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First printed at www.movingpicturesnetwork.com

A huge congratulations are due to Dawn Hudson, the twenty year veteran of Film Independent, who was last night named to the post of CEO of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences (AMPAS), home of all things Oscar.

Hudson has been the commodore of Film Independent for two decades, nurturing that organization from an active Independent Feautres Project member to a fully-fledged protagonist within the film community.

More than just another film society, the organization’s Film Independent Spirit Awards have been raised to find themselves at the point where nominees have converged with the Academy’s year’s best lists in recent years. While four of the top five films at the 2011 Spirits were also nominated for Best Picture Oscars, all the female actresses nominated for Oscar were also up for Spirit nods.

Film Independent is known not only for a fun awards show on the beach that precedes the Academy’s big day, but for labs, screenings and workshops year round, for their diversity program – “Project: Involve,” and for their presentation of the Los Angeles Film Festival (“LAFF”) which has recently shifted from its hub in Westwood Village to a downtown destination in June, and is one of the only festivals where music and film blend in an integrated fashion. In recent years, studios have also beckoned the LAFF programming team to come across to the dark side, which opportunities LAFF has utilized to the benefit of all films in their program.

With any changes come criticisms, and Hudson has had to deal with public concerns over the years regarding the proper course of action for a non-profit entity, and whether larger studio-driven features should be enabled to participate in local film festivals. What can not be denied is that over the course of her tenure, Hudson’s leadership of Film Independent has transformed a membership group into a huge contributor to the creative community of California.

Initially favored to take the CEO reins, 30-year Academy veteran Ric Robertson will be promoted to COO duties in the new world order, which begins June 1, 2011. Moving Pictures wishes Hudson the best in her new endeavor and looks forward to working with whomever steps into her formidable footwear at FIND.

–Elliot V. Kotek