Paul Ratner

Paul Ratner is an accomplished film festival manager, educator, and filmmaker with extensive experience in the arts and media. As the Managing Director of the Sarasota Film Festival since January 2018, Paul oversees the organization of large-scale events and has successfully produced the festival's first virtual and hybrid iterations. In addition to serving as an Adjunct Professor at Ringling College of Art and Design, Paul contributes as a writer for Interesting Engineering and Big Think, focusing on science, technology, and culture. Paul co-founded and directs several film festivals that highlight diverse narratives, including Visions of the Black Experience and the Sarasota Native American Film Festival. With a background in documentary production and writing that includes projects for Radiant Island and The Huffington Post, Paul Ratner holds a BA in Theater Arts from Cornell University and an MFA in Film Production from Chapman University.