Jon Fitzgerald named executive director of Hollywood Film Fest

By Susan King

March 20, 2013 12 AM PT

Jon Fitzgerald, co-founder and former executive director of the Slamdance, AFI Fest, Santa Barbara and Abu Dhabi film festivals, was named executive director of the 17th Hollywood Film Festival.

“Jon’s experience in the online, film festival and worldwide film communities will be a great asset to the growth and new direction of our festival,” said Carlos de Abreu, founder of the Hollywood Film Festival, in a statement Wednesday morning.

Fitzgerald will be in charge of development, artistic direction, programming, marketing and overall festival management. He will also be involved in the Hollywood Gives Back Project, which will be combined with CineCause, Fitzgerald’s philanthropy platform.

The festival, which will take place Oct. 17-21 at the ArcLight Cinemas, is also adding a new online element. The festival will select a number of short films that will be streamed online.

“I’m very excited to have the chance to build on the success of the Hollywood Film Festival and look forward to incorporating these new elements,” Fitzgerald said in a statement.

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