The American Film Institute has appointed a new director for its annual documentary film festival. Michael Lumpkin, most recently the executive director of the L.A.-based International Documentary Association, will take over AFI Docs as of Jan. 1.
AFI Docs has been without a permanent director since Sky Sitney stepped down in February after eight years on the job. Her spot was temporarily filled by Christine O’Malley, who produced “Wordplay” and “I.O.U.S.A.” And it was O’Malley who recommended Lumpkin for the job when she heard that American Film Institute president Bob Gazzale was looking for a triple-threat leader who could make movies, produce big events and bring people together.
Lumpkin began attending AFI Docs in 2009 — back when it was still called Silverdocs — after he began working at the International Documentary Association, a filmmaker advocacy group.
“I had been very impressed with the festival and what they’re doing,” Lumpkin said, including “the audiences and the enthusiasm for the festival.”
Lumpkin steps into the job after a period of flux at AFI Docs. In addition to Sitney’s departure and the festival’s name change, the event has also expanded in recent years from AFI’s Silver Theatre in Silver Spring to a scattering of theaters across the D.C. area. The festival’s sponsorship has also shifted from a long-time partnership with the Discovery Channel to Audi, and then last year to AT&T, which will continue its sponsorship during the 2015 festival. In addition, a long-time filmmakers’ conference was discontinued in favor of a greater push to have attendees interact with policymakers and advocates.
Some worried the expansion and shifting focus would diminish its community feel, but Lumpkin remains optimistic about the potential for growth.
“I think that the AFI Docs and its expansion to D.C. is a great opportunity for filmmakers and also for an expanded audience,” he said.
Local documentarian Katy Chevigny, who directed this year’s “E-Team” and has participated in the festival since her film “Deadline” screened there in 2004, has high hopes for the new director.
“I’m sure IDA is going to miss him because I think he’s done great things there,” Chevigny said. “Both these jobs are tough jobs. Running IDA and keeping it relevant is a tough job and running AFI Docs and making it really great and drawing people to Washington when it’s a competitive festival field is also a tough job. But I think he’s done really well at IDA, with that particular tough job, so that gives me confidence he’s going to succeed at AFI Docs as well.”
Right now Lumpkin foresees his biggest challenge as continuing the festival’s high quality and basically making sure he “doesn’t mess up.”
His first test comes with the 13th annual festival, which is slated for June 17-21, 2015.