BREAKING: Denver Post Reports Bo Smith Out, Erickson, Withey and Henderson to Return

The Denver Post's Lisa Kennedy is set to report in Sunday's paper that the board of the Denver Film Society has removed Bo Smith from the Executive Director position after months of turmoil that culminated in more than 21 resignations earlier this week.

Britta Erickson, who had been Director of Festivals for DFS prior to Smith's arrival, will be named Interim ED, according to the Post report. She, along with Programming Director Brit Withey and festival co-founder Ron Henderson, had resigned as part of a mutiny against Smith's leadership. All 3 are set to return to the organization.

Sources in Denver (see my previous article on this topic for lengthy full disclosure) indicated that the Board was surprised both by the solidarity in resignations and by the national outcry and coverage that kicked off with indieWIRE's Brian Brooks breaking the story on Tuesday.

[Links for this story to added later - am blogging from my phone.]

Comments

[zxcvb]

So...

Was the guy just a total a**hole or what? Doesn't sound he made any particularly objectionable move.

[Michael C.]

Wow. Knowing only Bo Smith during his tenure at Boston's MFA, I can't really comment on what's going on in Denver, but it sure does sound a little weird on both sides. That's really a shame.

[Florianne Wild]

I'm sorry to hear that Bo Smith has been forced to resign. When I worked with him (approx. 1980-1984) at an arts organization in St. Paul devoted to film and photography exhibition and production, he seemed one of the saner people in what was, quite frankly, a nest of vipers. While others in the organization considered me a "mere secretary," Bo was always extremely considerate and thoughtful. He introduced me (and his audiences) to many American and European filmmakers who were absolutely unknown at the time (and probably still are). And thanks to him, I once got to make a telephone call to Marguerite Duras, one of my literary heroines. I will never forget it.

Florianne Wild, Ph.D.
Phnom Penh, Cambodia