Cécile Mouette Downs, Executive and Artistic Director

Cécile Mouette Downs, a native of France, is co-founder of the Sacramento French Film Festival. She is also a regular contributor to the monthly magazine "France Today". Before moving to Sacramento in 2001, Cécile worked for 3 years at the Film Department of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in New York City. There she promoted French films and television programs in the United States, and helped theaters, museums, universities and various festivals feature recent and classic French films. She organized receptions, film screenings, press lunches and other events and was a press contact for the French films selected at the New York's French Film Festival, Rendez Vous with French Cinema, and at the New York Film Festival. She also curated experimental video shows at the Knitting Factory in Manhattan. From 1992 to 1998, Cécile worked as a Press Officer for the Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (the French FCC) in Paris. She holds a Master of Arts in History from the University Paris X, on French Catholics and Cinema. In 2010, Cécile received the Arts Executive of the Year Award from the Sacramento Arts & Business Council.

littlececile(at)gmail.com

John Downs, Technical Director

John Downs, a native Californian, moved to Sacramento in 2000. He is a Biologist, specializing in wildlife surveys and wetland delineations. He is a member of the American Whitewater Association. He is an amateur musician (ukulele, guitar and most recently trumpet), an avid swimmer and cyclist and enjoys snowboarding, kayaking, kinetic sculpture, France and French cinema.

john(at)sacramentofrenchfilmfestival.org

Tracy Milner, Administrative Coordinator

Tracy Milner, a native Californian, has lived in Sacramento most of her life.  She works for the State of California as an Accounting Systems Analyst.  To offset that technical side, she enjoys all things creative such as music, art, and movies.  She also loves to travel, a trip to Paris a few years ago made her fall in love with France and all things French.  Tracy has worked as a volunteer for several organizations and has been a volunteer with the SFFF since 2005.

temilner(at)comcast.net

Jane Berner, Administrative Coordinator & Member of the film selection committee

Jane was taking a French language course at the Alliance Francaise de Sacramento in 2002 when she heard that someone wanted to start a French film festival.  She has been a volunteer with the Sacramento French Film Festival since its first edition and each year can be found working the Festival's box office.  After growing up in Sacramento, Jane left for college in Chicago and stayed to work for 6 years as a feature film programmer for the Chicago International Film Festival.  She now uses that experience to advise the SFFF on film selection.  After realizing her film career had few possibilities for advancement, she returned to California to study urban planning in Los Angeles and now works as a transportation planner in Sacramento.   

janeb(at)sacramentofrenchfilmfestival.org

Jennifer Gravvat, Volunteers Coordinator

Jennifer Gravvat, a native Sacramentan, is a graduate of CSU, Sacramento with a bachelor's degree in French and Liberal Studies and recently received her K-6 multi-subject teaching credential. She has been an active member of l'Alliance Française de Sacramento since 2002 and an SFFF volunteer since 2004. For the 2006 season, she was a core member of the SFFF planning committee. Jennifer lived in Aix-en-Provence, France for 2 years as a student of l'Université d'Aix-en-Provence, where she fell in love with France, the French and French culture. She is the coordinator of the Ciné-Club of l'Alliance Française helping to provide a forum for enjoying French films once a month. In addition to French cinema, she enjoys International Folk Dancing, scrapbooking, reading and playing the French boules game of Pétanque.

jenna(at)aaronjen.org

Raphaël Hitzke, Marketing Coordinator & Secretary

Raphaël, a native of France, moved to Sacramento in 1999. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Marketing from the University of Strathclyde (UK). He is currently a marketing professional at Intel where he has held various international marketing and sales positions.  His personal interests include new technologies, film making, films, music and arts in general. He is a member of the Association Internationale des Médias. In 2005, he directed his first short film Jacques (Just a little tenderness) that was shown on the 2005 opening night of the festival at the Crest Theatre. The film received the SFFF Audience Award for Best Short Film. His third short film Vive la Food! premiered at the 2008 SFFF. In January 2009 it received the Best of the Best Film Award at the Tucson Slow Food & Film Festival. To learn more about Raphael's work, go here!

raphael.films(at)gmail.com

Nicole Stanich, Catering Coordinator

Nicole was raised in Sacramento and is the daughter of a San Franciscan Francophile and a Parisian.  She works as an Analyst for the Fire and Rescue Division for the State of California's Emergency Management Agency.  Nicole is jumping the rope from SFFF attendee to year-long volunteer this year.

nicolepas135(at)aol.com

Chris Tafoya, Special Events Coordinator

You may have caught a glimpse of the always sartorially turned-out Mr. Tafoya bicycling around midtown. He may have very well have been on his way to a SFFF meeting.
He was born and raised in Woodland California before moving to the “big city” in 1990 and becoming a man about town. He has many interests in the arts but is best known for his extensive film knowledge and a lifelong love of movies.
He has also regularly imbibed French music since discovering his parents' soundtrack to “Un Homme et Une Femme” when he was 7. Currently he DJ's for the opening and closing night parties at the SFFF. He has also been known to sigh deeply and long for the day when the Gainsborg Birthday Parties blossom into a regular Sacramento tradition- because if there’s one thing Chris enjoys, it’s throwing a party. He also mixes a wicked cocktail.
Ardent Francophile Chris has spent time in Paris and is looking forward to exploring other parts of France in the future. Once there, he hopes resume his study of advanced kissing techniques.

sartorialconundrum(at)gmail.com

Joan Taylor, Will Call Coordinator

Joan Adornetto Taylor, originally from New York, lived in Santa Barbara, Davis, Boston, and Aix-en-Provence, France before settling in Sacramento.  Her formal education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Bachelor of Arts in French, A Masters of Arts in Education and a California Teaching Credential. She worked as a Paralegal, Legal Translator, and for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Boston before landing her avocation and vocation: French Teacher. She currently teaches French to High School students by day, and eager adults by night.

Her love affair with French began many many years ago and she frequently travels to France and other parts of the Francophone world.  An avid film buff since she could sit up and watch them... being part of the planning committee, (since the first festival!) of the Sacramento French Film Festival is a natural fit. When not at work, you may see her strolling through town, hunting for old treasures, eating popcorn and watching myriad films, conviving with friends.... and always with a smile.

frenchie5(at)comcast.net

Guy Michelier, Will Call Coordinator

Born in France, in Provence and more precisely in Arles "la porte de la Camargue", Guy moved to California at the age of 24, in 1977 and is a State employee working for a consumer agency. Guy has been volunteering for the SFFF since 2008 and brings his computer knowledge and his organizational skills to the service of the event. He enjoys working with the planning committee where he met fun and friendly people. He hopes everything will go smoothly this year!...

guy(at)sacramentofrenchfilmfestival.org

Lisa Csicsek

Lisa Csicsek got her start as a volunteer for Sacramento French Film Festival by volunteering during the 2007 Festival.  She adores helping people, committees, causes and loves to do anything having to do with Europe and Arts & Culture. She has travelled extensively throughout Europe but especially likes to visit her cousin in Paris. She was born and raised in Upstate New York by immigrant German and Slovene parents and moved to Sacramento in 2003 to further her interests in seeing more of the country and discovering new things.  Commanded by her left brain, she loves cooking, travelling, indie films and gardening.  But her right brain and job as a Pension Consultant pays the bills.  But both sides of her brain make her very well suited to being one of the two Catering Coordinators for the Opening & Closing Receptions.  She lives with her boyfriend and only dog-child Daphne in Sacramento.  But she knows that her wanderlust will lead her to some other city someday. 

cheechl2000(at)yahoo.com

Pierre Asmar

Pierre, born in Lyon, France, lived in Lebanon for a few years before heading for Davis, California where he established residence and obtained a Mechanical Engineering degree in Sacramento.  He was an active member of the real estate industry practicing in Davis before moving to the Sacramento area opening a retail business (home decorating) in Roseville.  His passion has always been movies, traveling, socializing and meeting progressively minded new friends!

thefrenchman6998(at)yahoo.com

Jane Thomson

Jane hopes her severe case of francophilia is contagious, and does her best to insure that others experience the symptoms: a love of French language, culture, places, people…and films!  She’s volunteered for the Festival since its second year. A devoted student and member of the Alliance Francaise de Sacramento, she’s currently its president. She retired in July 08 after 24 years in law school career advising and, like most retirees, complains of never having been so busy. Originally from Boston, Jane taught high school English in London and in Menlo Park, directed a community-service sentencing program in Oakland, and did administrative management at two nonprofits in San Francisco. She moved to Sacramento in ‘84, rather reluctantly, for a job, and now couldn’t be happier anywhere else…except Paris!

janegthomson(at)sbcglobal.net

Melissa Cirone

Melissa has 20 years of professional experience in development, strategic planning, and communications for arts organizations. For eight years she served as Director of Communications and Development at Williams College Museum of Art, where she designed and implemented the museum's annual communication and fundraising plans. While at Williams, she secured foundation funding for major traveling exhibitions and education programs. Prior to that, she held the position of Assistant to the Director for Marketing and Development at the Williamstown Art Conservation Center, directing a two-year capital campaign for building an expanded conservation and educational center. Melissa also served as Executive Director of Small Press Distribution, one of the nation's largest nonprofit literary organizations, located in Berkeley, California. Melissa has served as development and marketing consultant to a number of performing arts companies, museums and visual arts centers in California and Massachusetts. Melissa received her BA in English and Art History from Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass. Melissa is currently the Director of development of the Sacramento Opera.

melccirone(at)yahoo.com

In Sacramento:
Cécile Mouette Downs
Jane Berner
John Downs

In Paris:
Lionel Venturini

Lionel Venturini is journalist for a national newspaper in Paris and former movie critic for a national radio. He works on unearthing the best French films among the hundreds released every year in France; the ones that will give insight on what French cinema and France are today. Every year, he promises to attend the opening. Next year, sure he will...

lioventurini(at)gmail.com