Film Presence Co-Founders Sara Kiener and Merrill Sterritt Set to Join Cinereach

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Cinereach has announced that Film Presence co-founders Sara Kiener and Merrill Sterritt are set to join the growing company, a not-for-profit foundation that has backed over 200 films since 2006, including “Salero,” “The Cold Lands” and “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” which they produced alongside Court 13.

Working with Radius, Magnolia Pictures and A24, Kiener and Sterritt’s main focus has been on audience engagement through online platforms and community screening events. Variety reports that “Kiener and Sterritt are coming on board to pioneer the company’s expanding focus on audience and distribution strategies.”

At Film Presence, Kiener and Sterritt worked on “Citizenfour,” along with more than 60 other theatrical releases, and they’ve helped raise $340,000 for Don Cheadle’s “Miles Ahead.”

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to join Cinereach to help them create meaningful bridges between the films they support and the audiences those films deserve,” Kiener told Indiewire. “We’re excited to work with their team and the incredible network of filmmakers they’ve been nurturing since 2006.”

Kiener was the former exhibitor relations manager at Magnolia Pictures, while Sterritt ran the production assistance program and Women Make Movies. As for the future of Film Presence, Kiener told Indiewire that the company is taking an indefinite hiatus.

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