and international professional organizations (AMIA, FIAF) to assure that the IU Cinema exemplifies the best practices and standards of the profession.

Requirements and Qualifications:  An advanced degree in film studies or equivalent experience, with extensive knowledge of and appreciation for the full range of moving-image media and history. Experience in a university environment. Executive-level leadership skills, including budget development and management. Ability to cultivate effective relationships with faculty, staff, students, artists, donors, and audiences, and to work collaboratively with internal and external constituents. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Must be intellectually curious, creative, and enthusiastic, able to write and edit program materials targeting a wide range of audiences.

Cover letters and CVs may be submitted via e-mail to vpurapp@indiana.edu or mailed to the Office of the Vice Office for Planning and Policy; Indiana University; Bryan Hall 207; Bloomington, IN 47405.  Applications will be reviewed beginning fall semester 2009 until the position is filled. The projected start date for the director of the new IU Cinema is January 1, 2010.   

Indiana University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer. The university actively encourages the application and nomination of candidates from diverse cultural backgrounds, including women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.