Simon Ward, ICO

Deputy Director (currently Acting Director)

Simon began working in independent film as the administrator of London Electronic Art's Pandemonium Film Festival in 1995 before moving on the following year to join the London Film Festival (LFF) and London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (LLGFF). Here he was the Industry Events Officer for the LFF, organising masterclasses with such luminaries as Paul Schrader and Jerry Goldsmith. He subsequently took up the position of Deputy Director of Cinema at the Institute of Contemporary Arts  (London) where he spent three years programming new international cinema, much of which was not in UK distribution. Subsequently, Simon has produced documentaries on various filmmakers, from François Ozon to Wong Kar-Wai. Simon joined the ICO at its very beginning in 2003. He has also contributed to books on UK and US cinema for academic publisher Routledge.

Simon's top 10