Sarah Glennie to head the Irish Film Institute

The Board of The Irish Film Institute is delighted to announce Sarah Glennie as DIRECTOR OF THE IRISH FILM INSTITUTE. She will take up the full time position in Autumn 2008, before which time she will work with the IFI on a consultative basis. In the transition period, IFI operations will continue to be managed by Annmarie Gray, Acting Director and Head of Finance and HR.
Sarah has fourteen years experience in the cultural realm, most recently as Director of the Model Arts and Niland Gallery in Sligo, and with previous extensive curatorial experience including her appointment as Commissioner of the Irish Pavillion at the Venice Biennale 2005, curated projects for P.S.1 MoMA, New York, and Cork 2005, and positions at the Henry Moore Foundation and IMMA.
‘Sarah has a weath of experience in strategic cultural planning and of running and working in public cultural institutions both in Ireland and internationally. We are delighted to welcome Sarah Glennie to IFI to lead one of the country’s most popular cultural venues into an exciting period in its’ history. In 2007 the IFI staff engaged with over 300,000 people in our continually expanding and diverse programme. Sarah has the creative vision and organisational expertise to build on this success into the future.’ said Eve-Anne Cullinan, Chairperson of IFI.
The Irish Film Institute, under the new director designate, will immediately embark on planning three key projects:
• A refurbishment of the IFI centre in Eustace Street to include installation of a third cinema and improvements to public facilities, bookshop and bar/cafe. Designed by O’Donnell Tuomey Architects who won many architectural awards for the IFI after it opened to the public in 1993 (a planning application has just been submitted).
• Collaboration with Dundalk Institute of Technology on an additional state-of-the art facility for the Irish Film Archive. The development of this new regional IFI resource will enhance access to the national film collection, while ensuring its on-going preservation. Access and preservation will continue to take place within a re-designed Archive space at IFI Temple Bar.
• A 3 year Strategy will be published on IFI’s ambitions to 2010.
The Irish Film Institute (established in 1945 as National Film Institute) preserves, presents and promotes film culture in Ireland through exhibition in the IFI Cinemas in Temple Bar, in over 30 venues around Ireland and through Cinemobile; through the national film archive collection; through an extensive national IFI Education programme; and promotes Irish film worldwide through Reel Ireland.