Toronto Names New Documentary Programmer

 The well-regarded documentary director, lecturer and journalist Thom Powers has been hired by the Toronto International Film Festival to head its international documentaries programme. New York-based Powers is likely to exercise a lot of influence in helping documentary films receive wide public notice.

Powers is known as much for his programming work and teaching as for his own documentaries. A lecturer at New York University, founder of the production company Sugar Pictures and a documentary programmer in Manhattan, he is working on a history of American documentaries called Stranger Than Fiction.

Thom Powers replaces documentary programmer Sean Farnel, the festival has reported.