Since 1989 the Ojai Film Society has been bringing great films to Ojai on Sunday afternoons. Our non-profit (Mission Statement) organization is governed by a diverse Board of Directors with a common interest: a love of film and a desire to contribute to the very special community in which we live.

Among our Board members you’ll find filmmakers and Academy award-winning directors, university professors and psychologists, business people and doctors, marketing professionals and lawyers. Our Honorary Board includes more than a few household names, no surprise considering our town is a mere 70 miles from Hollywood.

Supporting our Board is our Office Manager, Elise DePuydt, who is responsible for the smooth running of the Society’s office, for getting the films to the theater, and for advertising sales and production of our fall, winter and spring screening schedules.

I’d like to introduce you to the officers and members of the Board, but first will single out Steve Grumette by virtue of his major role in the organization.

Thank you for your interest in the Ojai Film Society. Please click here if you’d like to become a sponsor so that you can support our work in the community.

Ron Phillips
President, Ojai Film Society

Steve Grumette, OFS Program Director
As OFS Program Director, Academy-award winning filmmaker Steve Grumette’s prime responsibility is to screen and choose the 36 plus films shown by the Society every year.

He brings a breadth and depth of experience to the position that has allowed him to select a wide variety of films that consistently appeal to the film audiences here in Ojai.

A pioneer in adapting personal computer technology to the film industry, Steve worked with MGM/UA to enable live computers to generate real-time displays on computer monitors in the movie War Games, which became a cult classic. The success of this innovation resulted in Steve’s involvement as Computer Effects Supervisors in over a dozen major Hollywood films.

In addition to his role with OFS, Steve was one of the founders of the Ojai Film Festival and has served has served as the Festival’s Artistic Director since it opened in 2000.

His commitment to the dramatic arts extends beyond the cinema. Over the past several years he has participated as actor, director and technical director in many of the Ojai Art Center Theater’s productions.

Besides the Academy Award he won in the Best Live Action Short Subject category, Steve’s honors include a special prize at the Cannes Film Festival, a Blue Ribbon at the American Film Festival, a Gold Medal at the Atlanta Film Festival, a Gold Cindy Award at the IFPA Film Festival, a CINE Golden Eagle, and selection by the National Foundation for the Advancement of Arts as a Film and Video Panelist in their national scholarship competition.

Ojai Film Society Board of Directors
Ron Phillips, President
George J. Sandoval, Vice President
Anthony T. Hirsch, Treasurer & Past President
Denise Picard, Secretary
Steve Grumette, Program Director
Andi Bloom
Bobbie Boschan
John Grant
Liz Grumette
Jamie Hartley
Fran Merkley, Ph.D
Arthur Vander
Christy Sebastian