Festivaldirektor

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Leslie Raymond kam im August 2013 als Executive Director zum Ann Arbor Film Festival. Im September 2019 wurde Raymonds Führungsrolle um das Festivalprogramm erweitert. Vor ihrer Anstellung bei AAFF als lehrende Künstlerin und Pädagogin gründete sie das New Media Program an der University of Texas in San Antonio und war Assistenzprofessorin für Kunst in digitalem Video und neue Medienkunst an der Oakland University, wo sie anerkannt wurde mit dem Preis „Innovationen in der Lehre“. Raymond ist Vorstandsmitglied der Film Festival Alliance und ein Amerikaner der dritten Generation chinesischer und jüdischer Abstammung. Sie hat einen BFA in Film/Video der Rhode Island School of Design, einen MFA in neuen Genres der University of Michigan School of Art & Design und studierte außerdem Film, Video und neue Medienkunst am Art Institute of Chicago.

Technical Director - tech [at] aafilmfest.org

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Tom Bray has been the Tech Director since 2006, bringing the festival from analog film and video formats to be well positioned in the digital age.  He has a broad and deep understanding of the production, aesthetic and IT aspects of event staging, media integration, and related technologies. This enables him to spark any project to excellence through knowledge, experience, and insight. He is a Converging Technologies Consultant at the University of Michigan Duderstadt Center; an adjunct assistant professor at the U-M Stamps School of Art & Design; and a member of the National Association of Broadcasters, New Media Centers, and Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, where he has been the Chair for the past two years. Bray received a Research Technical Staff Recognition Award for providing technological support for U-M faculty research and artistic projects for more than 25 years, effectively bridging the gap between academics across campus and the technological resources they need to enable research and programmatic goals.  And he is often heard saying: “I have been father to only a small number of creative projects, but midwife to thousands."

Deputy Director - vicki [at] aafilmfest.org

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Vicki Joling joined the Ann Arbor Film Festival as the Deputy Director in August 2024. She brings a wealth of experience, having previously directed a2Tech360 at Ann Arbor SPARK, where she managed program development, event logistics, marketing, fundraising, budgeting, and staffing while enhancing event content and execution with fresh ideas each year. Prior to her role at SPARK, she led the Membership team at Destination DC in Washington, DC. Originally from the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area, Vicki also holds both a bachelor’s degree University of Michigan in Psychology and Organizational Development and a master’s degree in Human Resources and Organizational Development from Eastern Michigan University. Her lifelong connection to the area and commitment to nonprofit service fuel her passion for supporting the arts and enhancing the vibrancy of the Ann Arbor community.

Kommunikations- und Marketingmanager

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Thomas verwaltet die Social-Media-Präsenz, die Pressearbeit, den Blog und den monatlichen Newsletter des Ann Arbor Film Festivals. Nachdem er in das Filmprogramm des Rochester Institute of Technology aufgenommen wurde, schloss er 2013 sein Studium mit dem Hauptfach Dramatic Storytelling ab. Anschließend zog er nach Michigan und lebt seitdem hier.