Eight or so months after the departure of Lyall Bush, the Northwest Film Forum has a new executive director. It is Courtney Sheehan, who has been with the organization since late 2013, when she became its program director. November last year, she was promoted to artistic director, and shared management responsibilities with Line Sandsmark, who left NWFF earlier this year.

The announcement of Sheehan's appointment is good news in the sense that it will bring much-needed stability and direction to the organization. Bush's departure was rather confusing and left many questions unanswered. Was his direction at odds with one that NWFF's board had in mind? And if so, what direction did the board want to take? What ever the answer might be (and we may never know it), one thing is for sure at this point: The board is down with Sheehan's very clear vision and direction, which, among other things, is about eclectic programming and a radical rethinking of the theater's role in the age of online streaming.

A happy hour will be held at the Northwest Film Forum on the last day of this month (May 31) to meet and greet the new executive director.