NewFest executive director David Hatkoff is stepping down after seven years with the New York City LGBTQ film festival.
Lesli Klainberg, longtime president of Film at Lincoln Center and a former NewFest executive director, has been appointed in the interim. Kevin Chase Executive Search Group is leading a national search for a permanent replacement.
Hartkoff will depart June 30 following this year’s NewFest Pride taking place May 28-June 1.
“NewFest has been the most meaningful work of my professional life,” Hatkoff said Wednesday morning. “It has been a privilege to work alongside the filmmakers, audiences, industry and community partners, sponsors, Board and staff that bring this essential work to life. Queer stories deserve to be taken seriously by the industry and by the culture, and NewFest exists to make that case every single day. I’m proud of what we’ve built together, and I’m leaving it in the hands of an extraordinary team and a community that has never needed us more.”
Since joining NewFest in 2019, Hatkoff has increased its budget from $500,000 to nearly $2.5 million, making it the largest queer film festival in the U.S. His many accomplishments also included the launch of two new festivals, Queering the Canon and NewFest Pride.
