Doug Jones, an independent film programmer who served as executive director of Images Cinema from 2014 to 2022, died on Nov. 2 at the age of 53.
Vidiots, an LA-based nonprofit video store and cinema where Jones had worked since May, shared the news of his death on Instagram on Nov. 3. Images released its own statement on Facebook in response. “Our thoughts are with [Jones’s] family, and especially his son, at this difficult time,” Images wrote.
In interviews with the Record, those who personally knew Jones described him as an incredibly kind and patient person who had an exquisite taste in movies.
“He was also such a modest person, and not showy at all,” managing director of Images Janet Curran wrote in an email to the Record.
“He was kind even to telemarketers,” she continued. “He would tell them straight up, ‘I am not interested in what you are selling, but I’m not going to hang up on you until we both say goodbye.’ He was so kind to everyone and was so passionate about the things he loved, whether it was a movie, a piece of vintage packaging, or a song.”
“Those are the things that will continue to live on with me and all those who knew him, here in Williamstown and all over the world,” Curran added.
Jones was born in Boulder, Colo., and raised in South Dakota and Minnesota. He graduated from Metropolitan State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in film, cinema, and media studies. Prior to his first programming position, Jones worked various movie theater jobs. According to Curran, Jones also watched every movie he could get his hands on: all of the major studio films, but also a variety of obscure, indie, and international films.
Throughout his career, Jones had a wide-ranging influence on the film programming world. In addition to his work at Images, Jones served as the associate director of programming at the Los Angeles Film Festival for 12 years and the program director of the Oak Street Cinema in Minneapolis. He also worked as the programmer for San Francisco International Film Festival, the Mill Valley Film Festival in California, and the South by Southwest Film Festival in Texas. Additionally, during his time at Images, he contributed to the programming for the Philadelphia Film Festival and the Independent Film Festival of Boston.
According to Curran, the proudest moment of Jones’s career was when he asked the band Yo La Tengo to write and perform the music to accompany the films of Jean Painlevé during his time at the San Francisco International Film Festival.
“Yo La Tengo later performed this at MASS MoCA with the films, and it was released as part of the Criterion Collection,” Curran wrote.
During his time in Williamstown, Jones introduced audiences to new perspectives and led Images through the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Curran, he frequently had interesting and unique opinions about films and would often point out certain shifts in perspective that could change a viewer’s understanding of the film. And though Jones did not insist on showing every movie he wanted to see at Images, there were some films that he deemed worth showing despite potentially low box office sales.
Since Jones’s passing, culture magazines like Variety and newspapers like The Berkshire Eagle have reported on his death, honoring his kind-heartedness and the legacy he has left behind in the film industry.
Producers, directors, film programmers, and festival heads alike have expressed their sorrow and condolences to Jones’s family. In its statement, Images said it will inform the community of future plans to memorialize and honor Jones at the cinema.
