Artistic Director (Curation and programming) for Out On Screen, Vancouver Queer Film Festival – full time, paid

Bloom is a full-service workplace design consultancy representing Out On Screen on their search for an Artistic Director to join their team. As Talent Advisors, we will be the liaison between Out On Screen and yourself during this recruitment process. We do not use fancy tech to search through resumes at Bloom; every resume is reviewed by a human to ensure that we attain a consistent and equitable interview process. You will directly join the team at Out On Screen if you are selected as the successful candidate. We look forward to receiving your application!
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Hi! My name is Brandon Yan (he/him/his), and I’m the Executive Director of Out On Screen. I’ve been working at Out On Screen since 2015 when I started as the Program Coordinator with Out In Schools. Over the last 7 years, I’ve grown with the organization and have also served as the Education Director and the Deputy Executive Director. When I took on the Executive Director position in 2020, COVID-19 dramatically shifted everything in our sector. My goal was for us to continue serving 2SLGBTQIA+ artists and communities as best we could while protecting our organization’s financial and human capacity. I work here because I have witnessed the incredible power of storytelling to open minds and change lives. Indeed, the stories we tell can change the world, and for so long, 2SLGBTQIA+ stories and representation have missed the mark or been missing entirely. People find community (and even love!) at the Vancouver Queer Film Festival. And now, more than ever, are festivals like ours so important. My hope is that you will join Out On Screen with enthusiasm for queer film, build on the great work we’ve done so far, and push us to live our values in every facet of our programming. Founded in 1988 by a small group of activists and media artists, 2023 will be the 35th anniversary. As the Artistic Director, you will be instrumental in leading us through this important milestone and beyond — how will you change the world?

Currently, we pursue our mission with two core programs:
– The Vancouver Queer Festival is a vibrant space for queer arts, culture, and community. The Festival showcases dynamic and thought-provoking films from British Columbian filmmakers as well as other Canadian and international directors and storytellers. We curate films which contextualize and celebrate queer lives and experiences. We prioritize foregrounding diverse identities in our communities, including narratives from trans people, queer people of colour, and Indigenous people.
– Out In Schools is an award-winning education program that uses queer film to spark dialogue, to challenge homophobia, and to promote inclusion. Since its inception in 2004, we have reached more than 120,000 youth and adults across BC.

Out On Screen is currently a predominantly settler-led organization. We are in a self-assessment and learning phase to better understand what settler colonialism looks like in our organization and what we may do in the future to make changes.

We have identified that there are gaps between our internal practices and our organizational values of intersectionality, anti-oppression, and social justice. We want to be a workplace where all staff and volunteers feel safe, seen, and supported in their work. Each individual’s experience is deeply and uniquely influenced by our current and historical organizational culture.

As the Artistic Director, you will be providing curatorial and executive leadership to Out On Screen’s annual Vancouver Queer Film Festival. We are also looking to you to oversee year-round artistic programming and ensure that it continues to be representative, impactful, challenging and relevant to our diverse audiences.
The Opportunity
Leading the curation of the annual Vancouver Queer Film Festival, which includes Gala and Special Presentation screenings, feature film screenings, short film programs, artist and filmmaker Q&As, industry and dialogue panels/workshops, as well as parties, exhibitions and/or performances.
Managing the VQFF’s online platform and programming, including film screenings, pre-recorded and live digital events/panels/Q&As.
Curating year-round programming and screenings for special events.
Collaborating with the rest of the team, leading the development of the festival theme, visual language, and written copy.
Guiding the festival’s ethics in terms of how we talk about and relate to the work of our most vulnerable and historically underrepresented communities and how we prioritize representation.
Ensuring that reparative and equitable programming at the festival continues to grow and deepen.
Overseeing programming staff and technicians, including full-time, seasonal and contract staff.
The experience you bring to the table
You have a background in the arts sector and experience with arts and film programming.
You have a strong history of community engagement and community investment.
You’ve demonstrated leadership in past roles and have a strong desire to grow those skills even further.
You have solid media analysis skills, specifically around the histories of representation in visual media.
You communicate with concision and from a storytelling perspective with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
You have a strong history of working with queer communities and solid knowledge of queer histories and vocabularies.
You’re passionate about film and have a fantastic knowledge of Queer film.
You believe that art has the power to create change, and you have a solid artistic practice.
You have an understanding of power and privilege and are committed to using your leadership position to empower others.

Don’t sweat it if you don’t have everything listed above. We believe in growth and curiosity. If you have some of these qualities and are excited about this opportunity, we want to hear from you!

The immediate and long term goals for programming are:
To hire and develop a programming team that represents the diversity of Vancouver’s 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.
To support film curation that prioritizes experiential knowledge, connecting curators with the opportunity to program films from their own communities.
To address the absences in programming, particularly for Black, Indigenous, and disabled queer and trans films/filmmakers.
To produce a film festival that caringly calls in diverse communities, facilitating harm-reduced spaces that are sensitive to the nuances of socio-political positioning of our audiences while creating new approaches to dialogical programming.
How We Hire
Like Bloom, Out On Screen is committed to a fair and equitable hiring process for all candidates. To ensure that each candidate’s journey is consistent and the selection process is unbiased, the team at Out On Screen will not be responding to any personal messages regarding this role or other opportunities.

The Interview Process
Round 1: Phone screen with Emma, She/Her, Talent Advisor from Bloom
Round 2: Virtual 60-minute interview with Brandon Yan, He/Him (Executive Director) and Nya Lewis, They/She (Interim Artistic Director)
Round 3: Virtual 60-minute interview with Brandon Yan, He/Him (Executive Director) and Nya Lewis, They/She (Interim Artistic Director), and one Out On Screen Board Member
Then, conduct References + Offer!

Total Rewards
The Salary range for this position is $65,000 to $75,000.

Perks at Out On Screen
Extended health, drug, and dental benefits plan
$500 wellness fund
$500 professional development fund
$150 networking fund
3 weeks vacation, plus two paid office closures

Our Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging
Out On Screen is committed to building a transparent environment where everyone feels heard, welcomed and included. We believe Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging are fundamental in our vision to harness the power of technology to create a better and more inclusive future. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous peoples, Black people, racialized people, people with disabilities, people from gender and sexually diverse communities and/or people with intersectional identities.

Our Commitment to Accessibility
Like Bloom, Out on Screen is committed to developing an inclusive, barrier-free recruitment process and work environment. Should you require any accommodation, please inform us, and we will work with you to meet your accessibility needs. For any accessibility-related assistance, requests for information in accessible alternative formats, or to report any accessibility problems, please contact us at emma@buildwithbloom.com

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