Program chief joins Frameline
San Francisco-based LGBTQ film festival Frameline has named Paul Struthers, a prominent festival programmer in Australia, as its director of exhibition and programming.
Struthers, a native of the United Kingdom, has been director of the highly regarded Queer Screen’s Mardi Gras Film Festival in Sydney since 2014. During his tenure, festival attendance tripled. For the past eight years, he also has helped market the Sydney Film Festival, which also saw its attendance jump significantly. On top of these responsibilities, he was director of Australia’s Queer Screen Film Fest from 2014 to 2016.
A graduate of Royal Holloway University in London, Struthers will relocate to the Bay Area and replace Desiree Buford, who stepped down from the organization this past summer.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Frameline and working with the exceptional team,” Struthers said. “Frameline is an organization that has always inspired me in their world-leading approach to showcasing queer cinema. I look forward to continuing and building upon this amazing legacy.”
Struthers was selected after an extensive national and global search.
“Paul stood out with his exceptional industry experience and sheer passion for film and queer programming,” said Frances Wallace, Frameline’s executive director. “Struthers comes with a commitment that is unmatched in terms of artistic vision, an energy focused on social justice content, and a dedication to extend audience and queer representation.
“His appointment to Frameline is in perfect alignment with the organization’s trajectory to increase the impact of queer media worldwide.”
Struthers brings not only festival experience, but also arrives with a background in distribution, exhibition and film sales. Before taking the festival positions in Sydney, he worked in London at Revolver Entertainment and Renaissance Films.
“Struthers stands in a unique and invaluable place, having worked in both community and industry environments,” said Michael Colaneri, Frameline’s board president. “He has a global LGBTQ film perspective and comes with outstanding collaborative skills to link audiences and partners alike in building support for the exhibition of queer media across multiple platforms.
“Paul is an authentic connector, with a trusted and respected international reputation that will help propel Frameline’s mission into the future.”
Struthers will begin his position on Dec. 1. The 42nd Frameline festival will take place June 14-24.