The mission of the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAM/PFA) is to inspire the imagination and ignite critical dialogue through art and film. BAM/PFA has an international reputation for presenting one of the most active and ambitious art and film exhibition programs, as well as for the quality of its collections and research resources. BAM/PFA will open in a new building in downtown Berkeley in early 2016. For more information, visit BAM/PFA.

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BAM/PFA’s year-round screening program showcases the history of world cinema, both historical and contemporary, and celebrates the widest possible expression of what makes this medium an art form. BAM/PFA’s film curatorial department is uniquely situated within the context of both an art museum and world-class research university and also serves the greater San Francisco Bay Area. BAM/PFA’s commitment to hosting filmmakers, film scholars, critics, and archivists is a central aspect of our programming mandate and frequently aligns with UC Berkeley undergraduate courses.

The Associate Film Curator is a full-time career position that will work independently and report to and receive general guidance from the Senior Film Curator. With the Senior Film Curator and Film Curator, the Associate Film Curator takes a lead role in articulating priorities and goals of the BAM/PFA film exhibition program, and in short- and long-range planning. The Associate Film Curator shares the primary responsibility for developing, implementing, and managing all aspects of BAM/PFA’s screening program, which presents 450 public programs annually. The Associate Film Curator is responsible for organizing roughly one third of the programs, organized into film series that focus on directorial retrospectives, national or regional cinema spotlights, genres, thematic programs, or special events and filmmaker residencies.

Responsibilities

– Conceptualize, curate, manage logistics, and budget for approximately 150 film programs annually.
– Research and book prints. Locate works from domestic and international sources, including specialized distributors, archives, collectors, and artists, as well as from the BAM/PFA collection. Negotiate rental, loan fees, and often complex rights clearances, and handle all related correspondence. Must have experience and detailed knowledge of technical issues pertaining to film exhibition including legacy formats for film and video art, as well as the full range of contemporary digital formats. Coordinate and supervise special technical set ups for complex programs.
– Write film notes and short introductory essays for publication in BAM/PFA Program Guide and website.
– Host local and out-of-town guests and introduce screenings at the theater.
– Partner with the North American circuit of cinematheques to help make it possible for BAM/PFA to bring touring retrospectives to the San Francisco Bay Area.
– Work with guest curators, helping to facilitate their programs and acting as the curatorial liaison for BAM/PFA. Work closely with other Bay Area institutions, such as film festivals with whom BAM/PFA partners on an annual basis.

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– Work with UC Berkeley faculty, staff, and guest presenters to make BAM/PFA’s film exhibitions and filmmaker residencies relevant to UC Berkeley students, through integration into course curricula. Work with UC Berkeley departments, centers, and institutes to develop effective strategies for integrating BAM/PFA’s film programs into campus life, including sponsorships, copresentations, and guest presentations. On occasion, coordinates with other BAM/PFA curators to organize film series related to art exhibitions.
– Present lectures and extended presentations to make BAM/PFA film programs relevant to a broader public or to a specific interest group.
– Stay abreast of current work, national and international scholarship related to issues pertinent to exhibition, and new ideas and theories in the field through research and contact with other curators, artists, scholars, and other archives and film organizations. Represent BAM/PFA at programs and events, professional meetings, film festivals, and conferences.
– Support marketing of programs by giving press interviews, appearing on the radio, and providing content to film publicist and media relations manager as required.
– Work closely and collaboratively with small film curatorial team, attending regularly scheduled curatorial and film department meetings, as well as all-staff meetings.
Play a key role in long-range institutional planning efforts, such as long-term exhibition plans and multiyear strategic planning.
– In collaboration with other BAM/PFA film curators and Development staff members, conceive engaging, viable, and fundable projects that serve the institution’s goals. Participate in writing project and operational grant applications and reports, and in other ways seeking funding and sponsorships for the film exhibition program.
– Cultivate relationships with distributors, archivists, collectors, artists, curators, foundations, trustees, existing donors, and potential donors.
– Contribute to the identification of acquisition and conservation priorities, and together with the Collection Curator, identify potential print donations, acquisitions, and preservation projects.
– Engage in professional activities to contribute to the film community by participating in national grant panels, film juries, and conference presentations, as well as providing consultation, advice, and resources to media artists and organizations, and campus groups.
– Share curatorial expertise with the larger film community through coordinating or advising on tours.
– Meet visiting scholars, artists, archivists, curators, and festival programmers, and provide assistance and advice.

Requirements

• Extensive knowledge and appreciation for the full range of moving image styles, both past and present.
• Extensive knowledge of film exhibition practice and archival issues gained through experience programming at a cinematheque, museum, festival, film archive, or film theater. Advanced knowledge of and experience in film curating, and researching and writing on cinema.
• Excellent verbal and written communication abilities, including the ability to communicate complex concepts about the history of cinema and aesthetic issues to an audience that ranges from casual filmgoers to seasoned cinephiles and academics.
• Strong organizational skills; able to set priorities and meet deadlines.
• Awareness and understanding of diverse communities served locally, nationally, and internationally.
• Intellectual curiosity, creativity, and enthusiasm for bringing scholarly research and distinctive film and video programs to a broad public in accessible ways.

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• Ability to collaborate internally and externally, and cultivate strong relationships with faculty, donors, and colleagues.
• Technical skills especially regarding new and evolving media.
• Broad experience and detailed knowledge of technical issues pertaining to film exhibition, including the range of legacy formats for film and video art.
• Team player, ability to work effectively on cross-functional teams. Ability to work in a shared office environment. • Knowledge of Mac OS and MS Office; Filemaker; Google mail, calendar, and Drive; Adobe Acrobat.

This position has been designated as sensitive and may require a Criminal Background Check. We reserve the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of a Criminal Background Check.

Education/Training
Bachelor’s degree in film history or equivalent.

Preferred Qualifications
Experience and knowledge in film history at an advanced level.

Other
Must be available to work nights and weekends as needed. Writing samples and completion of a film curatorial exercise will be required of shortlisted candidates.

Salary and Benefits
For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University.

Deadline
The date of first review for this position is August 27, 2015. Open until filled.

To Apply
Visit Jobs at Berkeley and search for keyword 20180 (the job number for this position), and follow the application process detailed on the website. To be considered, applications must be completed through the campus online website. If you have trouble completing the online application, please send an email message to hrmshelp@berkeley.edu or call 510-643-4443 between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm for assistance.