Curatorial Fellow, Chinese Cinema

Curatorial Fellow, Chinese Cinema (9722C) Position Overview

This Curatorial Fellow position is a full-time, 18-month limited appointment that contributes to BAMPFA's film department. This 18-month placement will bring depth and specialization to BAMPFA's public film programs and events, publishing, collection development, and relationships with the international community in the field of Chinese cinema (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Chinese diaspora) across the history of cinema, both past and present.

This role involves conceptualizing, curating, and managing 30+ film programs annually, coordinating with domestic and international partners, and engaging audiences through both scholarly and public-facing activities. The Curatorial Fellow will play a key role in shaping BAMPFA's film offerings, advancing the institution's educational mission, and supporting its strategic initiatives. This staff member will work independently and report to and receive general guidance from the Director of Film and Senior Film Curator.

They will be responsible for organizing film series that focus on themes, such as directorial retrospectives, filmmaker residencies, national or regional cinema spotlights, genres, or special events.

The First Review Date for this job is:
June 10, 2026. The posting will remain open, and applications will be considered through June 27, 2026.

Works with Film Exhibition Dept to curate film series and hosts public screenings:

• Conceptualize, curate, and manage logistics and budgets for 30+ film programs per year.
• Research, locate, and secure film prints and media from domestic and international distributors, archives, collectors, artists, and the BAMPFA collection.
• Negotiate rental and loan agreements, rights clearances, and manage related correspondence. Sources film stills and screener copies.
• Oversee technical requirements for screenings, including legacy formats, contemporary digital formats, and specialized setups.
• Invite and host guest presenters (filmmakers, scholars, actors, subject experts).
• Write program notes, short essays, and other content for BAMPFA publications, such as the Program Guide, and website.

Conducts research on areas of Chinese film history and publishes a book-length study on a specialized area:

• Work on a publishing project that can be produced by the end of the two-year appointment.
• Work directly with BAMPFA Staff, the project manager, editor, and graphic designer on the development of the book.

Represents the museum at scholarly, public, and cultivation events:

• Maintain awareness of national and international trends, scholarship, and developments in film exhibition and media arts.
• Represent BAMPFA at professional meetings, conferences, festivals, and public events.
• Support marketing and outreach, including press interviews, radio and TV appearances, and providing content for media relations.
• Cultivate relationships with distributors, artists, curators, collectors, foundations, donors, and other stakeholders.

Administrative, collection management, or film archive responsibilities:

• Support the Director of Film and Senior Film Curator, and the Film department at large (film curators, archivists, and librarians) in identifying potential donations, acquisitions, and preservation projects.
• Use language skills to help identify and catalog films without English titles or subtitles.

Recommend films for acquisition, deaccession, conservation/preservation, and access via special collections:

• Contribute to identifying acquisition and conservation priorities.
• Help develop special collections under the guidance of the Director of Film and Senior Film Curator and Film department staff.
• Cultivates financial support and donations for films and specialized collections.
• May lead work-study students and interns.

• Extensive knowledge and appreciation for the full range of moving image styles, both past and present.
• Knowledge of film exhibition practice and archival issues gained through experience programming at a cinematheque, museum, festival, film archive, or film theater.
• Excellent verbal and written communication abilities, including the ability to communicate complex concepts about the history of cinema and aesthetic issues to an audience that ranges from casual filmgoers to seasoned cinephiles and academics.
• Strong organizational skills; able to set priorities and meet deadlines.
• Awareness and understanding of diverse communities served locally, nationally, and internationally.
• Intellectual curiosity, creativity, and enthusiasm for bringing scholarly research and distinctive film and video programs to a broad public in accessible ways. Ability to collaborate internally and externally, and cultivate strong relationships with faculty, donors, and colleagues.
• Technical skills, especially regarding new and evolving media.
• Broad experience and detailed knowledge of technical issues pertaining to film exhibition, including the range of legacy formats for…