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On a recent morning outside the Philadelphia Film Society East Theater, Woody Shticks, director of the Philadelphia Film Festival, crouched over a loose sidewalk brick that had been tripping pedestrians.
It was an unexpected task for someone overseeing the operations of an 11-day film festival, but for Shticks, it was just another item on an already crowded to-do list.
“The most unexpected part of my job is having to pivot into 100 jobs in the course of a day,” he said. “I go from fixing light switches to scanning tickets to greeting sign language interpreters to introducing films to supporting staff through tough transitions.”
Now in its 35th year, the festival showcases films from local and international filmmakers across multiple venues in the city. Its 2026 run ends Sunday.
Behind the scenes, the Philadelphia Film Society’s programming team spends months watching films, reviewing submissions and working with distributors to secure screenings.
During the festival, the operations team coordinates staff, volunteers and equipment across multiple venues, while managing schedules and addressing unexpected problems.
