Robert Koehler, who last fall was named the year-round director of programming at the Film Society for Lincoln Center, is resigning that position, the organization said Monday. Taking over for him will be the critic and journalist Dennis Lim.
In a news release, the Film Society said that Mr. Koehler “will step down immediately and return to Los Angeles to focus on personal matters and requests that his family’s privacy be respected.â€
Mr. Koehler, a festival programmer and film critic who has written for Variety and Cahiers du Cinema, among other publications, was one of two people appointed in September to replace Richard Peña, who was both the programming director of the Film Society and the chairman of the selection committee for the New York Film Festival. Kent Jones succeeded Mr. Peña in his position overseeing the film festival.
Rose Kuo, the exective director of the Film Society, said of Mr. Koehler in a statement on Monday: “Bob brought a lot of fresh new ideas and innovation to the Film Society during his tenure and we are sorry to see him go. We wish him and his family well and send him our support during this challenging time.â€
Dennis Lim was film editor of The Village Voice from 2000 to 2006 and has since written for The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times while working on a book about David Lynch. Mr. Lim, who also programmed series for the Museum of the Moving Image, will join the Film Society as its director of cinematheque programming and will oversee its retrospective, festivals and screening series beginning April 1, the organization said.
