The Cleveland Cinematheque鈥檚 new director is a familiar face to Northeast Ohio film lovers. For more than 20 years, David Huffman was part of Cleveland Cinemas, which owns the Cedar Lee Theatre in Cleveland Heights.
"I love all types of films, and my programming will reflect that,鈥� he said in a statement. 鈥淚 truly enjoy helping audiences discover something new, as well as showing them the important classics and foundational works that have been the building blocks of this art form.鈥�
During his tenure with Cleveland Cinemas, Huffman held marketing and programming roles while curating several themed series focused on cult classics, horror and Pride month. A self-proclaimed film fanatic, he watches about 600 films annually, including his favorite film, John Waters' 1988 comedy 鈥淗airspray.鈥�
Huffman takes over June 1. He succeeds Bilgesu Sisman, who departed last month after less than two years, citing personal reasons. Sisman followed the theater鈥檚 co-founder, John Ewing, who retired in 2024.
Huffman holds a bachelor's degree from Bowling Green State University in film. He also owns a pop-up bakery, .
