Milwaukee Film Names New Executive Director
Familiar face returns to take over as Film Fest host, Downer and Oriental operator.
Susan Kerns. Photo by Robyn Ehrlich.
Lights, camera, action. Milwaukee Film has found its new director.
College professor and filmmaker Susan Santha Kerns will take over the nonprofit organization, which hosts the Milwaukee Film Festival and runs the Downer and Oriental theaters.
Her hiring comes after a tumultuous year for the organization. Its founder and longtime CEO, Jonathan Jackson, resigned at the start of 2024, and the organization has encountered financial difficulties. Anne Reed, an attorney by trade, was hired to rightsize the organization, but she publicly stated she intended to re-retire upon the hiring of a permanent director.
Kerns currently serves as an associate professor of cinema and television arts at Columbia College in Chicago, where she is also the associate provost for faculty research and development. Additionally, she has a history with Milwaukee Film, having served as its education director from 2010 to 2013.
“Dr. Kerns’ extensive experience was an important factor in her selection,” said board chair Lacey Sadoff in a statement. “Given her rich background in all aspects of our work, we are confident that Susan’s leadership will continue to grow Milwaukee Film’s local and national significance as a film organization.”
The new executive director also serves as an intimacy coordinator for film production and the co-founder and co-director of the Chicago Feminist Film Festival. According to her resume, she is also a content acquisitions specialist at Questar Acquisitions. She is currently producing an independent film, Uncoiled, which won a pitch contest held by A&E.
“I feel honored, delighted, and incredibly excited to step into the Executive Director role at Milwaukee Film. Milwaukee Film is a key part of why I love this city so much, and I’m eager to continue bringing audiences the absolute best film screening experiences in our gorgeous theatres,” Kerns said. “I also take seriously my commitment to local filmmakers. I am eager to highlight their work and help grow the prestige of our terrific filmmaking community.”
Kerns holds a Ph.D. in film and media studies from UW-Milwaukee.
“I am so pleased to return to retirement knowing that Milwaukee Film is in such strong and experienced hands,” Reed said. “I can’t wait to see the growth and evolution of Milwaukee Film in the years to come.”
Kerns’s appointment is effective Feb. 3. Reed will stay on temporarily to facilitate a transition.
According to its latest published annual 990 report, for the 2023 calendar year, Kerns takes over an organization that had expenses of nearly $7.5 million, with revenue (including donations) of $5 million, leaving a deficit of $2.5 million. The organization’s staff swells in the spring to coincide with the annual film festival. A new documentary festival occurred last fall, replacing the canceled Cultures & Communities Festival.
Until the COVID-19 pandemic, the 501(c)(3) organization reported consistent year-over-year growth. Its annual festival attendance, decimated by the pandemic, is slowly recovering.
The 2025 Milwaukee Film Festival runs from April 24 through May 8.
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