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New program manager for Melbourne Queer Film Festival

Melbourne Queer Film Festival has appointed Spiro Economopoulos to the newly created position of Program Manager responsible for curating the annual Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF) program.

Festival Co-convener Fiona Kelly said, “The Board of Melbourne Queer Film Festival is thrilled to appoint Spiro to this important role. Spiro has a passion for queer film, extensive film knowledge and experience programming for ACMI and numerous other festivals and projects. The appointment of Spiro to the Program Manager role will be key in ensuring the continuation of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival as a leading cultural institution within Melbourne, and the Australian and international queer and film communities.”

Economopoulos brings extensive experience from the film and arts sector, with over eight years curating across the various film strands at The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) and previous roles at Madman Entertainment, the Dungog Festival, where he is the Programming Manager, and as film and arts writer for Melbourne Star Observer.

He volunteered as a programmer at the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) for several years and has been involved in contributing program notes to the Melbourne Queer Film Festival. He is a graduate of The University of Melbourne’s Victorian College of the Arts (Bachelor of Arts) and holds a Masters in Cinema Studies from La Trobe University.

He will join Dillan Golightly, who was appointed to the Executive Director role in June. The Program Manager and Executive Director roles replace the role of Festival Director, as held by Lisa Daniel, who left the Festival after 17 years earlier this year.

Festival Co-convenor Fiona Kelly said “The Festival’s Board of Management have taken the opportunity to strengthen the Festival’s executive following Lisa’s departure, and the Board believes both the artistic and commercial focus of the Festival will be well served by the new leadership team as it heads into its next 25 years.”

Economopoulos will commence with Melbourne Queer Film Festival on July 22 and will begin work on the planning and program selection of the 2016 Festival.

Heading into its 26th year, Melbourne Queer Film Festival is Australia’s largest and oldest queer film event, and the second largest film festival in Victoria, screening over 170 films from Australia and around the world each March.

Submissions for the 26th Melbourne Queer Film Festival will open in August.

The 26th Melbourne Queer Film Festival will screen at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, March 31–  April 11 2016.