ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION

• HISTORY: Atlanta Film Society was founded in 1976 (as IMAGE Film and Video Center) by a grassroots group of filmmakers, cinephiles and educators. IMAGE was the first video arts center in the State of Georgia and in 1977 it launched the Atlanta Film and Video Festival. Four decades and several name changes later, Atlanta Film Society (ATLFS) continues its dedication to the promotion and education of film through year-round programming for industry professionals and general audiences. Programs include screenings, classes, workshops, ATLFS’s flagship program, the Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF).

• MISSION: To connect, educate, and engage audiences with the creative industry by supporting artists and providing a platform for their work. We champion cultural discovery, foster artistic growth, and advocate for diverse voices in film and media arts, both locally and worldwide.

• VISION: To be Georgia’s epicenter of Independent Film and TV with a reputation as a global platform.

• THE ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL: Now in its 50th year, ATLFF is the Southeast’s preeminent celebration of cinema. One of the largest and longest-running film festivals in the country, ATLFF showcases the work of both emerging and established artists. Every spring, our 11-day festival presents approximately 150 films, representing work from the US and 40+ countries internationally. ATLFF has been named a “Top 50 Festival Worth the Entry Fee” and one of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World” by MovieMaker magazine as well as USAToday’s “10 Best Film Festivals.” Historically, over 90% of ATLFF’s program is composed of films submitted directly to the festival. 
  

  ATLFF strives to be an inclusive showcase, with spotlights on filmmakers of color, LGBTQ+ films, women and gender nonconforming filmmakers, and filmmakers working in Georgia and the wider American South. Typically over 70% of ATLFF’s programmed films are directed by filmmakers identifying as BIPOC, female or non-binary. In addition, each year ATLFF seeks to highlight our thriving local filmmaking community, with around a quarter of the film program coming from filmmakers based in the state.

POSITION DESCRIPTION
Each year, the Programming Department tracks, watches, and scores the 5000+ films submitted for consideration for the Atlanta Film Festival. In addition to taking an active part in screening and evaluating submissions, the Programming Director supervises the staff and contracted programmers of the Programming team, ensuring proper stewardship of submitted work, effective communication and flow of information between parties both inside and outside ATLFS, and the development of a diverse and exciting film program in accordance with ATLFS’s mission and values. The Programming Director also leads filmmaker communication and the department’s onsite festival presence (including but not limited to introducing in-theater screenings and moderating talkback sessions with filmmakers).

In addition, the Programming Director leads implementation of any and all year-round film programs for the Atlanta Film Society and collaborates with other ATLFS departments as needed. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Reports to the Managing Director.

• Attends all ATLFS Staff, Department Meetings, and weekly Director meetings.

ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL

• Takes ultimate responsibility for the Atlanta Film Festival program, including Official Selections from films submitted to ATLFF, Marquee films from the festival circuit (including Opening and Closing Night films), and Special Presentations of films outside of competition.

• Collects, collates, and distributes film data and screening schedule details to programmers, all other ATLFSdepartments according to their needs (e.g., to Operations for staff and volunteer shift scheduling, to Marketing for promotion of screening events, etc.), and parties outside the organization (e.g. participating filmmakers, audiences via ATLFS’s ticketing system, etc.)

• Creates and maintains data tools and reports for intra- and inter-departmental use.

• Supervises the work of 2 staff programmers and additional contracted programmers as they evaluate and deliberate on submissions to ATLFF in order to arrive at a final program of Official Selections.

• Sets screening goals and deadlines for all programmers - schedules, attends, and runs meetings; prepares score summaries and tracking documents for submission and scores data, and shares in both preliminary and final rounds of screening films for the festival. 

• Delegates screening and coordination work to staff programmers as needed.

• Oversees the coordination of ATLFF’s volunteer screening committee, tracking the work of volunteers on a daily basis during the submissions season and circulating submissions among screening committee members to ensure all submitted films are adequately covered and useful feedback supplied to programmers.

• Collaborates with Marquee Programmer to identify and program Marquee films from distributor slates and other non-submission sources.

• In consultation with other Directors, updates ATLFF call for entry for each ATLFF festival cycle, lead creation of calls for any new programs and assist with marketing calls to entry.

• Coordinates directly with filmmakers and representatives of selected films to arrange their participation in the Atlanta Film Festival

• Creates the schedule of film screenings for ATLFF, incorporating feedback from other department heads.

• Oversee the recruiting of jury members and their deliberations.

• Manages the seasonal Guest Services Coordinator to make hospitality arrangements for visiting filmmakers

• Manages seasonal Print Traffic Coordinator to receive and prepare exhibition copies of all programmed films for in-theater and virtual presentation at ATLFF.

• Works with the Creative Conference Director to incorporate attending filmmakers into conference panels.

• Schedules introductions and Q&A moderation for all films by programmers or community members, and takes an active part in Q&A moderation and introduction.

OTHER PROGRAMMING

• Advises and assists on programs led by other departments.

• Serves on the interdepartmental committee for LOCALS ONLY curated screening series.

• Plans and executes occasional film programming under the NOIRE, ¡CINEMÁS!, and other banners.

• Pursues community and promotional partnerships related to year-round programming.

• Other duties as assigned by the Managing Director.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum four years of experience in film festival programming, preferably with a film festival that receives a large volume (>4,000) of submissions.

• Experience managing multi-month projects that involve multiple collaborators and structured deadlines.

• Ability to objectively evaluate films of all genres and styles and lead productive group deliberations to curate a balanced festival program.

• Strong commitment to independent film and to community-based film culture.

• Commitment to the Atlanta Film Society’s mission, with a particular emphasis on inclusivity and spotlighting underrepresented and emerging artists.

• Experience communicating among leadership groups to achieve goals across departments

• Comfort with public speaking.

• Strong writing and proofreading abilities.

SKILLS

• Experience coordinating submissions with FilmFreeway (tracking and assigning submissions, maintaining user permissions and accounts).

• Strong proficiency in Google Docs for data analysis (ie lookup and summary formulas, SQL queries, and Pivot Tables).

• Familiarity with Airtable (ie data modeling and operations, form design). Experience with Airtable automations a plus.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• $45,000 - 50,000 Gross Salary

• Minimum of 56 days of Paid Time Off from a combination of all major holidays, office closure days, and flexible PTO for each fiscal year

• IRA Matching

• Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) plan

• Flexible hybrid remote work policy

TIMEFRAME & HOURS

This is a full-time position with a flexible hybrid work schedule, beginning June 15 - July 1, 2026. The contract is through June 30, 2027 (following the 51st Atlanta Film Festival), with the intent to renew for the 2027 fiscal year (after a positive post-festival evaluation and review process), and the intent to continue each year. Atlanta-based candidates are preferred

The Atlanta Film Society, in accordance with applicable federal and state law, is an equal-opportunity employer that seeks an inclusive and representative staff and particularly welcomes applications from women and diverse ethnicities. The Atlanta Film Society does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy/childbirth, medical condition, disability, age, ancestry, marital status, citizenship or veteran status. This nondiscrimination policy covers all staff members, interns, and volunteers.