New Houston Cinema Arts Society Announces New Artistic Director

Houston Cinema Arts Society has announced that Jessica Green will assume the role of Artistic Director for the 10-year old Houston Cinema Arts Festival the multi-venue film and arts festival anchored by Museum of Fine Arts Houston that has the distinction of being the only U.S. film festival devoted to films by and about visual, performing, and literary artists. Green will replace outgoing Artistic Director Richard Herskowitz as programmer-in-chief for the acclaimed festival starting with the 11th annual 5-day festival taking place November 14 18, 2019 in addition to special film engagements throughout the calendar year.

Born and raised in Manhattan, Green most recently served as Cinema Director from 2008 to 2018 at Maysles Documentary Center in Harlem, New York a non-profit arts and education organization founded by legendary filmmaker Albert Maysles dedicated to the exhibition and production of documentary films that inspire dialogue and action. In her role at Maysles, she oversaw all exhibition programming and community outreach efforts, while conducting marketing initiatives and managing cinema staff for on-site programming, as well as managing all components of off-site programming. Her programming included collaborations with such heralded New York arts organizations as Studio Museum, The New Museum, Apollo Theater, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Museum of the City of New York and Summerstage City Parks Foundation.

While at Maysles, Green demonstrated a knack for raising funds for her programming by conceptualizing and writing successful proposals for arts grants and corporate sponsorship. Funders included the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The West Harlem Development Corporation, and Target.

I'm beyond excited about this opportunity and am going to do my absolute best to honor the incredible work and partnerships of the Houston Cinema Arts Society. Green said. She added, Outgoing Artistic Director Richard Herskowitz has laid the groundwork over HCAS's first decade, and this is a singular opportunity to build on that very strong foundation. Houston is such a burgeoning, powerful, global, soulful place with diverse historical cultural currency and vast contemporary cultural currency. I think HCAS and wider Houston audiences will welcome even more impactful programming across multiple disciplines from film to music and dance to literary arts, visual arts, and theater; in short, programming that fully embodies Houston's dynamism and fuels its bourgeoning film culture.

Prior to her work at Maysles, she attended Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at the New School for Social Research in New York, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Writing, Literature, and Black Studies in 1993.

In 1995, Green co-founded the NYC-based independent monthly Hip-Hop publication STRESS magazine, where she started as Senior Editor before becoming Editor-in-Chief three years later. As head of creative development, she executed all the magazine's editorial content in addition to conceptualizing and producing its covers, including a Clockwork Orange-inspired Eminem cover cited by Complex as one of the greatest Hip-Hip covers of all time. Stress was the first magazine to feature Jay-Z on the cover.

Green's editorial prowess at STRESS would pave the way for a position as Executive Editor at BET.com, where she planned and executed all entertainment interactive features; handled the day-to-day management of content creators; and collaborated with the Vice President of Content and television staff in coordinating online features with television programming from 2000-2005.

Green worked as a Post-Production Coordinator on feature films Ira Sachs' Married Life and Margot at the Wedding the latter of which was directed by Academy Award-nominated director and writer Noah Baumbach prior to beginning to work at the Maysles Documentary Center in 2008.

Jessica impressed us so much with her extensive and diverse career in film programming, noted HCAS Board Member Marian Luntz, who headed the Search Committee for the organization's new Artistic Director. She added, The committee also appreciated her creative ideas about community engagement and her enthusiasm for putting those into action in Houston. We are excited to see Jessica infuse her own personality and skill set into the role as she takes the reins in leading the festival's programming with her energy and vision.

Green also currently works as an independent programmer on Films by Firelight an ongoing series highlighting the diverse non-fiction films and filmmakers that have come out of Stanley Nelson's Firelight Media Documentary Lab since its 2008 inception with funding from New York City's Department of Cultural Affairs. Her most recent Maysles programming highlights have included The American Experiment a series surveying American experimental and non-fiction film and Made in Harlem: Class of '68 a series focusing on the MLK assassination and its impact on Harlem and the Black Arts Movement.

In conclusion, Green emphasized, To be able to do this work in Houston and to work with this city's incredible arts institutions is just icing on the cake. I will strive to embody Houston's unique and authentic beauty and swagger.

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