Firelight Media Appoints Loira Limbal as President and CEO (EXCLUSIVE)

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Firelight Media has named Loira Limbal as its new president and CEO, taking over from Marcia Smith who, along with her husband, Oscar-nominated director Stanley Nelson (“Attica”), founded the nonprofit organization in 2000. Under Limbal’s leadership, Firelight will continue to assist, equip, and champion documentary filmmakers of diverse backgrounds.

After announcing her resignation from Firelight Media in July 2024, Smith continued to serve as the interim president and CEO while they conducted a country-wide search for her successor. On June 1, Limbal will take over her new role.

Nelson and Smith expressed great excitement about the selection of Loira Limbal as Firelight Media’s future president and CEO. As Firelight moves away from being a founder-led organization after 25 years, and at a crucial moment for the documentary industry, Loira is perfectly suited to secure the organization’s continued success for the next 25 years and beyond. We are confident that Loira will provide innovative direction, fresh vigor, and strategic skills in this position, having demonstrated these qualities throughout her 16-year tenure with Firelight in various staff and consulting roles.

From 20xx to 2021, Limbal held the position of senior vice president for programs at Firelight Media. During this time, the organization created documentaries that garnered attention such as “Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool,” “Freedom Riders,” “Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple,” and more recently, “We Want the Funk.” This film will be screened at the Full Frame Festival in North Carolina on April 5. You’ll also be able to catch it on PBS’s Independent Lens on April 8.

Since 2009, Limbal has been a part of Firelight Media. During her time there, she played a significant role in growing Firelight’s Documentary Lab, as well as initiating projects like the Groundwork Regional Lab, William Greaves Research & Development Fund, Impact Campaign Fund, and the In the Making documentary short film series, which was created in collaboration with PBS’ American Masters.

Filmmaking documentaries is one of our strongest weapons in promoting social transformation – a tool that disturbs, uncovers, and inspires fresh perspectives,” Limbal expressed. “Working at Firelight has only reinforced my belief in its potential to dismantle damaging stories and cultivate new, revolutionary narratives. In the face of our field’s unique hardships, it is an honor to collaborate with Firelight Media’s talented and passionate team, supporting filmmakers whose work sheds light on the present, safeguards the past, and broadens the horizons for our joint future.

Limbal is an all-round artist, specializing in documentary filmmaking, video installations, and DJing. Her 2020 feature documentary “Through the Night” had its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, showcasing a 24-hour daycare center. Earlier, her work “Estilo Hip Hop” was broadcast on PBS in 2009.

In their roles as co-chairs of the search committee, Anne Canty and Rashid Shabazz expressed great joy about this decision. They are thrilled to collaborate with Loira to ensure that Firelight Media has the necessary resources, so it can continue its mission of making the documentary field a more sustainable and equitable environment for underrepresented filmmakers.

More recently, Limbal has been recognized with several prestigious awards such as the 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship, Creative Capital Award, USA Fellowship, a nomination for the NAACP Image Award, and a Sundance Institute Fellowship. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in history from Brown University.

This year, Firelight Media is commemorating its 25-year milestone by hosting several public events.

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2025-04-01 23:17