Richard Peña
Encyclopedia
Richard Peña is the American
film program director of the prestigious Film Society of Lincoln Center
noted for his organization of the New York Film Festival
, New Directors/New Films series and Scanners
(formerly known as the New York Video Festival).
, to view a rarely shown Erich von Stroheim
movie.
Even as a boy, he has admitted that he was a passionate film buff, and this passion was sparked when he began attending Spanish language
films with his grandparents at the Elgin Theater
in Chelsea
.
Two decades later, Peña helps choose the films that are featured at that prestigious festival. That's part of his role at the Film Society of Lincoln Center.
At Harvard University
, Peña combined his love of film with his interest in Latin American culture. A son of Spanish and Puerto Rican parents, he spent a year in Rio de Janeiro
for his senior thesis on Brazilian cinema and Argentine cinema.
After earning a master's degree in film at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, Peña taught film at several colleges before joining the Film Center at the Art Institute of Chicago, eventually being named its director.
In 1988, now a film scholar he came to the Film Society of Lincoln Center.
Since then he has been also been film program director for the New York Film Festival
. He has the power to overlook which films are shown at the festival on an annual basis, welcoming in world films and foreign language films which often wouldn't be allowed to appear in many other mainstream festivals.
At the Film Society, Richard Peña has organized retrospectives of Michelangelo Antonioni
, Sacha Guitry
, acclaimed Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami
, Robert Aldrich
, Wojciech Has
, Youssef Chahine
, Yasujiro Ozu
, and most recently Amitabh Bachchan
, as well as major film series devoted to African, Taiwan
ese, Polish
, Hungarian, Arab
, Cuba
n and Argentine cinema.
In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center
, Peña was involved in the controversy over Abbas Kiarostami
, who was refused an immigration visa
to attend the festival because of his middle-eastern roots. Peña had personally invited Kiarostami to the festival but his admission to the United States
was repudiated. In the event Peña stated: "It's a terrible sign of what's happening in my country today that no one seems to realize or care about the kind of negative signal this sends out to the entire Muslim
world"
From 2001 to 2002, Richard Peña was the host on the Sundance Channel's "Conversations in World Cinema, " on which he interviewed Harmony Korine
among other leading filmmakers. Since 1996, he has organized together with Unifrance Film the annual "Rendez-Vous with French Cinema Today" program.
, where he specializes in film theory and international cinema and founded the Columbia University MA program in Film Studies: History, Theory and Criticism (HTC). A priori the closing night gala screening of The Descendants at the 49th New York Film Festival, FSLC Board President Dan Stern announced that Mr Peña had decided to step down from his posts as the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Program Director and as the head of the NYFF Selection Committee. In a press release, Mr. Peña stated: “Heading into the fiftieth anniversary of the Festival, it seems a perfect time for a transition, both for me personally and for the organization. Working at the Film Society has been beyond a "dream come true," but in the years left me I would like to possibly explore other areas of interest, both within and beyond the cinema. I also feel that, like at any other cultural institution, change can be important, as it will bring in fresh ideas and approaches to lead the Film Society into its next fifty years.”
"With film, you're seeing images, confronting situations, as if you were walking down the street," he says. "You discover a certain universality, as opposed to differences, among people."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film program director of the prestigious Film Society of Lincoln Center
Film Society of Lincoln Center
The Film Society of Lincoln Center based in New York City, United States, is one of the world's most prominent film presentation organizations. Founded in 1969 by three Lincoln Center executives - William F. May, Martin E. Segal and Schuyler G...
noted for his organization of the New York Film Festival
New York Film Festival
The New York Film Festival has been a major film festival since it began in 1963 in New York. The films are selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center...
, New Directors/New Films series and Scanners
Scanners
Scanners is a 1981 science-fiction horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg and starring Jennifer O'Neill, Stephen Lack, Michael Ironside, and Patrick McGoohan...
(formerly known as the New York Video Festival).
Early life
Interested in film at a very young age, when Richard was just 12 years old, he was already attending the New York Film FestivalNew York Film Festival
The New York Film Festival has been a major film festival since it began in 1963 in New York. The films are selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center...
, to view a rarely shown Erich von Stroheim
Erich von Stroheim
Erich von Stroheim was an Austrian-born film star of the silent era, subsequently noted as an auteur for his directorial work.-Background:...
movie.
Even as a boy, he has admitted that he was a passionate film buff, and this passion was sparked when he began attending Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
films with his grandparents at the Elgin Theater
Elgin Theater
The Elgin Theater opened in 1942 on Eighth Avenue in New York City. It was designed in the Art Moderne style by Simon Zelnik and was a popular movie house for decades seating 600. It served as a home to cult films and revivals and, later in its career, as an adult theater. In 1978 the community...
in Chelsea
Chelsea, Manhattan
Chelsea is a neighborhood on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The district's boundaries are roughly 14th Street to the south, 30th Street to the north, the western boundary of the Ladies' Mile Historic District – which lies between the Avenue of the Americas and...
.
Two decades later, Peña helps choose the films that are featured at that prestigious festival. That's part of his role at the Film Society of Lincoln Center.
Education and career
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Peña combined his love of film with his interest in Latin American culture. A son of Spanish and Puerto Rican parents, he spent a year in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
for his senior thesis on Brazilian cinema and Argentine cinema.
After earning a master's degree in film at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, Peña taught film at several colleges before joining the Film Center at the Art Institute of Chicago, eventually being named its director.
In 1988, now a film scholar he came to the Film Society of Lincoln Center.
Since then he has been also been film program director for the New York Film Festival
New York Film Festival
The New York Film Festival has been a major film festival since it began in 1963 in New York. The films are selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center...
. He has the power to overlook which films are shown at the festival on an annual basis, welcoming in world films and foreign language films which often wouldn't be allowed to appear in many other mainstream festivals.
At the Film Society, Richard Peña has organized retrospectives of Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian modernist film director, screenwriter, editor and short story writer.- Personal life :...
, Sacha Guitry
Sacha Guitry
Alexandre-Pierre Georges Guitry was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the Boulevard theatre.- Biography :...
, acclaimed Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami
Abbas Kiarostami
Abbas Kiarostami is an internationally acclaimed Iranian film director, screenwriter, photographer and film producer. An active filmmaker since 1970, Kiarostami has been involved in over forty films, including shorts and documentaries...
, Robert Aldrich
Robert Aldrich
Robert Aldrich was an American film director, writer and producer, notable for such films as Kiss Me Deadly , The Big Knife , What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? , Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte , The Flight of the Phoenix , The Dirty Dozen , and The Longest Yard .-Biography:Robert...
, Wojciech Has
Wojciech Has
Wojciech Jerzy Has was a Polish film director, screenwriter and film producer.-Early Life & Studies:...
, Youssef Chahine
Youssef Chahine
Youssef Chahine was an Egyptian film director active in the Egyptian film industry since 1950. He was credited with launching the career of actor Omar Sharif...
, Yasujiro Ozu
Yasujiro Ozu
was a prominent Japanese film director and script writer. He is known for his distinctive technical style, developed during the silent era. Marriage and family, especially the relationships between the generations, are among the most persistent themes in his body of work...
, and most recently Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
, as well as major film series devoted to African, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese, Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
, Hungarian, Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n and Argentine cinema.
In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, Peña was involved in the controversy over Abbas Kiarostami
Abbas Kiarostami
Abbas Kiarostami is an internationally acclaimed Iranian film director, screenwriter, photographer and film producer. An active filmmaker since 1970, Kiarostami has been involved in over forty films, including shorts and documentaries...
, who was refused an immigration visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
to attend the festival because of his middle-eastern roots. Peña had personally invited Kiarostami to the festival but his admission to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was repudiated. In the event Peña stated: "It's a terrible sign of what's happening in my country today that no one seems to realize or care about the kind of negative signal this sends out to the entire Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
world"
From 2001 to 2002, Richard Peña was the host on the Sundance Channel's "Conversations in World Cinema, " on which he interviewed Harmony Korine
Harmony Korine
The story is told from the perspective of a young man suffering from untreated schizophrenia, played by Ewen Bremner, as he tries to understand his deteriorating world. Julien's abusive father is played by Werner Herzog...
among other leading filmmakers. Since 1996, he has organized together with Unifrance Film the annual "Rendez-Vous with French Cinema Today" program.
Other work
He is also an Associate Professor of Film at Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, where he specializes in film theory and international cinema and founded the Columbia University MA program in Film Studies: History, Theory and Criticism (HTC). A priori the closing night gala screening of The Descendants at the 49th New York Film Festival, FSLC Board President Dan Stern announced that Mr Peña had decided to step down from his posts as the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Program Director and as the head of the NYFF Selection Committee. In a press release, Mr. Peña stated: “Heading into the fiftieth anniversary of the Festival, it seems a perfect time for a transition, both for me personally and for the organization. Working at the Film Society has been beyond a "dream come true," but in the years left me I would like to possibly explore other areas of interest, both within and beyond the cinema. I also feel that, like at any other cultural institution, change can be important, as it will bring in fresh ideas and approaches to lead the Film Society into its next fifty years.”
Personal Quotes
"Film transcends culture and borders in a way poetry and painting cannot""With film, you're seeing images, confronting situations, as if you were walking down the street," he says. "You discover a certain universality, as opposed to differences, among people."