Hatkoff is framing this as a triumphant departure — he's leaving NewFest in its strongest financial position ever, with the organization now commanding a $2.5 million budget and the title of America's largest queer film festival. His statement emphasizes pride and legacy rather than any internal friction.
The timing is raising eyebrows. Hatkoff exits June 30, just weeks after NewFest Pride concludes May 28-June 1 — meaning the organization will be navigating a leadership transition during its busiest season. Insiders note that Klainberg's appointment keeps everything in-family, which some see as continuity and others view as a lack of fresh blood.
Under Hatkoff since 2019, NewFest's budget exploded from $500,000 to nearly $2.5 million — a 400% increase in seven years. The 38th annual festival runs October 15-27, 2026, with Klainberg at the helm.
Seven years is a long time to hold the keys to America's flagship LGBTQ film festival. Whether Hatkoff burned out chasing that $2.5 million dream or simply decided the culture wars make this moment too volatile to navigate — only time will tell.
David Hatkoff is officially out at NewFest. After seven years steering what's become the largest queer film festival in the United States, the executive director announced his departure Wednesday morning, effective June 30 — just one month after this year's NewFest Pride wraps its five-day run from May 28 through June 1. The exit marks the end of a transformative era for the Manhattan-based organization, which has ballooned from a scrappy community event into a $2.5 million operation under Hatkoff's watch.
"NewFest has been the most meaningful work of my professional life," Hatkoff said in a statement that dripped with finality and accomplishment alike. "Queer stories deserve to be taken seriously by the industry and by the culture, and NewFest exists to make that case every single day. I'm proud of what we've built together." The emphasis on legacy suggests this wasn't a rushed decision — but sources close to the situation haven't offered much insight into what comes next for Hatkoff himself, leaving the community wondering whether he's retiring, relocating, or simply exhausted from fighting upstream in an increasingly hostile cultural climate.
Stepping into the breach is Lesli Klainberg, a founding national board member of GLAAD and someone who actually ran NewFest from 2008 to 2011. She spent the past dozen-plus years as managing director and later president of Film at Lincoln Center — the prestigious nonprofit behind the New York Film Festival and Film Comment magazine. Klainberg called her return "like coming home" in a statement Wednesday, praising Hatkoff's work while positioning herself as continuity over change.
"My focus will be to support and collaborate with our dedicated staff and board... and to ensure we connect with the broader tri-state queer community as we prepare for the October festival." Translation: she's not here to rock the boat during a precarious moment in LGBTQ advocacy, where film festivals have increasingly become battlegrounds for representation debates. The numbers behind Hatkoff's tenure are staggering. When he took over in 2019, NewFest operated on roughly $500,000 annually — pocket change in nonprofit terms.
By his exit, that figure had swollen to nearly $2.5 million, a 400% budget explosion that allowed the festival to launch spin-offs like Queering the Canon and NewFest Pride itself. Board co-chairs Jane Sasseen and Ellery Washington released a joint statement praising him as "a terrific steward of NewFest's mission" while welcoming Klainberg as exactly right for this moment. Kevin Chase Executive Search Group has been retained for what they call a "national search" — industry speak for casting a wide net to find someone capable of sustaining Hatkoff's growth trajectory without dropping the ball on community relations.
The real test comes this fall. The 38th annual NewFest is scheduled for October 15-27, which means Klainberg will be steering her first major programming cycle while simultaneously recruiting her permanent successor. That's a narrow window to prove stability to skeptical filmmakers, anxious sponsors, and an LGBTQ community that's watched too many institutions crumble when charismatic leaders depart. Whether Hatkoff left NewFest better positioned than ever — or burned out trying to keep queer cinema relevant in an era of backlash — won't be clear until the October crowds show up (or don't).
