What does a film programmer do, exactly?
We’re the gatekeepers. We watch hundreds of films every year and make choices about which ones we think are the best and which will work best for the audiences.

How do you arrange to see films?
I just got back from a seven-week road trip, where I was in the Philippines, South Africa, Sri Lanka and then Cannes. And in each of those places—apart from Cannes—I arranged screenings and meetings before I got there. I often watch films as they are being completed in people’s editing suites or on their computers, usually without final sound or music. We also receive hundreds of DVD submissions.

Do you usually know within a few minutes whether a film works or not?
When you watch as many films as we do, after a while you can tell a few things really early on. You can tell if the filmmaker has a unique sensibility. But a lot of films actually take more time; you have to get involved in the world of the film. And sometimes the greatest payoff is at the end.

Has anyone ever confronted you about not being selected for TIFF?
You have people yell at you, question your judgment, question your knowledge. You have people who you thought were friends, and then you say no to them and they’re not your friends anymore.

After the films are selected, is your job done?
Oh, if only. No, we’re the ones who get up and introduce the films. We take the filmmakers out to dinner. We’re there when they are trying to negotiate sales for their films. We’re the ones who help them navigate the subway.

Film festivals can seem like cynical affairs. How do you respond to that perception?
The whole celebrity aspect has grown in the past few years. I’ve been at Sundance where Paris Hilton is driving down the street and traffic comes to a standstill. And she doesn’t even have a film at the festival! But for me it’s like a circus—as crazy as it is, it’s fun and there are always great stories every year. There’s always some celebrity who misbehaves or stories of movie stars having sex in hotel stairwells with festival volunteers.