Noah Cowan Obituary

Noah Cowan was a Canadian artistic director who served as SFFILM’s executive director from March 2014 to May 2019.

He was in charge of the organization’s exhibition, educational, and filmmaker services.  Cowan was the artistic director of TIFF Bell Lightbox before joining SFFILM.

Noah Cowan died Wednesday, January 25 2023, at the age of 55 in Los Angeles after a battle with glioblastoma multiforme that was first diagnosed in December 2021.

Veteran Hollywood producer James Schamus paid tribute to Cowan, emphasizing that the indie film champion represented far more than his many job titles over a long career.

“He was not simply one of the most important curators, institution builders, distributors, grantors, and festival heads of our era although he was all these,” he said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.

“And that’s because in each of those jobs, he took his institutional and personal prerogatives and mobilized them in the service of countless other careers and communities. He’ll be sorely missed.”