After 26 years as the director of the 91原创 International Film Festival, Alan Franey is stepping down.
Franey鈥檚 resignation announcement came just days after the festival wrapped with a closing awards ceremony on Oct. 11.
鈥淚t has been a privilege for me to lead this organization for so long, and there are many people I will remain grateful to,鈥� Franey stated in his resignation letter.
Though the circumstances surrounding Franey鈥檚 resignation have not been made public, the film veteran did share some insight into his hopes for the festival鈥檚 future.
鈥淲e live in a digital world in which quality is not always easily gleaned from quantity,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淢any directions for VIFF may be considered. My hope is that we will keep our eyes focused on our long-standing mandate to value cinema as an art form and as a bridge between peoples. This will surely serve us well in the future.鈥�
Franey may be forfeiting his Festival Director role buy he plans 鈥渢o remain very much involved with VIFF but to focus on programming鈥� in the coming years.
