2024 Film Programmer Mentorship

The Comfort Station Film Programming Mentorship program is meant to mentor up and coming film programmers or someone who is interested in Film Programming. The program will help emerging programmers learn about building a film program and locating films for their program following the process that the Comfort Film team does. They will also learn how to setup screenings at Comfort Station.

The Mentorship screenings will be held in April on these dates, April 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th at 8pm. Check Comfort Stations events Calendar for film titles.

Here are the 2024 Fellows for the Comfort Station Film Programming Mentorship Program.

Elise Schierbeek

Elise Schierbeek is a media archivist, writer, video essayist, and aspiring film programmer. Elise currently works as the Digital Collection and Media Manager at Video Data Bank where they oversee digital access, media production, and web content. For many formative years, they worked in archives and distribution at Kartemquin Films. Elise has taken part in numerous archival panels and produced critical writing for various publications including the International Research Partnership on Cinema Technology and Illinois’ Minding Nature Journal. They have served as a shorts program juror for the Milwaukee Film Festival and as a committee member for the Kartemquin / Hulu Accelerator Program. In 2022, Elise was an inaugural mentee in the Association of Moving Image Archivists Mentorship Pilot Program. They are currently undertaking an MA in Visual and Critical Studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and hold a BFA in Film, Video, New Media and Animation from the same.

Emma Engelbrecht

Emma Engelbrecht lives in Chicago with her 11 year old dachshund, Max, and began watching classic films, because her mom assumed if it was black and white that it was appropriate for a kid. Emma has since become aware that this is not always the case, but has nevertheless continued to watch and study films of all ages and genres. She hopes to take what she has learned from this experience and continue to grow as a film programmer.

Jack Miller

Jack Miller is a film writer and aspiring programmer living in Chicago. His work is primarily concerned with film aesthetics and the spatial language of mise-en-scène. The majority of his writing on film can be read at IU Cinema's Establishing Shot blog, the Riding the Dusty Trail anthology, and the Expressionless Objects journal. He can usually be found at repertory screenings around Chicago. His three favorite filmmakers are Fritz Lang, John Ford, and Roberto Rossellini, and he has a special affinity for westerns.

David Whitehouse

David Whitehouse is an aspiring film programmer currently working as a fine dining professional in Chicago. David has a longstanding love for film and criticism, with particular affinity for durational film and contemporary East Asian cinema. He spent the majority of his upbringing in O‘ahu, developing early interests in photography, music, literature, and moving image. David worked as a curatorial assistant at the Honolulu Museum of Art’s Doris Duke Theater, writing film criticism and supporting the daily flows of arthouse programming. David studied film at Wesleyan University where he produced critical writing for the inaugural film analysis publication Intercut. Outside of work, you can find David watching too many movies, going to shows, or doing crossword puzzles at the bar.