Opal H. Bennett has been a curator since 2014 when she joined the programming team at Montclair Film Festival as shorts programmer. She is on the programming teams for Aspen ShortsFest, Athena Film Festival and DOC NYC, and is a programming consultant for the March on Washington Film Festival. She is also on the selection committee for shorts at Cinema Eye Honors and the International Documentary Association. Opal has served on juries for SXSW, IndieMemphis, NewFest, Leuven ShortsFest, New Orleans, Cleveland and Seattle International Film Festivals among others. She has also participated on selection committees for documentary programming and grants. A Columbia Law grad, Opal holds a masters in media studies from the London School of Economics, and received her B.A. from New York University.