Film Independent elects Brenda Robinson as chair of board of directors

Film Independent President Josh Welsh announced that entertainment attorney and producer Brenda Robinson has been elected the new chair of Film Independent’s board of directors.

The entertainment industry vet and dedicated philanthropist succeeds chair Mary Sweeney who has served as chairman for the past nine years and on the Board for over two decades. Previously vice chair, Robinson will continue to work closely with the executive committee. Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organisation that produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, serves to champion creative independence in visual storytelling and support of a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision.

Adding new voices and perspectives, Film Independent also announced three new members joining the Board: Matthew Greenfield, president of Searchlight Pictures; Rhys Ernst, producer and director (Transparent, Adam); and Edward Rada, non-profit financial executive, coming on as a member of the executive committee to serve as Treasurer.

“We are thrilled to have Brenda Robinson as the new chair of film Independent’s board of directors. With her unparalleled passion and advocacy for the arts and artists, Brenda is uniquely qualified to help lead Film Independent. And I’d also like to extend a heartfelt welcome to our three new Board members,” said Film Independent president Josh Welsh. “We are so thankful and appreciative for Mary’s incredible leadership during her tenure.”

“Film Independent has been at the forefront of supporting and amplifying independent visual storytelling for over thirty years. As a Board member and Arts Circle member, I have seen firsthand its passion and commitment to the arts and entertainment community and I am excited and honoured to lead the organization forward in its continued mission,” said Brenda Robinson.

“It has been an honour to serve as Film Independent’s chair these past nine years and beyond. I’ve witnessed first-hand Brenda’s leadership and dedication to Film Independent’s mission to support creative independence and diversity. I pass the baton to her confident that she will be an outstanding leader of the Board, as Film Independent moves into a new, hybrid future,” said Mary Sweeney.

Robinson is currently a partner at Gamechanger Films, a film finance and development company dedicated to supporting groundbreaking narratives that advance the cultural conversation. She is also a member of Impact Partners, a film financing collective dedicated to funding independent documentary storytelling that engages with pressing social issues and propels the art of cinema forward.

Robinson was a financier on the Academy Award-winning documentary Icarus as well as Won’t You Be My Neighbor and Step. She is an executive producer on numerous projects including Passing, directed by Rebecca Hall; United Skates, alongside executive producer John Legend; The Great American Lie by director Jennifer Siebel Newsom; Jump Shot: The Kenny Sailors Story, alongside executive producer Steph Curry; and the upcoming The Empire of Ebony directed by Lisa Cortes and produced by Roger Ross Williams and Marian Anderson: The Whole World In Her Hands directed by Rita Coburn for PBS’ American Masters series.

In addition to most recently serving on Film Independent’s board as vice chair, Robinson also serves on the board of The Representation Project founded by California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Furthermore, she serves as an advisor to The Redford Center, is a proud Board member of Cinema/Chicago and the Chicago International Film Festival and is currently the board chair of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. She is a member of The Recording Academy and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

Film Independent comprises its board of directors with leaders from the film community who serve in a volunteer capacity, and make strategic decisions on the direction and vitality of the organisation. Film Independent’s current Board of Directors is comprised of Len Amato, Randy Barbato, Adriene Bowles, Mathew Cullen, Vondie Curtis Hall, Eric d’Arbeloff, Rhys Ernst, Javier Fuentes-León, Brenda Gilbert, Matthew Greenfield, Michael Helfant, Laura Kim, Sue Kroll, Karyn Kusama, Kasi Lemmons, David Linde, Mynette Louie, Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Ted Mundorff, Gail Mutrux, Sue Naegle, Col Needham, Catherine Park, Edward Rada, Alan Poul, Brenda Robinson, Andrea Sperling and Cathy Schulman.