UW Cinematheque names new director of programming

The University of Wisconsin–Madison Cinematheque, a film group dedicated to showcasing archival and other rare films from around the word, has installed a new director of programming, Jim Healy.

Prior to coming to UW–Madison, Healy was assistant curator at George Eastman House, an International Museum of Photography in Rochester, N.Y. Before the Eastman House, he spent five years as a programmer for the Chicago International Film Festival.

Healy also currently serves as a consultant for the Torino Film Festival in Turin, Italy.

Healy says he’s excited to be joining the UW–Madison community.

“My primary motivations [for becoming involved with Cinematheque] are the opportunity to raise the international profile of Cinematheque’s programming and the opportunity to live in Madison,” explains Healy. “Madison has been a major hub for film studies and film culture for more than 40 years.”

As the new director of programming, Healy looks forward to expanding the idea of the “Cinematheque Film.” The cutting-edge films Cinematheque has presented in the past impress him, but he hopes to explore new genres and filmmakers, expanding the community’s notion of film art.

Healy wants to uphold the reputation of Cinematheque, taking art and the history of film in a serious light. Working with the rest of the Cinematheque team, he will be expanding Cinematheque to bring quality programming to the Madison and UW communities.

“The Cinematheque will engage [the community] in discussions on cinema, whether it’s through screenings of new foreign and independent movies that would otherwise have no screening venue in town, or through showings of new restorations of films from cinema history’s past that are enjoying a renewed impact and new audiences around the world,” says Healy. “The idea here is to develop future generations of cinephiles.”

More information regarding UW Cinematheque and film screenings can be found at http://cinema.wisc.edu/. Additionally, beginning in October, the Cinematheque will offer Sunday afternoon programming in the new auditorium of the Chazen Museum of Art.