On Monday, Milwaukee Film names its new executive director, Susan Santha Kerns. Kerns will start in the role on Feb. 3, succeeding Anne Reed, who will retire after a transitional period.
“I feel honored, delighted and incredibly excited to step into the executive director role at Milwaukee Film,” Kerns said in a press release. “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 theaters. 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.”
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Kerns is a Milwaukee Film alum, having served as education director from 2010-13, and has held faculty and leadership positions at Columbia College Chicago, where she was tenured associate professor of cinema and television arts, associate department chair, and associate provost for faculty research and development.
“Dr. Kerns’ extensive experience was an important factor in her selection,” said Lacey Sadoff, board chair of Milwaukee Film, which produces the Milwaukee Film Festival and operates the Oriental and Downer theaters, in a press release. “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.”
Kerns’ appointment follows Reed’s one year-term, which began in January 2024. Reed replaced Jonathan Jackson, the founder of Milwaukee Film, who had led the organization since 2008. Her role began as an interim post and shifted to a permanent position five months later, before Reed announced her departure in October.
During Reed’s tenure, Milwaukee Film reopened the shuttered Downer Theatre in April. It also undertook financial restructuring, including ending its youth educational and artist mentoring programs, replacing its Cultures and Communities Festival with the Dialogues Documentary Fest, and downsizing staff.
“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 is also a co-founder of the Chicago Feminist Film Festival. Her most recent film scholarship includes editing and writing for the collection ReFocus: The Films of Susan Seidelman, and she is currently producing the documentary Uncoiled. She’s also a member of the steering committee of Action! Wisconsin, which supports film and TV production tax incentives in the state.
