Film Pittsburgh Fall Festival goes online, as executive director nears 2 decades at helm

Kathryn Spitz Cohan began her tenure at what is now Film Pittsburgh just after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The executive director enters her 20th season amid another life-changing time – the covid-19 pandemic.

Film Pittsburgh screens independent films from around the world, for themed festivals, and holds community events around them. Like many cultural groups that cannot host an indoor audience, the organization has pivoted to video. The result is the Film Pittsburgh Fall Festival, running Nov. 11-22 on its website, filmpittsburgh.org, rather than in local movie theaters.

The virtual festival will combine the four elements of Film Pittsburgh’s programming: the Three Rivers Film Festival, a varied sample of independent features; Pittsburgh Shorts, a selection of contemporary short films; ReelAbilities, focusing on work about people with disabilities; and JFilm, featuring international Jewish-themed films.

There will be 167 films – 30 are feature length and 137 are shorts. Most will be available to watch any time over the 12 days of the festival. Ticket sales begin Wednesday.

In a non-covid-19 times, Film Pittsburgh attracts roughly 20,000 attendees throughout the year.

It's time for our next big announcement! Join us for the 2020 Film Pittsburgh Fall Festival, which will screen virtually on our website November 11-22. This expansive, 12-day event will be integrated, inclusive, and fun! Ticket sales begin October 21 pic.twitter.com/BOzesEyCpn

— Film Pittsburgh (@FilmPittsburgh) September 23, 2020

A Mt. Lebanon native, Spitz Cohan returned to Pittsburgh from Los Angeles after the 1994 earthquake.

“I feel lucky to be doing this work in Pittsburgh,” she said. “This city has such a strong philanthropic community that supports the arts and the work we do. The Film Pittsburgh team has really built something here. I don’t know what this festival will look like, but I hope people tune in.”

Spitz Cohan has dedicated her career to working in the arts, but comprehends why they are the first to go when cash is short: “The arts don’t save lives the way a food bank or mental health agency can.”

But, she said, “I believe that the arts save lives in a different way, whether it’s by encouraging creativity or discussion around difficult topics. A world without art would be dreary and depressing.”

Spitz Cohan said her hope is that people can get back to watching films together soon.

“There is nothing better for me than watching a movie in a dark theater with strangers all responding to the same visual content. I enjoy connecting filmmakers and audiences,” she said. “It’s an opportunity for our audiences to see the world and experience new things and to connect as human beings with people who might look different than you are.”

Jim Denova, vice president of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and a member of Film Pittsburgh’s board of directors, noted that Spitz Cohan joined Pittsburgh’s small Jewish-Israeli Film Festival in its infancy and nurtured it into today’s Film Pittsburgh. “In the process, she earned the trust of filmmakers, exhibitors, and contributors alike,” Denova said.

Jeanne Pearlman, the Pittsburgh Foundation’s senior vice president for program and policy, considers Spitz Cohan a dedicated nonprofit leader, supported by an engaged board of directors.

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts has provided grants to arts and culture organizations such as Film Pittsburgh for more than 50 years. “Arts and culture organizations like Film Pittsburgh play an essential role in making our communities places that people want to live, work and visit,” said Karl Blischke, executive director of the PCA. “Such a tenure as Spitz Cohan’s speaks to her dedication to Film Pittsburgh and to its mission.”

Spitz Cohan said the nearly two decades have gone by quickly because the programming continues to grow. “Yes, that is hard to believe, 20 years,” she said. “I’ve thought about how grateful I am to have a job doing what I love.”