Aude Hesbert has been appointed by UniFrance Films as director of artistic initiatives in the US and English-speaking Canada.

Hesbert is currently director of the Paris Cinéma Festival. She will take up her new role on May 12, but will continue to serve as artistic director of the next edition of the festival.

As part of her role, Hesbert will also be in charge of coordinating French Cinema Lessons held in foreign universities and film schools.

Hesbert became communications director at the Forum des Images in Paris in 1998, and joined the Director’s Fortnight in 2002, where she was in charge of the Film Office.

She then worked with the Palm Springs International Film Festival in the US, before joining the Paris Cinéma Festival for its launch in 2003. Since 2007, Hesbert has been in charge of the Festival’s artistic direction. She has raised its international profile by focusing on film productions from countries including South Africa, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Mexico, and developed the profile of the Paris Project co-production market.

Hesbert studied at the Sciences Po Institute in Paris, has a Masters degree in cinema studies and a DESS diploma in managing cultural institutions.

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