Rose Kuo Named Artistic Director of California Film Institute and the Mill Valley Film Festival
The California Film Institute (CAFILM) has named Rose Kuo as Artistic Director, a newly created leadership position established earlier this year to guide the organization’s artistic vision and ensure a seamless program leadership transition in the years ahead.
Kuo is an internationally recognized leader in cinematic arts with a broad background in film festival programming and curatorial work. She previously served as Executive Director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the New York Film Festival, was Publisher of Film Comment magazine, and held the position of Artistic Director at AFI FEST (AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival).
In her new role, Kuo will oversee the artistic and curatorial direction of CAFILM’s acclaimed programs, including the Mill Valley Film Festival, DocLands Documentary Film Festival, the Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, the Sequoia Cinema in Mill Valley, and CAFILM Education initiatives.
“Rose brings a remarkable combination of international experience, artistic vision, and deep commitment to the cinematic arts,” said Mark Fishkin, CAFILM Founder and Executive Director. “Her leadership will ensure that CAFILM continues to champion independent voices, engage audiences, and inspire the next generation of filmmakers.”
Most recently, Kuo founded FESTWORKS, a film consultancy organization, where she has advised major studios on global festival strategies and collaborated with nonprofit cinema arts groups to strengthen their programming and audience engagement.
Earlier in her career, Kuo worked as a programmer and curator for leading film festivals and cultural institutions, including the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the San Francisco International Film Festival, and the Mill Valley Film Festival — a return that underscores her deep connection to CAFILM’s mission.
CAFILM announced earlier this year that longtime Mill Valley Film Festival Program Director Zoe Elton will transition to a new part-time curatorial role after leading the 48th Mill Valley Film Festival, scheduled for October 2-12, 2025. Kuo and Elton will work together to ensure a smooth transition of the festival’s curatorial responsibilities, maintaining the quality of films and patron experiences, including the Mind the Gap gender equity initiative that Elton championed ten years ago.
The 48th Mill Valley Film Festival runs October 2-12 with Spotlights and Tributes to Spike Lee, Jessie Buckley, Joel Edgerton and more. See the full lineup here.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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