Meet NFF's New Film Program Director – Lori Donnelly

FILM PROGRAM DIRECTOR Q&A

Mystelle Brabbée, our Executive Director sat down with our new Film Program Director, Lori Donnelly to discuss Her background, film, and NFF.

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MYSTELLE:
You were born in MA, tell us about your beginnings and how you came to become a Film Programmer?

LORI:
Actually, I was born in Seoul and adopted by my folks when I was 6 months old. Hence Donnelly. "You don't look like a Donnelly!" "I know."

As an only child growing up in Rockland, MA, I watched more than my fair share of cable tv. Before HBO became known for ushering in the second golden age of television, it was where you watch Jean-Claude Van Damme in BLOODSPORT 5 or 6 times a week, which I did. All of those testosterone-fueled action films of the 80s - THE TERMINATOR, ALIENS, FIRST BLOOD are films that I still unabashedly enjoy and will stop on if I happen to run across them on TV. I ended up studying film at Boston University, had my first programming gig at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and it went from there.

MYSTELLE:
What are three past NFF films you’ve loved, have inspired you, and would have programmed?

LORI:
In the inaugural year of the festival in 1996, the fest programmed LONE STAR, which was written and directed by John Sayles and was a nominee for Best Screenplay. It's a sophisticated mashup between a western and a murder mystery in a Texas border town that features Matthew McConaughey and offers one of the earliest glimpses of his talent as an actor.

One of my favorite documentarians is Nicolas Philibert, and one of my favorite films of his is TO BE AND TO HAVE, which NFF programmed in 2003. It's a spare and humanistic portrait of a school teacher and his dedication to his students. It's incredibly profound but devoid of any kind of sappy sentimentality. It's a quiet film, but it's a wonder.

In 2009, NFF programmed THE HURT LOCKER by Kathryn Bigelow, who is such an interesting and provocative director. Her level of craftsmanship is unparalleled in the way that she blends genre conventions and art house technique. This film won every major Academy Award that year including Best Screenplay for Mark Boal.

MYSTELLE:
What’s the last episodic you watched?

LORI:
I love SUCCESSION and THE RIGHTEOUS GEMSTONES.

MYSTELLE:
What’s a guilty pleasure film favorite?

LORI:
Well, I already admitted to loving BLOOD SPORT so I don't really have guilty pleasures. I also love KICKBOXER, the other well-known Jean-Claude Van Damme flick.

MYSTELLE:
Have you seen any trends in filmmaking since the pandemic has started worth sharing?

LORI:
Undoubtedly, the bigger trends have taken place in the exhibition realm. With theaters shuttered, studios were forced to totally rethink their approach to the theatrical release since the 70s. Regal Cinemas is now defunct. Although Netflix had been releasing original films onto their platform for years, for the first time the majors were forced to compete in an entirely different way. The way films are produced and consumed has shifted dramatically, and although we've all had to adapt by moving our festivals online, I do think this is an exciting time to be a programmer. There is no shortage of content, but we often spend more time browsing for what to watch than we do actually watching something. I do believe there is a strong desire for curated content, especially as the streaming landscape only continues to grow.

MYSTELLE:
What were three 2022 Sundance Film Festival favorites of yours?

LORI:
Eva Longoria's LA GUERRA CIVIL, DESCENDANT by NFF alum Margaret Brown, and Jesse Eisenberg's WHEN YOU FINISH SAVING THE WORLD.