Biografia
Deirdre Haj, Executive Director of Film Streams in Omaha, joined the organization in May 2021 after a distinguished tenure at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, NC, where she served as leader from January 2010. During her leadership, Full Frame evolved into a prestigious Oscar-qualifying festival, implemented year-round programming and community engagement, and emphasized equity, diversity, and inclusion in both the organization and its programming. Highlights of her tenure include the creation of the nationally recognized School of Doc filmmaking course for teens, the Teach the Teachers documentary literacy program for educators, and the festival’s acclaimed Speakeasy Conversations series, which features an annual panel on the lack of diversity in documentary filmmaking. Haj also spearheaded the development of new Full Frame offices and the Full Frame Theater in downtown Durham, while overseeing steady annual membership growth.
In addition to her executive role at Full Frame, Haj served as Senior Advisor for Television and Film at Duke University starting in 2016. Prior to these positions, she worked with Hollywood studios through the MPA and government agencies, facilitating collaboration among film and television actors, producers, directors, and federal agencies to explore onscreen portrayals of public health issues. She is the founding Vice President of the Film Festival Alliance.
Deirdre is married to Joseph Haj, Artistic Director of The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Selected Press:
- "Brave New World," Real Screen, 2020
- "We Need to Stop Patting Ourselves on the Back," Filmmaker Magazine, 2017
- "Notes from North Carolina," Documentary Magazine, 2017
- "Documentary Has a Race Problem," Indiewire, Roger Ross Williams, 2017
Selected Videos and Publications:
- "A&E IndieFilms Speakeasy," Interview with Jehane Noujaim, 2019
- Interview with Deirdre Haj, Papagena Robbins, Synoptique, Vol. 3 Issue 2, 2015
