Simon Field , the influential film programmer, producer, and former Rotterdam Film Festival leader, died on July 16, 2026, at age 80. Film critic Geoff Andrew confirmed Field’s death in an obituary, followed by a tribute from the Rotterdam Film Festival over the weekend. Field led Rotterdam as festival director and co director from 1996 to 2004, helping spotlight filmmakers including Lou Ye, Christopher Nolan, Hong Sang Soo, and Pablo Trapero through the festival’s Tiger Competition. His programming career also earned him a reputation for backing adventurous work from artists such as Wang Bing and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The Programmer Who Kept Betting on Great Cinema Before Rotterdam, Field founded and edited the film journal Afterimage and lectured on film studies. He became director of cinema at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts in 1988, holding the role until he moved to Rotterdam in 1996. After his festival tenure, Field joined Keith Griffiths’ Illumination Films and produced projects by Tsai Ming liang, Garin Nugroho, and Weerasethakul, including the 2010 Palme d’Or winner Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives and Memoria . Weerasethakul honored Field on Instagram, calling him a caring, supportive producer who never compromised while navigating major shifts in film funding and production. “I have lost an important companion, with whom we built the films together with love, over many years,” Weerasethakul wrote.