Aaron Kes

IFP Phoenix has been a part of my life for a decade. In 2012 I was named Co-Program Director of IFP Phoenix, along with my friend TJ Houle. We worked side by side for a few years, and in 2015 I took on the role myself when she moved on. It’s been a long, amazing journey, and now it’s time for me to move on as well.

I’m extremely proud of what I’ve accomplished in my time here. As a team, we have offered many new programs, grown existing ones, and helped connect people in the community. But the people are the reason I kept going for ten years. I got choked up on the phone when I had to tell Jason (our Executive Director at the Phoenix Film Foundation) I was moving away. He, our team, and all the people I’ve met in the film community have meant the world to me. This will forever be one of the greatest things I’ve done with my life. I am eternally thankful. 

As IFP Phoenix returns to live events now that the pandemic has gotten more manageable, we are at a transition point. But I think I leave the organization in a good place. We will announce our new program director next week, and we found a fantastic person to help grow our community. Hopefully you’ll be seeing them at events really soon. 

I hope to visit AZ and perhaps pop up at the festival when able. But my family and I are excited to build our life in Cincinnati, our new home. I will miss the community terribly, and I will forever root you all on. I’m excited to see what you all do. Thank you for everything. 

– Aaron Kes

We are now accepting monologues from actors for the Filmmaker Fusion Challenge. The challenge is full and we are no longer accepting new participants. If you are submitting a monologue, you must already be registered and paid on our site.

All you need to do to submit your monologue is upload it to YouTube and fill out this form (which will ask you for the YouTube link for your submission).