AMC Networks on Wednesday said that longtime film executive Arianna Bocco has been named president of its IFC Films division. Bocco was previously EVP of Acquisitions and Production. She replaces departing IFC Films Co-President Lisa Schwartz. Schwartz had served as Co-President with Jonathan Sehring who retired at the end of 2018.
Bocco has spent more than a decade overseeing acquisitions and productions for IFC Films as well as genre label IFC Midnight.
In her new role, Bocco will continue to oversee acquisitions, production, marketing and publicity, while adding oversight of theatrical film distribution and the fast-growing IFC Films Unlimited subscription streaming service. Bocco will report to Miguel Penella, AMC Networks’ president of SVOD, who oversees the company’s new premium subscription bundled offering AMC+, which includes IFC Films Unlimited; its portfolio of subscription video on demand services Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now, and UMC; as well as RLJE Films. Penella reports to Ed Carroll, AMC Networks’ COO.
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The elevation comes after the news last month that longtime IFC Films exec Lisa Schwartz is exiting the independent film distributor at year’s end.
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“Arianna is a talented and respected executive who has established IFC Films as a leading platform for new, emerging voices as well as acclaimed filmmakers, and through her acquisitions she has helped create a wide-ranging library of celebrated independent films for the company,” said Carroll. “I’m confident that Arianna will bring her unmatched expertise and depth of knowledge to lead IFC Films to continued success and as we serve new audiences through our IFC Films Unlimited streaming offering.”
“IFC Films is synonymous with quality, innovation and filmmaker-driven cinema,” said Bocco. “I could not be more excited by the opportunity to embrace this prestigious reputation and lead the company forward by continuing our commitment to bringing audiences dynamic films, diverse auteurs, and thought provoking art in new and exciting ways.”
Since joining IFC Films in 2006, Bocco has spearheaded all feature pickups at the company. Under her oversee, the label has acquired, produced and distributed hundreds of movies including Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, which was a Golden Globe winner for Best Motion Picture (Drama) and six-time Oscar nominee including Best Picture and winner for Best Supporting Actress; Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days; Armando Iannucci’s political satire The Death of Stalin and Oscar-nominated In the Loop; Abbas Kiarostami’s Certified Copy; Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams; David France’s Oscar-nominated documentary How to Survive a Plague; Michael Winterbottom’s The Trip series; Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook and second feature The Nightingale; Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardennes’ Oscar-nominated Two Days, One Night; Olivier Assayas’ Personal Shopper; Clouds of Sils Maria; Non- Fiction; Hirokazu Kore-Eda’s The Truth; as well as Christian Petzold’s Phoenix and his upcoming Undine.
Prior to joining IFC Films, Bocco served as head of the independent feature packaging division at Gersh in New York City, and before that worked at Miramax Films as SVP Acquisitions. While at Miramax, she was involved in acquiring such notable films as Zach Braff’s Garden State and Tom McCarthy’s The Station Agent.
Before joining Miramax, Bocco was VP Acquisitions and Co-Productions at New Line Cinema and Fine Line Features.