BendFilm executive director departs; new leadership team announced
(Update: Video Added)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- BendFilm has announced what it calls a "leadership evolution," as Executive Director Giancarlo Gatto departs and three veteran division heads form an innovative and collaborative team of managing directors.
Here's the recent announcement, in full:
Gatto has stepped aside to re-engage in his real estate career while remaining actively involved in the Central Oregon community.
“We’re excited by what this structure makes possible,” said BendFilm Board Chair Michael Conforti. “Christina, Clay and Selin have been hands-on close to BendFilm’s work for over a decade, collectively, and have plenty of ideas about how we can meaningfully make change and serve our constituents, including local audiences, filmmakers, and civic and nonprofit partners.”
“It’s been an honor to lead BendFilm,” said outgoing Executive Director Gatto, who stepped into the role in 2023 after a long tenure as a volunteer. “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together, and I have full confidence that this new structure and these leaders’ vision will take the organization to exciting new places.”
The newly-created Managing Directors of BendFilm are:
Christina Rosetti (Operations & Finance) is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose passion for visual storytelling led her to the film festival industry. She brings over a decade of experience to BendFilm, combining her degree in communications with a background in production and business management to fulfill her role at the organization. Christina believes in the power of film as both an art form and as a tool for social progress, and she works on both sides of the industry to help platform stories that matter.
Clay Pruitt (Education & Development) is a filmmaker and producer born and raised in Southwest Colorado. He studied Film Production at the University of Colorado Boulder before moving to Los Angeles. He’s worked with the Sundance Institute, WME, Outfest, Palm Springs International Film Festival and ShortFest, AFM, Film Independent, Seed&Spark, and SAVEarth Studios. A 2018 Film Independent Producing Lab Fellow and Sloan Producing Lab Grant recipient, his producing credits include United Skates (HBO), Above and Beyond: NASA’s Journey to Tomorrow (Discovery), American Epic (PBS), and I’m Fine (Dekkoo).
Selin Sevinç (Programming & Artistic Vision) studied filmmaking in the UK, and worked as a writer, producer and critic in the film & TV industry for over two decades. Her role at BendFilm began on the jury and screening committee in 2017 and expanded steadily; she succeeded long-time programmer Erik Jambor in early 2021 and has since built the program and the Festival’s national and local footprints. In addition to championing independent filmmakers, Selin is a screenwriter and director herself; she has written eight screenplays and is currently producing one as a feature.
“We’ve grown up in this organization, and we know both what it is and what it could be,” said Rosetti, Pruitt and Sevinç in a joint statement. “BendFilm has always been a place that trusts its people and invests in bold ideas: this structure is a reflection of that culture. We’ve seen firsthand what BendFilm means to filmmakers and to this community, and we’re energized to build on everything we’ve built.”
This transition comes on the heels of a record-breaking 2025 Bend Film Festival in October, where the event’s largest-ever audiences saw a diverse array of over 100 films over a newly-expanded five-day format that included a meaningful integration with BendFilm: Basecamp, their two-year-old program aimed to foster early-career filmmakers’ connection with producers and industry veterans; the public was invited to experience the culmination of the Basecamp retreat at a ticketed pitch competition.
The 23rd annual Bend Film Festival will take place October 7-11, 2026.
