Associate Film Curator – Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA)

Associate Film Curator (9722C) – #81525

Position Summary

This role involves conceptualizing, curating, and managing 90 film programs annually, coordinating with domestic and international partners, and engaging audiences through both scholarly and public-facing activities. The Associate Film Curator will play a key role in shaping BAMPFA’s film offerings while advancing the institution’s educational mission and supporting its strategic initiatives.

The Associate Film Curator is a full-time career position that will work independently and report to and receive general guidance from the Director of Film and Senior Film Curator. With the Director of Film and Senior Film Curator and Film Curator, this role takes a lead in articulating priorities and goals of the BAMPFA film exhibition program, and in short- and long-range planning.

The Associate Film Curator shares the primary responsibility for developing, implementing, and managing all aspects of BAMPFA’s screening program, which presents 350 public programs annually. The Associate Film Curator is responsible for organizing roughly one third of the programs, organized into film series that focus on a theme, such as directorial retrospectives, filmmaker residencies, national or regional cinema spotlights, genres, or special events.

Responsibilities

Curatorial & Programming

• Conceptualize, curate, and manage logistics and budgets for 90 film programs per year.
• Research, locate, and secure film prints and media from domestic and international distributors, archives, collectors, artists, and the BAMPFA collection.
• Negotiate rental and loan agreements, rights clearances, and manage related correspondence.
• Source film stills and screener copies.
• Oversee technical requirements for screenings, including legacy formats, contemporary digital formats, and specialized setups.
• Invite and host guest presenters (filmmakers, scholars, actors, subject experts).
• Write program notes, short essays, and other content for BAMPFA publications, such as the Program Guide and website.
• Develop promotional materials working with communications department, including the quarterly program guides, website content, digital promotional materials for all film programs, proofreading galleys and all materials for publication.
• Communicate and share program content across BAMPFA departments.
• Introduce screenings and host local and visiting guests.
• Collaborate with guest curators, other Bay Area institutions, UC Berkeley faculty, and campus organizations to integrate film programs into broader academic and cultural initiatives.
• Organize lecture series, extended presentations, and other public programs to enhance audience engagement.

Professional & Community Engagement

• Maintain awareness of national and international trends, scholarship, and developments in film exhibition and media arts.
• Represent BAMPFA at professional meetings, conferences, festivals, and public events.
• Support marketing and outreach, including press interviews, radio appearances, and providing content for media relations.
• Cultivate relationships with distributors, artists, curators, collectors, foundations, donors, and other stakeholders.
• Contribute to long-term strategic planning, including multi-year exhibition plans and institutional initiatives.

Professional Representation

• Engage with the wider film community through panels, juries, consultations, and advisory roles.
• Support touring exhibitions and share curatorial expertise nationally.
• Work closely and collaboratively with small film curatorial team, attending regularly scheduled curatorial and film department meetings, as well as all-staff meetings.
• Manage a team of work-study staff, interns, and temp contractors working to digitize the history of PFA program calendars and notes.

Collection & Preservation

• Contribute to identifying acquisition and conservation priorities.
• Support the Director of Film and Senior Film Curator, and Film Archivist in identifying potential donations, acquisitions, and preservation projects.
• Serve as department point person and subject matter expert for BAMPFA image database (currently Resource Space).

Development & Fundraising

• Support development efforts by engaging with and presenting to funders, board members, and the Film Council as needed.
• Collaborate with curatorial and development teams to conceive engaging, fundable projects.
• Participate in grant writing, reporting, and securing sponsorships for film programs with the Development department.
• Propose other funding and sponsorship for film programs.

Required Qualifications

• Extensive knowledge and appreciation for the full range of moving image styles, both past and present.
• Extensive knowledge of film exhibition practice and archival issues gained through experience programming at a cinematheque, museum, festival, film archive, or film theater.
• Advanced knowledge of and experience in film curating, and researching and writing on cinema.
• Excellent verbal and written communication abilities, including the ability to communicate complex concepts about the history of cinema and aesthetic issues to an audience that ranges from casual filmgoers to seasoned cinephiles and academics.
• Strong organizational skills; able to set priorities and meet deadlines.
• Awareness and understanding of diverse communities served locally, nationally, and internationally.
• Intellectual curiosity, creativity, and enthusiasm for bringing scholarly research and distinctive film and video programs to a broad public in accessible ways.
• Ability to collaborate internally and externally, and cultivate strong relationships with faculty, donors, and colleagues.
• Technical skills especially regarding new and evolving media.
• Broad experience and detailed knowledge of technical issues pertaining to film exhibition, including the range of legacy formats for film and video art.
• Team player, ability to work effectively on cross-functional teams.
• Ability to work in a shared office environment.
• Graduation from college with specialization in the discipline involved and four years of experience in curatorial work, including one year in a supervisory capacity; or an equivalent combination of education and experience; and knowledge and abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the position.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of Mac OS and MS Office; Filemaker; Google Mail, Calendar, and Drive; Adobe Acrobat.

Salary & Benefits

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California’s Compensation & Benefits website.

The budgeted annual salary range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $80,659.96 (Step 6) – $85,587.06 (Step 9). Due to compliance with California SB‑1162, BAMPFA will not be able to offer a candidate anything above this posted amount.

This is a full-time (40 hours/week), career position that is eligible for UC Benefits. This is an exempt monthly-paid position. This is not a visa opportunity.

How to Apply (Job #81525)

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